Effect of Planting Material and INM Through Drip Fertigation on Growth and Yield of Turmeric cv. Roma

A field experiment on “Studies on the effect of planting materials and different fertigation levels on yield and quality of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) cv. Roma” was conducted at Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam during 2011 2013. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design consisting of two factors, viz., Factor 1 planting material (S₁-whole rhizome and S₂-single node cuttings) and factor-II including different doses of inorganic fertilizers, organic manures and liquid biofertilizers constituting 20 different treatment combinations. Totally the biometrical observations. The were made from randomly selected ten plants and are subjected to statistical analysis. The results revealed that, among the two types of planting materials planting of whole rhizome registered the highest values for growth characters viz., plant height, number of leaves per plant and number of tillers per plant. It was also observed that the yield determining characters viz., number of mother, primary and secondary rhizome, weight of mother, primary and secondary rhizome, yield per plot and cured rhizome yield were the highest with application of 50 per cent RDF NPK + 50 per cent FYM + Vermicompost + Neem cake + Azospirillum + Phosphobacteria. The treatment T₆S₁ with application 50 per cent NPK + 50 per cent FYM + Vermicompost + Neem cake + Azospirillum + Phosphobacteria registered the highest growth characters leading to enhanced yield of turmeric.