Silkworm Food Plant Production Technology

Eri food plant production technology

Castor (Richinus communis)

Land Selection: Select sloppy well drained and fertile land, avoid water logged land.
Season: March- April and September- October.
Soil: Both acidic and alkaline soils are suitable.

Land preparation

• Plough 2-3 times to a depth of 20-25 cm and level it.
• Make 25cm x 25cm x 25cm pit at 1m x 1m spacing.
• Apply 1Kg FYM (well decomposed cow dung) to each pit and mix thoroughly with the soil.

Seed treatment and sowings:

• Select matured seeds.
• Treat the seeds with thiram or Capton @ 3 g/kg or Bavistin @ 2/kg seed to prevent fungal attack.
• Sow 2-3 seeds per pit at a depth of 2.5-3.0 cm and irrigate if there is no rain, especially during dry season.
• Germination takes places usually within 7-10 days.
• Keep only one healthy seeding in each pit after 15 days of germination.

Cultural operations

• Apply NPK@ 60:40:20 kg/ha as 1st dose after one month of germination at the base of the plants by making rings.
• After 3 months, 30 kg N/ha and 1 kg FYM/plant should be applied for vigorous growth and yield.
• Carry out hoeing and weeding whenever necessary (3-4 times in a year).

Leaf harvest

• Make the 1st leaf harvest after 3 month of plantation.
• Make 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th harvest after one month of preceding harvest.

Source:

• 1. Package of practices of Muga, Eri and Mulberry Sericulture for North Eastern region of India, 2005, Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, Lahdoigarh, Jorhat, Assam.
• 2. Directory of Sericulture Technology 2008, Karnataka State Sericulture Research and Development Institute,Bangalore- 560 062.

Kesseru (Heteropanax fragrans)

Nursery raising

Land selection:select well drained plain or sloppy land.
Season: February-March.

Nursery bed preparation

• Plough the land 2-3 times and level it.
• Make 6 m x 2m bed and lift up to 15 cm above ground level.
• Apply 6 cft FYM and sand to each bed, mix thoroughly with the soil and level it.
• Leave the bed as such for 2 weeks.
• Apply 0.1% Indofil-M45 and Forat BHC solution @ 20 l/ha 2 days before sowing and mix with the soil to avoid pest attack.

Seed collection

• Cover the Kesseru fruit on the plant with nylon net.
• Collect the ripe fruit during February-March.
• Store the fruit in shade for 1-2 days.
• Soak the fruits overnight in water.
• Rub the fruits with a gunny cloth.
• Put the fruit in water and select only the sunken ones for sowing.

Seed sowing

• Sow 800 seeds (2 seeds/pit) in each nursery bed maintaining a spacing of 15 cm (pit to pit) by 20 cm (row to row).
• Mulch the seed bed with a thin layer of straw.
• Irrigate regularly in the morning and late noon hours during dry season.
• Provide a shed over the bed to protect from the direct sun light and hailstorm.
• 90% Germination can be obtained within 18-25 days.
• Displace the mulch after 90% germination.
• Displace the mulch after 90% germination.

Cultural operation

• Carry out weeding at an interval of 20-30 days till the seedlings attain a height of 20-25 cm.
• Spray 0.05% Rogor along with 0.1 % Indofil-M45 at an interval of 15-20 days to prevent leaf diseases and pests.
• Allow the seedlings to cover to a height of 4 feet and keep one seedling per pit.
• Spray 10% urea solution 3 times at an interval of 15 days for vigorous growth.

Plantation in the main field

Land selection: Select high and sloppy land, avoid water logging.
Season: August- September.
Land preparation: Plough the land to a depth of 20-25 cm and level it.

Pit digging

• Make 30cm x 30cm x 30cm pit at 2m x 2m spacing.
• Apply a mixture of 1g Indofil-M45 with 3-4 kg well decomposed FYM per pit and mix thoroughly with the soil.

Transplantation: Transplant 25-35 cm healthy seedling to each pit in a rainy day.

Crop management practices

• Carry out hoeing and weeding @ 3-4 times a year.
• Apply FYM @ 10 MT/ha (0.5 cft/plant) once in a year before monsoon.
• Apply 125:75:25 kg NPK/ha/year in two split doses (before and after monsoon) after one year of plantation.
• Apply 1g Indofil-M45 along with NPK for controlling termite attack and fungal diseases.
• Prune the plants at a height of 1.75 m to keep the plants at a manageable height.
• Leaves can be harvested after 2 years of plantation.

Source:

• 1. Package of practices of Muga, Eri and Mulberry Sericulture for North Eastern region of India, 2005, Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, Lahdoigarh, Jorhat, Assam.
• 2. Directory of Sericulture Technology 2008, Karnataka State Sericulture Research and Development Institute,Bangalore- 560 062.