India - the land of spices is the biggest producer, consumer and
exporter of spices. The country grows over 50 different varieties of spice and produces
around 2.7 million tones of spices. Around 0.25 million tons of our total
produce (8-10%) is exported and the Indian share of the world trade in spices
is 45-50% by volume and 25% in value. In other words, spices sector account for
6%
of the agricultural GDP of the country. No wonder, spices plays a pivotal
role in Indian economy.
The flavor and fragrance of spices depend on the soil on which they
are grown. Continuous exploitation of this precious soil without replenishing
the nutrients, especially micronutrients, results in low yield, poor quality of
the produce besides making the crop susceptible to pests and diseases. Indian
Institute of Spices Research (IISR) in Kozhikode, a premier research
organization on spices under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR), New Delhi has developed a nutrient mixture which recharges the soil
with essential elements and ensures high yield from spice crops.
In India, spices are grown mainly in red and laterite soil of South
India, Western Ghats and North Eastern states where soil is highly weathered
and low in nutrient status. The productivity is found to be one of the lowest
compared to other competing countries and the reason is mainly attributed to
improper management. In spices, quality of the produce, amount of oil, oleoresin,
curcumin etc are more important as the export basket is mainly concentrating on
value added products of spices.
Soil under Pressure
“Adoption of high production technology and cultivation of high
biomass producing high yielding varieties have put enormous pressure on soil
nutrient reserve and this has led to great imbalance in nutrient pools in the
soil,” says Dr. M Anandaraj, Director of Indian Institute of Spices Research
(IISR), Kozhikode.
“A large chunk of soil has been rendered deficient in micronutrients,
which is one of the major reasons that our crops have stopped responding to
high analysis NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) fertilizers. Low pH, Phosphorous
toxicity, limited use of micronutrients, chemical fertilizers and application
of inadequate quantities of organic manures have made the situation more
complex,” says Dr. V Srinivasan, Senior Scientist, Soil Science, IISR.
Studies showed that 40-55% of Indian soil is moderately deficient in
Zn (Zinc), while 25-30% is deficient in B (Boron). Deficiency of other
micronutrients occurs under 15% of soil. These deficiencies/limitations reduce
yield significantly.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are those essential elements like copper, manganese,
zinc, iron, boron, molybdenum sulfur etc which are required by plants in very
small amounts. Besides promoting plant metabolic activities and growth of the plants,
they play a major role in improving quality, size, color, taste, earliness,
input use efficiency of NPK fertilizers, water, disease resistance etc. A
lesser-understood phenomenon is their role in determining quality and the post
harvest life of harvested produce. As these nutrients are costly and needed in very
small amounts normally a fertilizer dealer will not stock them like other bulk
fertilizers and hence farmers find it very difficult to correct micronutrient deficiencies.
“In order to find a solution for this serious problem, scientists at
IISR have developed crop specific, soil pH based micronutrient mixtures for
foliar application in black pepper, cardamom, ginger, and turmeric crops which
guarantees 15 to 25% increase in yield and quality,” adds Dr. M Anandaraj. An
innate advantage of these mixtures is that they can also be used in organic
agriculture and therefore are gentle and environment friendly. While organic
manures enhance soil microbial activity and therefore nutrient transformation
or mobilization, these mixtures are guaranteed to enhance both yield and
quality of the crop produce.
“The technology is a low cost one and hence farmer friendly. For one
acre crop, about 2 kg micronutrient mixtures costing approximately Rs 400 per spray
are needed. For each crop two sprays at specific growth stages are
recommended,” says Dr. S Hamza, Chief Technical Officer, IISR.
Crop Specific
The scientists also have standardized its application for various
crops. For black pepper foliar spray @ 5g per liter water should be given once
during spike initiation with the onset of monsoon and another after two months.
For cardamom foliar spray @ 5g per liter water should be given once during panicle
initiation and another after three months.
For ginger and turmeric foliar spray @ 5g per liter water once
during 60 days after planting and another 90 days after planting is
recommended.
The
mixtures are soil pH based and are tailor made for acid soil (pH <7.0) and
for neutral to alkaline/ sodic soils (pH >7.0). While increased yield and
growth is possible due these mixtures, it is important to note that these
mixtures should not be mixed with any other chemicals to save labour and time.
Though these mixtures are essentially for spice crops, these can be used for
increased yield in fruit and vegetable crops as well.
The
mixtures were tested in six farmers’ fields in various parts of the country.
Field trials in ginger were carried out in Kerala and Karnataka while turmeric
was done in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The micro nutrient mixture
for black pepper was tested in Kerala and Karnataka states and cardamom in
Madikeri, Karnataka.
Entrepreneurship Opportunities
The products are in the process of patent protection and
commercialization. Entrepreneurs who want to produce and market these mixtures
on a commercial scale can approach the institute for getting non-exclusive
licenses. The Institute Technology Management and Business Planning and
Development Unit (ITM-BPD Units) at IISR also help the entrepreneurs to prepare
business plans for establishing manufacturing units. BPD unit also provides
consultancy services for commercial production. The mixtures are available at IISR
Chelavoor campus as well as at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Peruvannamuzhi.
