**7. Nutritional influence of organic nutrients on ginger cultivation**

The use of organic manures held a very prestigious position with farmers in the past but subsequently, the introduction of high analysis chemical fertilisers cast a shadow on their spread [57]. It is well known that addition of organic manures has shown considerable increase in crop yield, quality and exert significant influence on physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Use of organic and biofertilizers not only improve soil health but also help to sustain crop productivity.

Ginger must be grown organically in areas that are 25 metres wide apart from conventional farms on all sides. This isolation belt's produce must not be treated as organic. Being an annual crop, a two-year conversion period will be needed. Ginger can be produced organically as a companion or mixed crop as long as all the other plants are also grown that way. It is preferable to rotate ginger with a leguminous crop. You can adopt ginger-banana-legume or ginger-vegetable-legume (recommended

*Sustainable Ginger Production through Integrated Nutrient Management DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107179*


#### **Table 2.**

*Effect of mulching on ginger.*

by Tamilnadu Agricultural University). When planted with coconut, arecanut, mango, leucaena, young rubber plantations, etc., recycling of farm waste can be done successfully. Ginger can be the best component crop in agri-horticulture and silvi-horticulture systems. It can be grown or rotated as a mixed crop with green manure, legumes, or trap crops to effectively build up nutrients and manage pests and diseases. Every crop in the field must be treated to organic production practises when cultivated in a mixed farming system. For the organic production of ginger cultivated as an intercrop in coconut gardens, several organic manures including FYM, vermicompost, neem cake, and green leaf manures, as well as microbial inoculants including AMF and Trichoderma and their mixtures, were tested. FYM (30 t/ ha) + neem cake + AMF + Trichoderma and FYM + AMF both generated noticeably greater yields than other treatments among the many combinations tested [58].

Ginger needs organic matter, which can be obtained from a variety of sources, including mulches and green/organic manures. This was well demonstrated by the successful crop production in the high fertility conditions of Wayanad, Kerala State, India, which received 15 t of green leaf mulch and 10 t of organic manure per hectare, all without the use of chemical fertilisers [39]. When humus and organic matter are available, ginger grows well and has a favourable relationship with yield [59]. Most of the organic manures are applied in basal doses, while they are occasionally used as mulch after a crop has emerged in some regions. However, farmers in Maharashtra use a lot of FYM—40–50 t/ha on average. The recommended amount of organic manure for Kerala is 30 t/ha of green leaf mulch and 25–30 t/ha of FYM applied in three separate applications. Kerala had the highest yield and benefit-cost ratio from applying FYM up to 48 t/ha [60]. The AICRP conducted field tests on spices at several sites in India, and the results showed that the use of multiple organic sources, including FYM, pongamia oil cake, neem oil cake, stera meal, rock phosphate, and wood ash, produced results comparable to those of the standard method. Farmyard manure may be applied at a rate of 25–30 t/ha, together with vermicompost at a rate of 4 t/ha and green leaf mulching at a rate of 12–15 t/ha every 45 days. The fertility and production will also be increased by adding oil cakes like neem cake (2 t/ha), composted coir pith (5 t/ha), and suitable microbial cultures of Azospirillum and phosphate-solubilising bacteria. To promote growth and control disease, the use of the PGPR strain of *Bacillus amyloliquefaciens* (GRB 35) is also advised. To obtain the necessary amount of phosphorus and potassium, it may be necessary to apply lime/ dolomite, rock phosphate, and wood ash depending on the results of the soil test. For a higher production within the parameters of standard setup of certifying organisations, restricted use of foliar spraying of micronutrient mixture specifically for ginger is recommended (dosage @ 5 g/L) twice, at 60 and 90 DAP. Ref. [61] reported highest yield/ha (32.88 t/ha) was noticed in poultry manure @ 2 t/ha followed by Mustard cake @ 0.75 t/ha. The highest curcumin % and oleoresin % were noticed in

Vermicompost @ 5 t/ha over control in the Gangetic Alluvial Plains of West Bengal. Ref. [62] reported that, organic manures in the forms of cow dung, poultry and pig manures have great tendency to increase growth characters and yield of ginger in a rainforest zone, Nigeria.

The primary approach used in an organic system for managing insect pests and diseases is the use of biocontrol agents in conjunction with cultural and phytosanitary measures. The shoot borer can be controlled with an integrated strategy that includes trimming and removing newly infested shoots from July through August (at fortnightly intervals) and spraying Neemgold 0.5% or neem oil 0.5% from September through October (at 21-day intervals). To control the rhizome rot disease, it is possible to choose healthy rhizomes, solarize the soil and add Trichoderma, treat the seeds, and then apply biocontrol agents like Trichoderma, PGPR, or Pseudomonas multiplied in suitable carrier media like coir pith compost, well-rotten cow dung, or high-quality neem cake to the soil. Bordeaux mixture 1 per cent may be sprayed to control various foliar diseases, but only in an amount not to exceed 8 kg of copper per hectare per year. To control the nematode population, apply the high-quality neem cake indicated earlier and the bioagent *Pochonia chlamydosporia.*

Trials on different management systems on ginger at the IISR, Calicut, Kerala State, India, showed that higher soil nutrient build-up with the highest organic carbon content (2.33%) was in the organic system, which was on par with the integrated system of nutrient management and among the different systems of nutrient management. The maximum soil P, Ca, Mg, Zn, and Cu availability was found in the organic management method. The impact of various cropping systems on the microbial community in soil also revealed that the organic nutrient management system had the highest concentrations of *Pseudomonas fluorescens, Azospirillum,* and *phosphobacteria*. The activities of enzymes, such as dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, cellulase, and urease, were significantly higher under the organic system of nutrient management as compared to the exclusive inorganic system or integrated system of nutrient management. However, during the initial years, 15–20% reduction in yield under the organic system of nutrient management was encountered [63].

There is lot of scope to popularise the organic ginger produce for export in foreign country. Commercially the ginger is produced at north eastern states organically by default because the farmers of the region neither apply the chemical fertilisers nor chemical pesticides in ginger crop. They are only applying the locally available farmyard manures (cow dung, pig manure, poultry manures, rabbit manure, *etc.,*) in whole north-eastern region. In this way, the ignorance of the farmers about the technological advances is turning out to be a key to prosperity. Considering the increasing demand for organic produce all over the world, the farmers can hope to get better returns for their produce [64].
