Preparation of land

• Clear the field during February-March and burn the weeds, stubbles, roots etc. in situ.
• Prepare the land by ploughing or digging.
• Prepare beds of convenient length (across the slope where the land is undulating), 1 m width, 25 cm height with 40 cm spacing between the beds.
• Provide drainage channels, one for every 25 beds on flat lands.

Planting material

• Ginger rhizomes are used for planting.
• For selection and preservation of seeds, adopt the following methods:
• Mark healthy and disease free plants in the field when the crop is 6-8 months old and still green.
• Select best rhizomes free from pest and disease from the marked plants.
• Handle seed rhizomes carefully to avoid damage to buds.
• Soak the selected rhizomes for 30 minutes in a solution of mancozeb and malathion to give terminal concentration of 0.3 per cent for the former and 0.1 per cent for the latter.
• Dry the treated rhizomes in shade by spreading on the floor.
• Store the treated rhizomes in pits dug under shade, the floor of which is lined with sand or saw dust. It is advisable to spread layers of leaves of Glycosmis pentaphylla (panal).
• Cover the pits with coconut fronds. Examine the stored rhizomes at monthly intervals and remove the rhizomes that show signs of rotting. This will help to keep the inoculum level low.
• Provide one or two holes for better aeration.
• Treat the seed rhizomes similarly before planting also.
• Single bud sprout transplanting: A transplanting technique using single bud sprout (about 5g) has been standardized to produce good quality planting material with reduced cost.

The process include:

• Selection of healthy rhizomes of high yielding varieties of ginger.
• Treating the seed rhizome with mancozeb (0.3 %) and quinalphos (0.075%) for 30 min. before storage.
• Preparation of single bud sprouts (4-6 g) by cutting ginger rhizomes and
• Treatment of single bud sprouts with mancozeb 0.3%, for 30 minutes before planting after 30 days.
• For raising sprouts, 98 well pro-trays and nursery medium of partially decomposed coir pith and vermicompost in the ratio of 3:1 are recommended. The advantages are less planting material requirement, 500-750 kg per ha, 98 – 100 per cent field establishment, high cost: benefit ratio and suitability for early/delayed planting and high production technology.

Season and method of planting

• The best time for planting ginger is during the first fortnight of April, after receipt of pre-monsoon showers.
• For irrigated ginger, the best suited time for planting is middle of February (for vegetable ginger).
• Plant rhizome bits of 15 g weight in small pits at a spacing of 20 cm x 20 cm to 25 cm x 25 cm and at a depth of 4-5 cm with at least one viable healthy bud facing upwards.
• Drench the beds with PGPR GRB 35 (Bacillus amyloliquifacians) for growth
• promotion and suppression of soft rot disease.