• Generally, there are three important issues related to nutrient management, pest and disease management and price management faced by turmeric farmers of Tamil Nadu, in addition to other issues as discussed below.

Area and production

• The area under turmeric cultivation was 22, 212 hectares in 1979-80 and it declined to 19,727 hectares in 1994-95 and to 18,189 hectares in 1997-98. Similarly the turmeric production has reduced to 1,10,680 tonnes during 1997-98 from 1,24,040 tonnes in 1994-95.
• Efforts should be taken to expand the area in the regions of Tamil Nadu where high yield is coupled with low spread (Zone II), viz., Dharmapuri, Nagapattinam, Dindigul, Sivagangai and Tirunelveli.

• Two turmeric varieties viz., CO 1 and BSR 1 released in Tamil Nadu are of long duration and susceptible to the pests and diseases.
• Recently released BSR-2 is of medium duration and resistant to scale insect, but susceptible to diseases and the curcumin content is also less.
• Two turmeric varieties viz., PCT 13 and PCT 14 were free from rhizome and root rot, four varieties viz., Ts-2, Ts-4, Ts-79 and Ts-88 were least susceptible to Colletotrichum leaf spot, and China and Jawelli of MCurcuma domestica and C. amada were the varieties resistant to leaf blotch.
• A medium duration variety, Krishna, moderately resistant to rhizome fly yielded more than 53 tonnes of fresh turmeric per hectare (Salem local: 42 tonnes and Erode local: 41 tonnes) in the state of Maharashtra.
• Action should be taken to develop high yielding short duration turmeric varieties with high curcumin content and with multiple resistance to pests and diseases suitable to various agroclimatic zones of Tamil Nadu.

• Turmeric is a heavy feeder of nutrients. However, soil test recommendation can be followed so as avoid the excess application of nutrients.
• In order to encourage organic farming, organic manures viz., FYM, oil cakes, tank silt and poultry manure may be very effectively integrated with inorganic fertilizers. Mulching with green leaves may also be followed for addition of nutrients, moisture conservation and weed management. Sheep penning may also be encouraged, wherever possible.
• Farmers of Erode and Coimbatore districts face the problem of micronutrients deficiency like magnesium, zinc, boron, iron, manganese, etc. The scientists of Crop Physiology Department of TNAU, gave recommendation for correcting the deficiency symptoms. Such specific problems should be identified in time and remedial measures suggested.
• Biofertilizers can also be applied to turmeric crop to reduce the manurial bill, to increase the rhizome yield and to act as biocontrol agent as in the case of VAM.

• Monitoring for pest and disease incidence in turmeric crop should be taken by visiting the fields at critical stages of crop growth.
• Non-chemical methods of pest and disease management such as use of resistant variety and biocontrol agents should be developed.
• The possibility of using plant products for pest and disease management may be explored.
• Difficult to manage disease in turmeric is rhizome and root rot. An integrated approach should be taken for the effective management of the disease as follows.

• Since the etiology of the disease in several places appear to be complex, detailed etiological studies should be undertaken to identify primary or major pathogens and also other biotic agents that accelerate disease development.

• Evolving disease resistant clones against major pathogens of turmeric viz., Pythium spp. is of high priority. Absence of seed set to certain extent in turmeric limits variability of the crop.
• Tissue culture techniques available at present for multiplication of the crop have to be exploited to induce somaclonal variation.
• To screen callus or cell cultures for their insensitivity to toxic metabolites of the pathogens is the first step. This should be followed by regeneration of plantlets to test the clones obtained, for their reaction with the actual pathogens. This becomes essential since none of the pathogens of the crop produce host specific toxins.
• Further efforts should be to look for multiple disease resistance coupled with quality and productivity.

• Production of disease from nucleus seed through tissue culture would be ideal. Until such time, precise detection of seed borne inoculum should be evolved to select disease free seed material so that seed certification could be introduced.

• Ideal seed treatments with both systemic and protectant agrochemicals need to be standardized.
• Efforts should be to look for agro-chemicals compatible with bio control agents so that the chemical and biocontrol agents could be integrated.

• Isolation and identification of potential biocontrol agents including VAM that could effectively check the rhizome rot pathogens and developing suitable techniques for large scale multiplication should receive immediate attention.
• Besides, identification of the suitable organic amendments that could reduce the pathogen population and boost up the vigour and productivity of the crop is a priority.

• Feasibility of utilizing soil solarisation as a practice needs to be tested.
• Suitable agronomic practices to regulate the soil moisture levels and to identify ideal crop rotation systems that could suppress the disease need to be standardized, and also the biotic agents that accentuate the disease.
• A multipronged integrated disease management system involving phytosanitation, cultural and biological methods of management coupled with disease resistance would be the practical solution to check crop losses due to rhizome rot in turmeric.

• A power tiller operated turmeric harvester may be popularized among the turmeric growers to make the harvesting highly economical, to ensure timely harvesting and to reduce the extent of damage caused to the rhizomes.

• The moisture content in the dried turmeric should be less than five per cent so as to avoid the mould growth.
• There is a need for adoption of scientific post harvest operations by the turmeric farmers in order to avoid the physical, chemical and microbial contaminants in turmeric.

• Tissue culture technique has the potential to produce large number of high quality disease free plantlets from a single plant part in a small unit area and time.
• This technique will be useful to solve the following problems related to rhizomes used as seed material.
• Slow turmeric cultivation because of dormancy of rhizomes for two months.
• High cost of seed rhizome.
• Transmission of diseases through rhizomes, hence treatment with fungicides causes yield and quality reduction.

• Turmeric is an unpredictable crop in bringing profit to the farmers.
• Cost of cultivation has increased due to increase in cost of inputs like labour, fertilizers and plant protection chemicals. But there is no corresponding increase in selling price.
• The market price of turmeric has come down in the regulated market in recent years.
• The farmers should be encouraged to continue the turmeric cultivation by fixing remunerative price for turmeric.
• Turmeric should be procured at minimum of Rs. 2,500/- quintal by the TANFED (Tamil Nadu Co-operative Marketing Federation) and NAFED (National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation).

• There is a proposal to set up a Research Station for Turmeric at Erode at a cost of Rs. 3 crores by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University with the support of Govt. of Tamil Nadu, to cater the needs of turmeric growers in Tamil Nadu
• The Marketing Committee has purchased lands in SIPCOT Industrial Growth Centre at Perundurai for turmeric complex.
• The Regulated Marketing Committee had decided to improve the infrastructure.
• The NABARD had announced that it would provide funds for construction of shops and godowns at 11.5 per cent interest.
• These will encourage and improve the cultivation and marketing of turmeric in Tamil Nadu