Role of growth retardant and nipping practice on growth and yield of turmeric

Turmeric has a very long history of medicinal use, dating back nearly 4000 years. In South East Asia, turmeric is used not only as a principal spice but also as a component in religious ceremonies. Because of its brilliant yellow color, turmeric is also known as ’Indian saffron’. An investigation on “Influence of growth retardant on growth, yield and quality of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) under northern dry zone of Karnataka.” was carried out at Dhanvantari Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Garden (DMAPG), Sector No. 41, Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, College of Horticulture, Bagalkot, Karnataka during 2022-23 and 2023-24. The details of the materials used and the techniques adopted during the investigation are presented here under. From the experiment pooled data, it can be concluded that T8 (Nipping at 90 DAP + Cycocel at 150 DAP) emerged as the optimal for achieving high dry rhizome yield, rhizome curing. Treatments like T4 (Cycocel (250 ppm) at 90 DAP), T9 (Nipping at 120 DAP + Cycocel at 150 DAP) and T7 (Cycocel (250 ppm) at 180 DAP) were most effective for higher volatile oil, curcumin and oleoresin content respectively. However, in terms of dry rhizome yield and B:C ratio of particular interest to farmers, T8 produced higher yields (7.79 t/ha) with B:C ratio (2.35), while T4 and T3 also provided commendable results. Consequently, in the absence of growth retardants, the aforementioned nipping technique at 150 DAP is recommended for optimizing turmeric yield in Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka.