| 1. Crop residue as mulch Mulches  controlling effect of the evaporation of soil moisture and hence play an  important role in agriculture. Locally available materials like paddy straw,  sugarcane dried leaves and coir pith can be very well used as mulch material.  Crop yield increase has been noticed in the mulch field due to better water use  and reduction of soil loss by runoff. Use of straw mulch minimized evaporation.  Sugar dried leaves and paddy straw mulch act as barrier between the incident radiation  and soil surface’s   2. Propping in banana A  plastic rope is tied 2/3 from the bottom of the banana tree to prevent the  lodging and bunch damage. While high flow of wind during rainy season.  The end of plastic ropes from 4 banana trees  is tied with one feet height wooden plug which is firmly attached with  earth.  The cost of this indigenous  technique is Rs 4 per tree which includes the labour charges. The duration of  this plastic ropes will exists for three year, which is after harvest of banana  this plastic ropes can be used in subsequent seasons.  3. Indigenous Turmeric boiling drum Fingers  are separated from mother rhizomes and are usually kept as seed material. Then  fresh turmeric is cured before marketing. Curing involves boiling of fresh rhizomes  in water and drying in the sun.In traditional method the cleaned rhizomes are  boiled in galvanized iron with water just enough soak them. In certain places  cow dung slurry is used boiling medium. Boiling is stopped when comes out and  white fumes appear giving out a typical odors. The boiling for 45-60 minutes  the rhizomes are soft.  Over cooking  spoils the colour of final product while under cooking render the dried product  brittle.
 4. Drying method in rhizome The  cooked fingers are dried in the sun by spreading 5-7 cm thick layer on drying  floor. A thinner layer not desirable the colour of the dried product may be adversely  affected. During night time the material should be heaped and covered. it may  take 10-15 days for the rhizomes, become completely dry. Yield of the dry  product varies from 20-30percent depending up on the variety and the location.  5. Inter  cropping Amaranths +Groundnut 
                
                  |  |  Ground  nut cum amaranths inter cropping is practiced in erode dt. Amaranths are  harvested with in one month. Ground nut harvested at end of three months period  .amaranths crops will give additional in come to needy farmers by selling  amaranths green leaves daily in the market. Amaranths Varieties:  Co1.Co3 (clipping type) mulai keerai ,Thandukeerai
 Seed rate:
 Broad  cost the seeds evenly on the bed after mixing with 10 parts of sand
 Harvest &yield:
 25  days after sowing for mulai keerai 4Tonnes/acre
 40  days after sowing for Thandukeerai 7Tonnes/acre
 Clipping type: 10  clipping at weekly intervals
 Ground nut;
 Season: Rain fed: Early adipattam (july-aug) Varieties: TMV2, TMV7, VRI3
 Irrigated: Summer (April-July) Varieties: TMV2,  TMV7
 Durations: 100-105Days
 Growth habit: Bunch type: Seed colour: Light rose
 Form beds of size 10x20M2 depending up on the availability  of water
 Seed  rate: Use 70kg /acre of kernels for the rainfed crop and 50kg  /acre for irrigated crop.
 Sowing  method:
 Dry  land: Use seed drill/guru to sow the seed in lines .Sowing  during June for higher yield.
 Irrigated: Dibbled the seed at 5cm depth along with fertilizer sowing may be taken up in  July
 Harvest:  Drying and falling of older leaves and yellowing of the top leaves indicate  maturity. if     the inside of the shell  is brownish black and not white.
 6.  Indigenous turmeric boiling stove   The  size of this stove is 5feet length and 3 feet breath .The depth is 6feet from  the top of the earth. The harvest turmeric leaves are used as the fuel material.  The fuel material are inserted in one way (3 Feet breath area) and out let  smoke in other side of the breath area. Indigenous boiling drums having the  capacity of 90 Kg each, can be kept on the Indigenous turmeric boiling stove  for a period of 45minutes.this is the cost effective stove locally made in the  field itself. They are using the harvested dried turmeric leaves as the fuel  which is having no cost. To set up an Indigenous turmeric boiling stove 2  laborers are needed .and the total cost of this set up is Rs 500 only.   |