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.