A review on machineries used for turmeric cultivation in India

Turmeric is a prominent spice that is cultivated throughout India. India holds a prime position in the world turmeric industry. The activities included in turmeric cultivation, like land preparation, planting, weeding and digging, demand intensive labour. Mechanizing the turmeric cultivation is important to minimize labour requirements and production cost while enhancing the yield quality. Unlike other crops, mechanization of turmeric cultivation is still lagging. To understand the mechanization level of Indian turmeric cultivation, a study was conducted. Literature relevant to turmeric cultivation in India was identified. Since the research exclusive for turmeric is limited, ginger, which shares common properties with turmeric, was also considered for the study. Technologies involved in land preparation, planting and harvesting were identified. The current study aims to analyze the available machineries and compare their machine parameters. Land preparation is being done by common tillage implements like mould board plough and cultivator, without any special equipment optimized for turmeric. Turmeric planting and harvesting are mainly being done by manual work. It is inefficient and causes physical impacts to the labourers. Machinery used for planting and harvesting can be classified based on power sources. Available turmeric planters and harvesters are powered by bullock, power tiller and tractor. Turmeric harvesters just dig out the rhizomes and leave them in field. Later they are collected and cleaned manually diminishing the economic benefits of the mechanical harvesting.