| Management |
Activity |
Pre-sowing*
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Common cultural practices:
• Deep ploughing of fields during summer to control nematodes population and weeds.
• Soil solarization
• Timely sowing should be done.
• Field sanitation, rogueing.
• Destroy the alternate host plants
• Apply manures and fertilizers as per soil test recommendations.
• Plant tall border crops like maize, sorghum or millet to reduce pests population.
• Crop rotation with graminaceous crops
• Adopt ecological engineering by growing the attractant, repellent, and trap crops around the field bunds.
Common biological control:
• Apply neem cake @ 100 Kg/acre at the time of transplanting for reducing capsule borer damage |
Nursery stage
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| Nematode |
• Change the nursery site every year to avoid nematode infestation.
• Soil solarization may be practiced
• Apply well rotten farm yard manure |
| Seed selection |
• Use only seeds from certified nurseries/plantations with a productivity of 400 kg/acre for three consecutive years
• Select the seeds or clumps from disease free healthy plants.
• Select variety which suits to particular altitude area and locality |
| Chirkey & foorkey viral diseases |
Cultural control:
• Regular survey of the plantation to trace out diseased plants.
• Remove diseased plants completely along with rhizome &roots and destroy as soon as they are traced.
• Use healthy disease free planting material preferably seedlings.
• Do not raise nurseries in the vicinity of infected plantations.
• Destroy all the collateral host plants of the aphids in and near the plantation. |
| Leaf thrips** |
Cultural control:
• Its incidence is more in cardamom seedling at lower altitude during April to November.
• Collect and destroy the infested leaves.
Biological control:
Predators: Anthocoris and Orius spp., predatory thrips (Aeolothripsintermedius, Mymarothripsgaruda),Chrysoperlacarnea, Malladasp, praying mantids, lady bird beetles, syrphid flies, spiders etc. |
| Weeds |
• Line sowing of seeds in 15-25 cm raised primary nursery at 10 cm distance and use mulch with local plant materials upto germination of the seeds that is 25-30 days. After that remove the mulch.
• Remulch the primary nursery interole space with chopped paddy straw and leaves.
• Remove weeds manually from time to time.
• When seeding attain 3-4 leaf stage, they are transplanted to secondary nursery beds of 15 cm height and 100 cm width in May- June at 15 cm row spacing.
• The inter row space in secondary nursery is also mulched with chopped paddy straw or dried leaf for 12 to 13 months.
• Alternatively, sucker multiplication nursery may be established under the shade of forest trees/ pandals in tranches of 30x30 cm during May - June by planting the suckers from healthy plantation. Remove weeds in this nursery from time to time. The grown up tillers from buds are ready for planting in the main fields in June- July. |
| Watering |
• Over watering may be avoided |
| Nutrients |
• Nutrients should be applied on the basis of soil test report and recommendation for the particular agro-climatic zone.
• For rhizome multiplication in nursery, use organic matter rich top soil or add organic manures. |
Plantation stage
|
| Shade |
• Large cardamom is a shade loving crop, maintain optimum shade |
| Nutrients |
• Apply well decomposed farm yard manure.
• Apply chemical fertilizers based on soil test @ 40:60 :40 kg N2P205 and K2O per kg in two splits - once in April-May on receipt of 1 summer-shower and '2nd split in September- October before monsoon is over
• Dig pits of 30 cm x 30 cm x 30cm size and fill with organic manure and top soil. Contour planting may be done in sloppy areas.
• Application of well decomposed FYM or compost and 100 g of rock phosphate with the topsoil in the pit will help in proper establishment and quick growth of plants.
• If the selected site is a hill slope, terraces may be formed before digging pits. |
| Weed |
• Maintain weed free plantation.
• Destroy all the weeds from planting area by ploughing during summer and remove all the perennial weeds and their rhizomes/suckers before onset of monsoon. |
| Mulching and Earthing up |
• Thick mulching with dry leaves/grass may be done on the base of the rhizome to keep the soil moist
• In old plantations, earthing up is necessary to cover exposed roots and rhizomes of the plants |
| Leaf eating caterpillar |
Cultural control:
• Collect and destroy infested leaves along with larvae in June-July and October-December months.
• Community approach of mechanical control may be adopted in the locality when the outbreak is observed. It may totally suppress this pest in the course of 2-3 years.
Biological control:
• Follow common cultural practices. |
| Aphids** |
Cultural control:
• The removal and destruction of diseased plants arehelpful in control of further spread of disease and in reduction of aphid population.
• Destroy wild Amomum, Colocasia; Curcuma and other , collateral host plants of the aphid vector in and near the plantations |
| Shoot fly |
Cultural control:
• Its damage is more in first 2-3 years after planting. Therefore, regularly monitor the new plantations.
• Remove infested young shoots at ground level and destroy |
| Stem borer** |
Cultural control:
• Remove and destroy the infested shoots based on 'dead heart' symptoms |
| White grub** |
Cultural control:
• Mechanical collection of adult beetles during the emergence period is an effective method in managing the pest.
Biological control:
• Entomogenous fungus, Metarhizium is also effective |
| Chirkey & foorkey disease |
Cultural control:
• Regular survey of the plantation to trace out diseased plants.
• Remove completely diseased plants along with rhizome &roots and destroy as soon as they are traced.
• Use healthy disease free planting material preferably seedlings.
• Do not raise nurseries in the vicinity of infected plantations.
• Destroy all the collateral host plants of the aphids in and near the plantation. |
| Wilt disease |
Cultural control:
• Planting in swampy or dry areas may be avoided.
• Collect and destroy(by burning or burying ) the affected plants . |
| Flower rot** |
Cultural control:
• Avoid the accumulation of leaf mass or waste plant parts over the inflorescence/spike during rainy season.
• Spills of soil over 1hc spike may be avoided at the time ofbase making by pouring soil to the plant base.
• Collect and bury affected flowers/spikes |
Vegetative
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| Weeds |
• Around the base of pits, weeds should be removed with the help of sickles.
• Hand tool weeding should be carried out 3 times in during March, July and August in a year for effective control of weeds or
• Slash weeding may be done by using power mover/weeder.
• After establishment of plantation, inter crops with regional recommended crop like turmeric may be grown to utilize the inter space of 1.5 to 1.8 meter between 2 rows during intial years. |
Flowering
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• Encourage the population of bumble bees which are the main pollinators and also help to increase the yield.
• Remove mulch from inflorescences/spikes during rainy season
• Spraying should be taken during afternoon when the pollinators activities arc minimum |
| Weeds |
• Hand tool weeding should be carried out or slash weeding may be done by using power mover/weeder. |
| Harvesting |
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• Harvest at the right maturity of the capsules at different altitudes to avoid the damage by rats and wild cats etc. |
| Weeds |
• Left over weeds may be remove before shedding of seeds to check their spread in subsequent years. |
Note: The pesticide dosages and spray fluid volumes are based on high volume sprayer.
** Pests of miner significance
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