Vol. 12, Issue 1 (2023)

Author(s):
GV Kambale, Dr. PA Munde and Dr. SN Solanki

Abstract:
Turmeric is an important spice crop cultivated in Maharashtra. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) are the oldest rhizome crops widely cultivated in India. At present, it is observed that the farmers in the state had faced problems in turmeric planting due to lack of labour shortage. Turmeric rhizomes are planted by manually in the furrows by dibbling at a spacing of 30 x 30 cm, and 15 x 15 cm. After dibbling the rhizomes are covered with the loose soil by the hand. Manual planting of turmeric is both labors intensive and costly, resulting in various problems for farmers. During manual planting, the labors have to dig the soil to sow turmeric. This method is time consuming, labour intensive, associated with human drudgery and a high demand for human energy. The traditional system has the limitations of uneven depth of rhizomes placement, slow ground coverage and high labour requirement. Therefore, a mechanical rhizome planter is required for planting of turmeric. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to performance and evaluation of UAE developed bullock drawn turmeric planter. The rhizome planter was designed to suit various soil types and conditions to perform several functions simultaneously by opening the furrows, planting of rhizomes and covering of rhizomes by soil and forming ridges in single pass.