FARMER'S NOTEBOOK
Ashwagandha: a valuable plant used in Indian medicine
M.J. PRABU
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The roots of ashwagandha are used to treat nervous disorders
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— Photo: H&PC
YIELD DATA: About 30-40 tonnes of dry roots and 50-75 kg of seeds can be harvested from a hectare.
ASHWAGANDHA (WITHANIA somnifera) is also known as Indian ginseng. The roots of the plant have been traditionally used in Indian medicines such as ayurveda and unani.
Ashwagandha is called winter cherry in English, Asgandh in Hindi, Ammukirankazangu in
Tamil, Amangura in Kannada and Asvagandhi in Telugu and Trittavu in Malayalam.
The estimated production of Aswagandha roots in India is more than 1,500 tonnes and the annual requirement is about 7,000 tonnes necessitating the increase in its cultivation and higher production.
Areas under cultivation
The crop is abundantly cultivated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The plant is hardy even in drought conditions and resistant to major pests and infestations. It can be cultivated both as a rainfed and irrigated crop.
The plant is found to grow well in sandy loam or light red soils, which have a good facility for draining water.
Seed requirement
About 5 kg of seeds are required for sowing in one hectare. Seeds are sown on raised nursery beds, prepared by thoroughly mixing farmyard manure and sand.
Before sowing, the seeds must be treated with thirum or dithane M45 at the rate of 3 gm for every kilo of seed to control wilt and seed borne diseases.
A nutrient dose of 10-20 tonnes of farmyard manure, 15 kg of urea and 15 kg of phosphorus are applied to the field and ploughed into furrows.
The seeds germinate in 5-7 days. About 35 days later, the seedlings are transplanted in the main field 40 x 30 cm apart on the furrows. Light irrigation is done immediately after transplantation, and once in 10 days.
Mite attack
Though the crop is resistant to major pests and diseases, in some cases insects or mite infestations are noticed.
Farmers are advised to spray pest repellents such as roger or nuvan 3 per cent diluted in one litre of water three times a week to control this infestation.
Organic practices
The crop responds well to organic practices and regular spray of panchakavya (fermented mixture of cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd and ghee) helps to increase plant growth and root formation.
The crop is harvested 150-180 days after sowing. The berries are hand plucked, dried and crushed for their seeds. The plant is manually pulled out from the field beds. The roots should be cut and washed thoroughly and dried in the shade for a couple of days. From an hectare, 30-40 tonnes of dry roots and 50-75 kg of seeds can be harvested.
For details on cultivation packages and marketing details some of the following institutes can be contacted:
- National Medicinal Plants Board, Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Chandralok Building, 36, Janpath New Delhi - 110001, Phone: 011 - 23319255, email: nmpbindia1@indiatimes.com
- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, P.O. - CIMAP, Near Kukrail Picnic Spot, Lucknow - 226 015, Indiaphone: 0522-2359623 E-mail: director@cimap.res.in
- Medicinal Plants Unit, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore: 641 003, phone: 0422-5511365, email: herbs@tnau.ac.in
- Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Research Station, Odakkali, Asamanoor post-683549, Ernakulam district, phone: 0484-2658221, email: amprs@satyam.net.in
- Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra, University of Agricultural Science, Bangalore-560065, phone: 080-55315598, email: vasunuthan@rediffmail.com
- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants, Allalasandra, GKVK post, Bangalore- 560 065, phone: 080-28460563.
- National Research Centre for Medicinal and Aromatic plants, Boriavi-387 310, Anand, Gujarat, Phone: 0268-2578602, or 0268-2578644, email: nrcmap@wilnetonline.net
- College of Agriculture, Medicinal and Aromatic plants division, Mandsaur-458001, Madhya Pradesh., Phone: 07422- 242289.
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