Our ancestors were telling that "Diet is drug" . " But now it has been changed as "Drug alone is diet" "Noynadi noymudalnadi adhuthanikkum Vaynadi vaippa cheyal ".

According to Valluvar we should know the nature of the illness for the betterment of life. Ragi is appropriate for us to get rid of diseases.

Our ancestors were including ragi as the most important food group intakes. At that time it was in very limited cases. But, now due to the change in the food habits many types of disease are compelled to attack. If you add ragi in daily diet to get rid of diabetes, heart disease, calcium deficiency can be relieved. It is recommended by doctors for people with grain, such as finger millet.

Ragi is richer in calcium (calcium), iron, protein, fibre than other millets, since agricultural scientists are recommending this. If you have a good monsoon, rain fed ragi gives more profit.

Varieties

• CO (Ra) 14, CO (Ra) 15 and Paiyur (Ra) 2.

Season

• July and september season are suited for rainfed crop .

Land preparation

• Red soil and two soil mixture is ideal to cultivate the crop. After ploughing the land twice, in the third ploughed into the soil by using farm yard manure and sowing the ragi crop is more profitable. When using natural fertilizers, soil moisture also preserved.

Nursery sowing

• Ragi increase yields to increase the number of tillers. Maintaining proper spacing is important. Nursery sowing is suitable for both rainfed and irrigated condition. For transplanting 5 kg seed is required and whereas it was 10-15 kg for direct sowing. Cultivate a hectare nursery is 12.5 cents. Irrigate the beds can be customized to suit. The size of the beds 10 to 20 feet, drawing furrows spaced 30 cm may required.

Planting

• 17 to 20 days old seedlings of 2 to 3 seedlings per hill can be planted with the spacing of 7.5 cm. Microbial fertilizers can be used to increase the moisture.

Nutrient management

• Five tonnes of well decomposed farmyard manure for an acre spreading and then during the last ploughing the field. Fertilizers should be applied according to soil test is usually done. If soil testing is not done, the recommended amounts of fertilizer NPK 25:16:16 kg per acre may be applied respectively. Entire dose phosphorus and potassium applied as basal. Only half the amount of N applied, and the remainder divided into equally and applied as top dressing twice at 25-30 and 40-45 days after sowing. During deficit monsoon season, top drsessing is not same as monsoon season, the remaining 50 per cent of nitrogen top dressed depending upon the moisture availability of the soil.

Bio fertilizers

• Four packets (200 g) of Azospirillum and phosphobacteria mixed with 25 kg soil, compost mixed with farmyard manure spread on an acre of land. In Irrigated cultivation, 2 packets of Azospirillum mixed with 40 liters of water and immerse the seedlings roots in it for 15-30 minutes and can be planted.

Weed management

• After sowing or transplanting weeding should be done once in18 days and after that second in 45 days after sowing or Fluchloralin @ 800 ml or pendimethalin 1.2 litre herbicide mixed with 200 litres of water using hand sprayer (flat fan) sprinkle in the third day after planting on seedlings.

Crop Protection

Insects

Generally in ragi, there is no major attack of pests. Adapt to climate change, however, cut worms, stem borers , sap feeders, thrips, root aphid-like insects present. To control Nematodes Malathion (50 EC) spray with 200 ml of water. In tillering and flowering season this insecticide is used to control stem borer.

Diseases

Ragi is susceptible to Blast and mosaic virus.To control Blast, tricyclocel or Bavistin 120 g in 200 litres per acre immedietly after seeing the symptoms of mixed spray twice in the difference of 15 days. First uproot the infected plant to reduce the spread of the disease or control the disease with the spraying of Methyl demeton 0.05% (200 ml / acre) at initial stage and 20 days after disease incidence.

Harvest and storage

Harvesting is done after the grains are ripe, dry, well at least of two times. Ears laid back on the field, cleaned and stored. Using high-yield varieties of the above methods, to earn a higher profit margin increased by high yield.

Things to be done in Ragi cultivation

• Azophos bio-fertilizer seed treatment.


• Pseudomonas seed treatment.


• Maintenance of plant population.


• Weeding in 18-25 days after planting.


• To control Blast spray Pseudomonas.


• 70 to 80 percent of the matured panicles.


• Advance harvest without delaying.


• Grains separation in clean field without stone and soil.


• To prevent fungal infection in straw should be well dried and stored cleanly.