| NIGER  (Guizotia abyssinica) 
 CROP  IMPROVEMENTI. SEASON AND  VARIETIES
 
 
        
          | DISTRICT/SEASON | VARIETIES |  
          | A.    Rainfed |  
          | 1.    Adippattam (June- July) |  
          | Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri,    Hilly regions of Shevroy, Kolli hills,    Jawad hills and Thalavadi hills | Paiyur 1 |  
          | 2. Purattasipattam    (Sep-Oct) |  
          | Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri,    Hilly regions of Shevroy, Kolli hills,    Jawad hills and Thalavadi    hills | Paiyur 1 |  II. DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES 
        
          | Variety | : | Paiyur 1 |  
          | Parentage | : | Mass selection from composite II |  
          | Duration (days) | : | 80 |  
          | Yield (kg/ha) | : | 260 |  
          | Oil content (%) | : | 44.6 |  
          | Plant height (cm) | : | 80-85 |  
          | Branches | : | Profuse |  
          | Seed | : | Bold |  
          | Colour of seed | : | Brown |  
          | 50% flowering (days) | : | 50 |  PREPARATION OF THE FIELD 1.  FIELD PREPARATION 
        Plough with tractor 2-3 times with a mould board plough or 5 times with a  country plough. 
Break the clods in between the ploughings and bring the soil to a fine tilth.  2.  APPLICATION OF FYM 
        Spread 12.5 t of FYM or compost or  composted coir pith per ha evenly and incorporate in the soil.If the manure  is not applied before commencement of ploughing, spread the manure evenly  before the last ploughing and incorporate in the soil.  NOTE:  Do not leave the organic manure exposed to sunlight as nutrients will be lost. 
 3.  APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS
 Apply  N at 20 kg/ha basally.  4.  SEED RATE Adopt  a seed rate of  5 kg/ha.  5.  SPACING       Adopt a spacing of 30 cm between rows and  10 cm between plants.  6.  SELECTION OF GOOD QUALITY SEEDS       Select mature good quality seeds, free  from pest damage and fungal attack.  7.  PRE-TREATMENT OF SEEDS WITH FUNGICIDES 
        8.  SOWINGTreat with Carbendazim or Thiram at 4 g/kg of seed in a polythene bag and  ensure a uniform coating of the fungicide over the seed. Treat the seeds 24  hours prior to sowing. NOTE:  Seed treatment will protect the young seedlings from root rot disease in the  early stage.
       a.  Sow the seeds in line at a depth of 2 to 3 cm and cover with soil. b. Sow using  gorru or country plough.  9.  THINNING OUT SEEDLINGS Thin out the seedlings to a spacing of  10 cm between plants on the 15th day of sowing.  10. WEED  MANAGEMENT       Hoe and weed on 20th and 35th  day of sowing.  11.  HARVESTING 
        
          Observe the crop considering the average  duration of the crop. The leaves and entire plant loose their  colour and turn brown at maturity. Cut the plants at the bottom. Keep the plants in the threshing floor and  beat the plants (heads) with sticks till the mature seeds are separated. Winnow the seed and dry in the sun. Collect and store the seeds in gunnies.  12. Post Harvest Technology   |