Crop Production

Variety

Arka Meghana, Arka Harita, Arka Sweta, popular commercial hybrids.

Soil type

Well drained fertile soils  with a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0.

Season

Transplanting in June-July, October -November, January-February.

Seed/seedling requirement

80 g or 12000 seedlings

Nursery raising

Pro-tray method: Trays filled with cocopeat and protected with nylon nethouse.

Seedlings age

35-42 days old seedlings. Harden the seedlings before transplanting.

Nursery media enrichment

Enrich the nursery media (cocopeat) with  Azospirillum or  Azatobactor or microbial consortium, Psuedomonas fluorescens &  Trichoderma harzianum @ 10g/tray.

Land preparation (main field)

Raised bed method: 10-15cm height, 90 cm width, convenient length, 60 cm inter-bed spacing.

FYM application

Apply 10 tonnes of enriched FYM.

Neem cake application

Apply neem cake @250 kg.

Fertilizer Dose

45:30:45 kg N:P:K

Basal fertilizer application

Apply 11-8-11 kg NPK (60kg  ammonium sulphate + 50kg SSP, 20 kg MOP). Mix well and level the beds properly.

Laying of drip line

Place one  in-line drip lateral at the center of the bed for which 2670 meter length of lateral pipe is required.

Polyethylene mulching

2670 meter length of mulch film of 1.2m width and 30 micron thickness (90kg).

Spacing,  plant population and transplanting

Double  crop row is maintained on a bed. Spacing between the row is 60cm. Make holes of 5.0cm diameter (7.5cm diameter in hot sunny day) at a distance of 45cm along the crop row. 12000 seedlings can be accommodated in one acre. Transplant 35-42 days old stocky seedlings at the center of the hole. Avoid the seedlings touching the mulch film.

Irrigation

Run the drip irrigation daily for a duration of 20 to 40 minutes depending on the crop stage, season and emitter discharge.

Fertigation

Schedule fertigation once in 3 days starting from 21 days and ending at 129 days after transplanting for a 5 month duration crop, thus requiring 37 fertigations.

Water soluble Fertilizers per fertigation (Once in 3 days)

0-20 days: No fertigation

21-36 days: 1.5 kg 19-19-19/fertigation (6 fertigations)

39-57 days: 2.0 kg 19-19-19 +1.0 kg KNO₃ + 1.0 kg CaNO₃/fertigations (7 fertigations)

60-129 days: 4.0 kg 19-19-19 +1.0 kg KNO₃ + 2.0 kg CaNO₃/fertigation (24 fertigations)

(120 kg 19-all+30 kg KNO₃+55kg CaNO₃)

Foliar nutrition

Give foliar sprays @ 5g/litre using foliar spray grade fertilizers containing Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, B, Cu, Zn three times starting from 45 days after transplanting at an interval of 15 days