Curry Leaf Cultivation in India with Necessary Information
Curry leaf is the name given to “Murraya koenigii” in Indian dialects. This plant is famous for its rich, distinctive aroma and high medicinal values. Indian farmers cultivate and distribute this plant throughout India, but it is considered to grow in tropical and subtropical areas. The plant is a shrub which is deciduous in nature. The curry plant grew naturally in the wastelands and forests of the Indian subcontinent but is now known to be cultivated in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
Curry leaf plants have recently gained importance as commercial crops and are widely cultivated in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In addition, these plants are seen growing wildly in the foothills of the Himalayas from Kuma on to Sikkim. Farming also extends to West Bengal, Assam and the Deccan plateau. Sometimes curry leaf plants are found as an intercrop between other perennial crops.
Properties of the Plant and the Leaf
The curry leaf plant is an aromatic shrub with thin woody branches. The colour of the stem is either brown or green, and the tree’s height is between 4 and 9 metres. The diameter of the stem can be about 81 cm, and the diameter of the main stem is about 16 cm. The plant has small white funnel-shaped flowers with a 1.12 cm diameter growing in clusters of around 60-90 flowers per cluster. This plant flower is self-pollinating in nature and has a sweet fragrance.
Soil and Climate Requirements
For curry leaves cultivation, there are no exclusive climatic conditions required. Generally, farmers grow it in dry climates as well. The ideal temperature range is around 16-37˚C for curry leaf farming. However, plant growth gets affected beyond these temperatures. For curry leaves, red sandy loam soil is suitable but should have good draining properties. It is also observed that this plant is not particular about soil types and conditions; the only factor of plant growth is any light-textured soil.
When preparing the soil, you should be well-known for some core factors, such as which equipment you should use in curry leaf farming. However, tractors play a pivotal role because they should have the best capacity to mount the attachment. However, you can choose the Powertrac 434 tractor that meets your requirements and fits your budget.
Propagation Techniques of Curry Leaves
Farmers can propagate curry leaves through stem cutting or seeds. The propagation process is difficult with seeds, but it is the most common method for cultivating curry leaf plants. Seeds for planting are collected from mature fruits in July-August and sown in well-prepared nursery beds for germination just before the onset of monsoon.
Fresh seeds show higher germination rates than stored seeds. You should not take seeds more than three days old for planting. The plants from the nursery are transferred to a pot, polythene bag or land with an appropriate compost mixture. You should transplant them to the main field only after one-year-old. Germination of seeds is unpredictable; hence, it is not an easy task to handle, which is why people look for more consistent cultivation methods.
The easiest and best way to propagate the curry leaf plant is through stem cuttings. First, take a stem with a petiole, obtain a leaf, and plant it to grow. You should obtain the stem from the tree around 3 inches long and should have several leaves. Next, the leaves from the bottom of the stem up to one inch are removed and inserted into a soilless medium for growing. Under moist and warm conditions, the stem is expected to root in 3 weeks. Once the plant is well-rooted, it is planted in the main area with rich compost and good fertiliser mixtures.
Land Preparation and Planting
You should harrow and plough the land at least twice to remove all the stones and stubbles from the regions. Six months before transplanting the seedlings in your area, mark and dig the pits. The pit dimensions are approximately 1.5 x 1.5 x 2 ft for a hard ground region.
The idea is to leave the pits open for six months and fill them with well-rotted manure and leaves. You should keep the normal distance between plants from about 90 to 120 cm. For normal soil conditions, pits of dimensions 30 x 30 x 30 cm are dug and filled with topsoil and decomposed FYM at the time of planting. Kunds are made connecting all the pits so that irrigation can be made easy. During monsoon, saplings are planted with soil mixture from polythene bags in the main area.
Along with the relevant information on curry leaf farming, you should also consider the tractor that will help improve the yield. Therefore, you choose the Sonalika 750 tractor model for helping to handle all farming operations.
