Rio de Janeiro, Maran Nadan, Suruchi, Suravi, Suprabha, Himagiri, IISR Varada, IISR Mahima and IISR Rejatha Athira and Karthika are the popular varieties.

1) Soil and Climate
A friable well drained loamy soil rich in humus with warm and humid conditions with 150 cm of annual rainfall are preferable. This crop is grown as an irrigated crop in humid zones from sea level to an altitude of 1500 metres.

2) Season
May - June is highly suitable for cultivation.

3) Spacing
Irrigated crop – 40 x 20 cm in ridges and furrows.

Rainfed crop – Raised beds of 20 x 20 cm or 25x 25 cm

4) Seed Rate
1500 - 1800 kg of rhizome/ha is required.

5) Seed treatment
Treat the seed rhizomes with Mancozeb or Copper oxychloride 3 g/lit or 200 ppm Streptocycline for 30 minute

6)Manures and Manuring
Basal: FYM 25-30 t + 30 tonnes green leaves as mulch in three splits : 15 tonnes-immediately after planting, 7.5 tonnes – 60 days and 120 days after planting, 50: 25 kg of P and K per ha.

Top dressing: 37.5: 12.5 kg of N and K per ha applied on 45th and 90th day after planting

7)Aftercultivation
Mulching is done at the time of planting with green leaves. After each top dressing, earth up the plants.

Soft rot (Pythium sp.)
• Provide adequate drainage facilities

• Select healthy and disease-free seed rhizomes

• Treat the seed rhizomes with Mancozeb or Copper oxychloride 3 g/lit or 200 ppmStreptocycline for 30 minutes.

• In the field, drench the beds with 2.5 g/lit of Copper oxychloride or 1% Bordeaux mixture or Metalaxyl - mancozeb 4 g/lit.

Rhizome rot
Rhizome treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 20g/kg rhizome + soil application, @ 10kg/ha immediately after planting and 45 days after planting followed by pre monsoon drenching with Metalaxyl 0.1%. Leaf spot
Leaf spot can be controlled by spraying 1 % Bordeaux mixture or Copper oxychloride 0.25%.