Land Preparation

• The main field is prepared by ploughing the soil well.
• Trenches of 20 cm depth should be taken at a spacing of 60 cm.
• Apply the basal dose of organic manures and fill the trenches up to 10 cm using top soil.

Planting

• Sowing is to be done during October – November.
• Seeds are to be sown in nursery beds or in protrays.
• The trays should be filled with a mixture of well decomposed cocopeat, perlite and vermiculite (3:1:1 by volume).
• Germinated seedlings should be fertigated with 19:19:19/20:20:20/30:10:10 water soluble fertilizer @ 0.05 – 0.2% depending on the stage of growth of seedlings.
• The seedlings will be ready for transplanting within 3-4 weeks.
• Damping off disease in nursery beds can be controlled by applying copper oxy chloride (0.3%).
• Plant the seedlings in trenches at a spacing of 60 cm.