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Good Agricultural Practices for Ashwagandha

DMAPR, Boriavi i

Good Agricultural Practices for

Ashwagandha

Compiled by

R.S. JatR. Nagaraja Reddy

Ruchi BansalP. Manivel

ICAR – DIRECTORATE OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS RESEARCHBORIAVI, ANAND – 387 310, GUJARAT


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Published by : Dr. Jitendra Kumar, Director, ICAR – Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Research, Boriavi, Anand - 387 310, Gujarat, India

Phone : +91-0269-2271602

Fax : +91-0269-2271601

E-mail : [email protected]

Web address : www.dmapr.org.in

Printed : March, 2015

Front Cover :

Printed at : Anand Press, Anand 388 001, GujaratE-mail : [email protected]

Ashwagandha plant Ashwagandha roots


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ContentFOREWORD ..................................................................................................v

Ashwagandha

Name of the plant .........................................................................01

Plant parts used for medicinal purpose ......................................01

Uses ...............................................................................................01

Characteristics of the plant ..........................................................02

Major production areas ................................................................02

Cultivation methods ......................................................................02

Post harvest processing ................................................................06

Documentation of activities ..........................................................07

Yield and economics .....................................................................07

Crop calendar ...............................................................................08


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FOREWORD

Medicinal plants are wonder gift of nature which are used as medicine, cosmetics, hygiene and food supplements in improving the quality of human life. Most of the world’s supply of medicinal herbs is from the wild collection (90%) and it resulted into dwindling natural resources, reduced biodiversity and irregular supply. Hence, the cultivation of medicinal plants will ensure the regular supply of quality raw drugs. This calls for availability of suitable cultivation practices. Further, as per the WHO guidelines, compliance of good agricultural practices (GAP) for cultivation of medicinal crops is necessary to produce good quality raw drugs.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an annual to perennial, branched wonder herb with multiple medicinal properties. It is widely grown in drys parts of subtropical regions of India. All plant parts of ashwagandha have medicinal properties and are used in preparation of various drugs, however, roots are mainly used for preparation of vital tonics. It is Aphrodisiac, tonic, rasayan drug, general tonic in arthritis and debility from old age. It is used in anxiety, depression, phobias, alcoholic paranoia, schizophrenia etc. This crop has already brought under cultivation and being cultivated by the farmers.

At this juncture, I am happy that ICAR- DMAPR, Anand has taken an initiative in compiling and publishing this extension bulletin that would serve as useful guide to the ashwagandha cultivators for the production of better yield and quality raw material.

Anand (Jitendra Kumar)

Date: 24-11-2014


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1. Name of the plant 1.1Scientificname:Withania somniferaDunal.

1.2Local name:Asgandh,Nagouri asgandh,Punir

2. Plant parts used for medicinal purpose Ashwagandha roots, leaves and seeds havemedicinal properties and

are used in preparationof variousdrugs.

3. Uses Ashwagandha is considered aswonder herbwithmultiplemedicinal

properties. Ashwagandha roots are mainly used for preparation ofvital tonics. It is a stress reliever and is used in treating seniledysfunctions. It is used in controlling anxiety, depression, phobias,

Good Agricultural Practices for

Ashwagandha


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alcoholic paranoia, schizophrenia etc. The active ingredient thatattributed to the medicinal property is the alkaloids and steroidallactones.

4. Characteristics of the plant Ashwagandha is an annual to perennial,

branched, undershrub to herb of about 30cm to 120 cm height, minutely stellate andtomentosebranches.Rootsarefleshy,tapering,whitish brown. Leaves are ovate and flowersaregreenish. Thematurefruitsareorange-redberries.

5. Major production areas Ashwagandha is widely grown in drys parts of subtropical regions.

Rajasthan,Punjab,Haryana,UttarPradesh,Gujarat,MaharashtraandMadhyaPradesh aremajor ashwagandhagrowing states in India.

6. Cultivation methods6.1 Climate

Being hardy and drought tolerant crop, ashwagandha requiresrelatively dry season throughout its growing period. It is grown aslate rainy season (kharif) crop between 600-1200 m altitudes. Thesemi-tropical areas receiving 60-75 cm rainfall are suitable for itscultivation. Temperature between 20°C to 35°C is most suitablefor its cultivation. Late winter rains are conducive for the properdevelopment of theplant roots.

6.2 Soil

Soil for ashwagandha cultivation should not have any inherentpesticides contamination or danger of potential contaminationsuch as from industries, busy roads or pesticides being sprayedin neighbouring. Soil should be tested for physical, chemical andbiological parameters and pesticides residue from the nearby soiltesting laboratory. The soil should be loose, deep andwell drained.AshwagandhagrowswellinsandyloamorlightredsoilshavingpH


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7.5-8.0.Blackorheavy soilshavinggooddrainage are also suitablefor ashwagandha cultivation.

6.3 Land preparation InAshwagandha,rootsarethemajoreconomicpart.Thus,landshould

be prepared in such away that it should not have any hindrance inthe development of roots and get more length and girth for betterquality. The landwas ploughed oncewithmould board plough andharrowed twice to bring the soil to fine tilth after receiving pre-monsoon rain.Nourish the soilwith plenty of organicmatter at thetime of land preparation. The manures or composts should be welldecomposedandnotmadefromcitywasteorhumanexcreta.About10-20 tonne of farm yardmanure per hectare should bemixed intothe soil at the time of last ploughing. The field is then levelled byplanking.

6.4 Sowing time

Sowing should be done at right time to harvest maximum yield ofgood quality produce. Itmay be noted that since ashwagandha is alate kharif season crop, the time of sowing is decided by date ofarrival of monsoon in that area. Early sowing may cause seedlingmortalitydue toheavy rains.Theoptimumtime for sowing is2nd to3rdweekofAugust.

6.5 Method of sowing

Broadcasting with higher seed rates at 20-35 kg per hectare isthe most common method for sowing of ashwagandha in rain fedareas.However, line sowing and raisedbed sowing are alsogainingimportance in the recent time and have been reported to yieldhigher quantity of roots and also helps in performing interculturalpractices properly. In some areas transplanting is also in practice.Theseedlingof25-35daysoldcanbetransplantedin themainfieldat the recommended spacing.The seedsare sown in lines at1-3cmdeep in soil.Apply a light shower after sowing of seeds to ensuregoodgermination.

6.6 Propagation material

Ashwagandha seeds do not have dormancy hence, commonlypropagatedbyseeds.Forsowingofashwagandha,use theseeds thatwere harvested during the previous season and of good quality and


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free of pests. Seeds should be procured from a reliable sourcewithseed labelswithdetail information about the seed.

6.7 Recommended varieties

The recommended high yielding varieties and their source ofavailability are:

Variety Seed yield Source of availability

JawaharAsgand-20 Dryrootyield5-6qperhectare

MAPunit,CollegeofHorticulture,RVSKVV,Mandsaur,MadhyaPradesh

JawaharAsgand-134 Dryrootyield6-8qperhectare


RajVijayAshwagandha-100

Dryrootyield6-7qperhectare


6.8 Seed rate

A seed rate of 10-12 kg is sufficient for the sowing of one hectarecrop. Sowing should be done at right spacing at 30 cm or 15 cmrowtorowand10cmplant toplantspacingin linesowingmethod.However, about 500-750 g seeds are sufficient for raising seedlingsfor onehectare crop.

6.9 Crop nutrition

Optimumcropnutritionshouldbeensuredasexcessordeficitofanyessentialplantnutrientmaydeclinetheproductionaswellasqualityoftheproduce.Soiltestingshouldbedonebeforeapplyingthenutrients.Useoforganicmanurespreferred over inorganic sources of nutrientsforgrowingofashwagandha.Organicmanureslike, farm yard manure, vermicompost, greenmanure etc. may be used as per requirementof thecrop.Afertilizerdoseof15kgnitrogenand 25 kg phosphorus alongwith 10-15 tonne organicmanures perhectare shouldbe applied to harvest goodyield.


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6.10 Irrigation

Ashwagandha is usually grown as rain fed crop where irrigationfacilitiesarenotavailable.However,forirrigatedcropthereshouldbeaccesstoacleanandreliablesourceofgoodqualityirrigationwater.Excessive rainfall or water is harmful for this crop and not requireirrigation if monsoon is well distributed throughout the growingseason. However, one or two life saving irrigations can be given ifrequired. Under irrigated conditions, the crop can be irrigated oncein 15 days depending on soil type. Organicmulches such as wheatstraw or ashwagandha straw of previous crop should be spread inbetweentherowstoconservethesoilmoisture,facilitatebetterwaterinfiltrationduring excess rains and controlweed.

6.11 Intercultural operations and weeding

The seeds sownby broadcasting or in the line in furrows should bethinnedoutbyhandsat25-30daysafter sowing tomaintainaplantpopulation of about 3 to 6 lakh plants per hectare. Weeds shouldbemanaged before they start competingwith the crop for nutrientsand light. Onehandweedingatanearlystage is sufficient toenablethe ashwagandha plants to take over the growth of weeds.At latergrowthstages theweedsaregetsuppressedby itssmotheringeffect.Care shouldbe takenduringhandweeding that the roots shouldnotbedamagedbyhoe.Useofchemicalherbicidesisrestrictedforweedcontrolinmedicinalcropshence,alternativemethodsofweedcontrolsuchasuseoforganicmulchestocontrolweedsshouldbepreferredastheyinhibittheweedgrowthaswellasconservethesoilmoisture.

6.12 Insect pest and disease management

Areaswhich have low incidence of insect pests and diseases shouldbe preferred for the cultivation of ashwagandha. Use of propercultural methods (companion crops, trap crops, crop rotation,adjusting sowing time and spacing, balanced plant nutrition andtimely irrigation), biological methods (parasites, predators and bio-pesticides) and mechanical methods (light-traps) are preferred formanagementofinsectpestsanddiseasesinmedicinalcrops.However,useofchemicalpesticidesarealsorecommendedonlyiftherearenootheroptions,andonlyifthereissufficienttimebetweenapplicationandharvestso that thechemicalcannotbedetected in themedicinalplant material.Ashwagandha is damaged by insects like aphid andhaddabeetlewhichcanbecontrolledby2to3sprayofDaimethoate


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orsprayofAzadirachtinat1%andFlavanoidsat6%.Diseases like,seedling rot and alternaria leaf blight are observed in some places.Seedlingmortalitybecomessevereunderhightemperatureandhumidconditions. Disease can beminimized by use of disease free seedsandbygivingseed treatmentbeforeshowingwithCarbofuranat therate of 2-2.5 kg per hectare. Alternaria leaf blight can successfullybe controlled with the spray of Mancozed (12.3%). Bio-pesticidesshould be prepared from neem, chitrakmool, dhatura and cow urineand sprayed when required. Neem cake can also be applied in soilto control thediseases.

6.13 Harvesting

All the tools, containers and sacks to be used in harvesting shouldbe washed and cleaned. Harvesting should be done at the rightstage to ensure maximum levels of active ingredients and betterquality.Ashwagandha plants start flowering and bearing fruits fromDecember onwards.The crop is ready for harvest in January-Marchat 150 to 180 days after sowing. The maturity of crop is judgedwhen leaves start drying and berries become yellow red. Root size,root and shoot biomass and alkaloid content were found maximumin 180 days crop which should be considered as best harvestingtime for ashwagandha.Ashwagandha shouldbeharvested in thedryweather and not in rain or in early morning when there is dew ontheground.Harvestingisdonebyuprootingthewholeplantwithoutdamaging the roots. There should be sufficient moisture in the soilat the time of harvesting for easy uprooting the plants.Weed plantsor any inertmaterial shouldnot beharvestedwith the cropplants.

7. Post harvest processing Post harvest processing is usually the most critical stage in

determining the end quality of the product. The harvested produceshould be prevented from any contamination, degradation and/ ordamage at any stage of processing. Transportthe harvested plant material to the processingsite in a clean vehicle and protect from heatand rain during transportation.The processingsite should be clean and protected from directsunlightandrainandhaveaccesstowater.Useacleansurface,preferablyacementedfloorora tarpaulin sheet which is in good condition Seeds


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for laying out the harvested material. Remove weeds and otherextraneous physicalmatter and substandardmaterial.Then roots areseparated from aerial parts by cutting the stem 1-2 cm above thecrown roots. The roots are beaten with a club to remove adheringsoil and breaks off the thin, brittle lateral rootlets. Then the rootsarewashed and sun or shed dried up to 10-12%moisture content.Therootsareeithercut transversely intosmallpiecesof7-10cmordriedas it is in thesun.Then the rootsgradedasperdemand in themarket. Leaves and berries of ashwagandha are hand plucked andcrushed separately to take out the seeds. Pack the produce into aclean and dry sack, ensuring it is clearly labeled. Store the produceinacleananddry room. Raise the sacksoff theground,away fromthewall andnotwith fertilizersorpesticides.Useof rat poisonandfumigation shouldbe avoided in the storage rooms.

8. Documentation of activities The documentation of all the activities starting from cultivation to

post harvest processing should be in continuation and maintainedproperly. Records should be kept for each activity of cultivationsuch as sowing, weeding, irrigation, harvesting, and of post-harvestprocessing after harvest to sorting, drying, grading, packing andstorage, with details of time and type of activity that refers to acomplete history and ensure traceability of thefinal product.

9. Yield and economics On an average from one hectare crop under commercial cultivation

approximately 6-8 quintals of dried roots and 50-75 kg seeds canbe obtained. Cultivation of one hectare ashwagandha crop maycost`10,000/- and gives return of`30,000 per hectare.However, itdependson thedemand and supply at a given time in themarket.


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10. Crop calendar Major activity Month Activity details

Landpreparation June-July Fieldshouldbepreparedtoachievefinetilthandapply10-20tonneoffarmyardmanureperhectare

Sowing 2ndto3rdweekofAugust. 10-12kgseedsperhectaresownat30/15cmrowtorowand10cmplanttoplantspacing

Irrigation November-December Apply1-2lifesavingirrigations,ifrequired

Interculturaloperationsandweeding

November-December Thinningshouldbedonetomaintaindesiredplantpopulation.Twohandweedingfirstat25-30daysandsecondafter60-70daysaftersowing

Spraying Wheneverrequired Neembasedbio-pesticides

Harvesting January-February Whenleavesstartdryingandberriesbecomeyellowred.Harvestbyuprootingthewholeplant

Postharvestoperations

March Harvestedplantsaresundriedfor3-4daysandseparatedroots,leavesandseeds

Grading March Separatethesubstandardmaterialfromthegoodqualityroots

Documentation Throughout theseason

Alltheactivitiesfromsowingtoharvestingandpostharvestprocessingshouldbedocumented


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