Vegetative propagationSucker multiplication
Season: March-SeptemberTrench: 45 × 45 cmRow interval: 1.8 mPlant spacing: 100 cm
- Select the site. Use an open, gently sloping, well-drained area near a reliable water source.
- Prepare trenches. Open trenches 45 cm wide and 45 cm deep across the slope along the contour, 1.8 m apart. Fill with equal parts humus-rich topsoil, sand and composted cattle manure.
- Choose mother clumps. Select high-yielding, disease-free clumps only from areas completely free of viral disease.
- Prepare planting units. Trim roots and divide suckers so each unit has one grown tiller plus one young growing shoot.
- Plant and protect. Plant at 100 cm spacing. The guide recommends 50 g arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the pit, followed by mulch, staking and overhead shade.
- Water and feed. Irrigate about once every fortnight. From two months after planting, apply NPK 25:25:50 g per sucker in 2-3 splits and neem cake at 100-150 g per plant.
- Prepare for field planting. The guide reports 15-20 good planting units per mother clump in about ten months. Before planting, suckers may be dipped in 1% Pseudomonas for 5-10 minutes.
Seed propagationPrimary nursery
- Choose a gently sloping nursery near a perennial water source. Remove vegetation, stumps, roots and stones.
- Prepare beds about 1 m wide, 20 cm high and commonly 6 m long; spread 2-3 cm of jungle topsoil.
- Collect fully ripe, bold capsules from known, high-yielding, disease-free mother clumps, preferably from the second and third harvests.
- One kilogram of fresh capsules gives about 350-400 fruits depending on variety, seed size and seed number.
- Wash extracted seed to remove mucilage, mix with wood ash and shade-dry.
- About 175-200 g seed is required to raise planting material for one hectare.
- Sow as soon as possible, preferably within 15 days of extraction. September sowing gives maximum field germination; avoid winter and peak southwest monsoon.
- Sow in rows 10 cm apart at 30-50 g seed per 6 m × 1 m bed. Cover with fine soil and mulch above supporting twigs.
- Germination starts in about 20-25 days and continues another 30-40 days. Move seedlings at 4-6 leaves, usually 5-6 months after sowing, to the secondary nursery.
Seed-treatment safety
The source describes 25% nitric-acid scarification for 10 minutes to improve germination. Concentrated acids can cause severe burns and hazardous fumes. This treatment should only be handled by trained personnel with suitable PPE, ventilation, neutralisation and institutional safety procedures.
Bed and polybag methods
Bed nursery
Prepare beds as in the primary nursery. Mix cattle manure and wood ash with the soil. Transplant seedlings at 3-4 leaves, spaced 20-25 cm apart. Mulch and water immediately, then protect with overhead shade.
Polybag nursery
Use black HM/HDP bags of about 20 × 20 cm, minimum 100 GSM, with 3-4 drainage holes. Fill with jungle topsoil:cow dung:sand in a 3:1:1 ratio. Plant one healthy 3-4 leaf seedling per bag.
Field transplanting: secondary-nursery or polybag plants may be planted in the main field during the last week of May after the southwest monsoon begins, subject to local rainfall and soil moisture.
