SHYAMA(BLACK) TULSI
Tulsi or Tulasi from the ocimum genus scientifically known as Ocimum Tenuifloram belongs to the family of Lamiaceae. It is called Tulsi in Sanskrit, Krishna(Black) Kala- Tulsi in Hindi and India’s Holy Basil in English. “Tulsi” in Sanskrit means “the incomparable one”. In India the most primitive source of origin is found in Rig Veda which is encrypted between 1600-3500 B.C.
There are over 60 species of Ocimum
discovered which has different origin and out of which some are combination or
hybrid of two different species. The most commonly used species of ocimum can
be categorize into two different groups:
1) Holy
basil: It is also called as tulsi which is considered
as goddess of wealth, health and prosperity in Hindu religion in India. There
are 4 species popular under this category:
a) Rama tulsi (ocimum sanctum): Plant has bright green leaves which have mild taste and high tolerance to cold. Also, requires more water and fertilizers as compared to other species. Suitable to temperature ranging from 15°C to 40°C.
b) Krishna tulsi (ocimum tenuiflorum): It is also called as Black tulsi. It has purple stem with purple fringed leaves which has strong aroma with a sharp peppery taste. It possess more medicinal benefits as compared to other species. It can bear temperature ranging from 20°C to 45°C.
c) Amrita tulsi (ocimum tenuiflorum): It is a perennial, aromatic and sacred species of holy basil in India which is suitable to temperature ranging from 15°C to 40°C.
d) Vana tulsi (ocimum gratissum): It is woody type perennial, aromatic
and sacred species of tulsi.
2) Mediterranean
Basil:
It is also called as sweet basil which is used in culinary preparations for
different cuisines. The popular basil were found all over the world including
Asia, America, Europe and Africa.
a) Sweet basil (ocimum basilicum)
b) Thai basil (ocimum thyrsiflora)
c) Purple basil (ocimum basilicum)
d) Lemon basil (ocimum citriodorum)
e) Vietnamese basil (ocimum cinnamon)
f) American basil (ocimum americanum)
g) African blue basil (ocimum kilimandscharicum)
h) Italian genovese basil (ocimum
basilicum)
Tulsi is a bushy shrub which can grow up to 18 inches. It has hairy stem with leaves which are nearly oval in shape and serrated based upon the variety. The tulsi plant florescence small purplish or red flowers (almost rust red). It has a strong, pungent aroma and taste that is similar to other varieties of basil. Various varieties of holy basil grow in the Himalayan foothills to areas of the Middle East.
1). Climatic conditions: Tulsi in general when sowing requires a temperature of about 15-25°C. During the process of germination till the period of harvesting it requires temperature of about 15-40°C. Although, harvesting temperature should be about 25-35°C. Talking about the water requirement tulsi requires water almost daily, hence rainfall of 80-120 cm is preferable.
2). Soil and Land Preparation: It is suggested to avoid highly alkaline, saline and waterlogged soil. For better growth and performance of tulsi sandy loam soils with organic matter works perfect. As precaution, soil must possess pH of 5.5 to 7.0 for healthier growth. Firstly to bring soil to fine tilth, plough and harrow the land several times, then FYM (Farm YardManure) is mixed well in soil. Transplantation of Tulsi is done on fine seedbed.
3). Sowing and Plantation: The tulsi can be propagated through seeds, only at the nursery beds. The nursery must have partial shade and have adequate irrigation facilities. For sowing one acre of land around 120g of seed are required. The seed beds must be of 4.5 x 1.0 x 0.2 m size and well tilth. As the tulsi seeds are minute size, the quantity of seeds required is mixed with sand in a ratio of 1:4. The soil in the nursery must be worked till 30 cm depth. Also, to protect the seeds from soil borne diseases treatment of Mancozeb at 5g/kg of seeds before sowing is recommended.
4). Nursery care and Transplanting: Adding of 15 tonnes of FYM to the soil before sowing helps increase the yield. After which the seeds are sown in the nursery bed 2 month before the monsoon season. They are sown at a depth of 2 cm with convenient space. Also, after sowing a thin layer of FYM + soil is spread over it. Before 15-20 days of transplanting, application of 2% urea solution gives healthy seedlings.
Keeping the
seedling bed moist for 24 hr before transplanting so that uprooting of seedling
can be done easily and seedlings remain unaffected during transplanting. The
germination of seed starts in 8-12 days and seedlings would be ready for transplanting in about 6 week
time with 4-5 leaf per seedling.
6). Irrigation: According to the season the irrigation is recommended. In rainy season there would be no need of irrigation system. The first irrigation is after the transplanting and the second irrigation is given during seed establishment. This two irrigation are more important and later irrigation is given as per the seasons. It is recommended application of 3 irrigations per month in summer. In total 12-15 irrigations are required per year.
7). Fertilizers and Pesticides: As mentioned above, during the land preparation application of FYM is required as a basal dose. Regarding the inorganic fertilizers application of 120:60:60 kg/ha of NPK is recommended per hectare. Half the dose of N and the entire dose of P2O5 and K2O should be given as a basal dose, whereas, the remaining N is applied in two split doses after first and second cuttings.
Organic manures like, Farm Yard Manure (FYM), Vermi-Compost, Green Manure etc. can also be used as fertilizers according to different species.
To prevent diseases, organic mixture of different plants can be used mainly from Neem (kernel, seeds & leaves), Chitrakmool, Dhatura, Cow's urine etc. For particular pets and diseases control measures are recommended as below:
|
Pests and
Diseases |
Symptoms/Impact |
Control
Measures |
|
Leaf
rollers |
Caterpillars
seals the leaves and roll them. |
Spray 300ml of
Quinalphos in 150 litres of water per acre |
|
Tulsi lace
wing |
Nymphs leave
excreta on leaves which initially rolls the leaves and later whole plant
dries off. |
Spray
Azadirachtin 10,000ppm concentrated at 5ml/litre of water. |
|
Powdery
mildew |
Fungus that
produce powder on leaves |
Spray Mancozeb
4gm/litre of water |
|
Seedling
blight |
Fungus causes
seedling to die. |
1.
Follow phytosanitary measures 2.
Thoroughly wetting of seed bed with bavistin at 1% |
|
Root rot |
Rotting of
roots due to poor drainage system |
1.
Follow phytosanitary measures 2.
Thoroughly wetting of seed bed with bavistin at 1% |
8). Harvesting: The crop can be harvested after the first bloom stage that is about 90-95 days after transplanting. For future regeneration of branches cutting should be done when plant is at least 15cm above the ground area. After the first harvesting, it can be harvested at regular intervals of 65-75 days. Harvesting is usually carried out in bright sunny days for better oil yield and quality. It is highly denied to harvest the crop if there has been rain on the previous day.
ECONOMICS:
-
Sowing
one hectare of land required about 1 to 2 k.g. seeds.
-
Cost
of seeds = Rs. 3000-3500 / kg (Seed Supplier)
The
tulsi plant yield two kinds of produce namely, seeds and leaves which are used
for oil extraction.
Includingthe seeds, nursery care manure, weeding, irrigation, fertilizers and pesticidesand harvesting would cost around Rs.30,000-40,000/hectare. Depending upon the soil and other factors.
·
Herbage
obtain from 2-3 harvest = 7-9 tonnes/ha/year
·
Price
of herbage = Rs. 30,000/tonne
Price of Dry leaf = Rs. 70-150/k.g ( Depends on quality)
·
Net income=
Rs.1,40,000-1,80,000/ha/year
USES:
The tulsi also known for medicinal uses as varities of vitamins and minerals for various benefits to human health. The uses of tulsi are mentioned below:
- Cures various infections like throat infection, respiratory problems, skin diseases,etc
- Oil is used as ear drops.
- Cures malaria, indigestion, insomnia and cholera
- Can be used for hair loss, dandruff, dry scalp and greying of hair.
- Controls metabolism and boost digestive system.
- Helpful in quitting smoking: Every time you get the urge to smoke, chew Tulsi leaves.
- Treats asthma.
- Can be used for hair loss, dandruff, dry scalp and greying of hair.
- Used by many medical industries in medicines.
MARKETING:
Tulsi in general have many uses which allows
it to include in most of the herbal products which are in the market. Although,
the tulsi oil can be extracted from herbages and can be sealed and sold as
personal business which could give a good source of income to the farmers. Some
popular and most demanding companies are mentioned below:
·
Patanjali
·
Organic
India
·
Himalaya
·
Zindagi
·
Khadi
REFERENCES:
- Shah, Ghulam-Muhammad & Ahmad, Farid & Panwar, Shailesh & Khadka, Manbar & Ali, Ajaz & Bisht, Suman. (2019). Ocimum Sanctum [Tulsi]—An Alternative Additional Livelihood Option for the Poor and Smallholder Farmers. Sustainability. 11. 227. 10.3390/su11010227.
- Saran, Parmeshwar Lal & Devi, Ganga & Kalariya, Kuldeepsingh & Manivel, P. (2018). HOLY BASIL CULTIVATION FOR DOUBLING THE FARMER'S INCOME IN SANDY LOAM SOILS.
Website: http://www.shatrasagri.com
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