Category : Medicinal
Group : Forest
Plant Type : Herbs
Botanical Name : Withania somnifera
Common Name : Ashwagandha
Group : Forest
Plant Type : Herbs
Botanical Name : Withania somnifera
Common Name : Ashwagandha
Uses :
• The roots are used for curing rheumatism, dyspepsia, skin diseases, bronchitis, ulcers and sexual debility.
• The root is used to treat snakebite.
• An infusion of leaves is given for fevers.
• For the treatment of piles, a decoction of the leaves is used both internally and externally.
• The leaves are used for eyes, boils and swelling of hands and feet.
• An infusion of the bark is given for asthma.
• As an insecticide, it is useful for killing body lice.
• The decoction along with milk and clarified butter is considered as a cure for female sterility, if taken for a few days after the menstrual period.
Parts-Used :
• Whole plant
Yield-Per-Ha :
• 300 to 500 kg/ha of dried roots and 50 to 75 kg/ha of seeds.
Origin & Distribution :
It is found wild in Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Western Utter Pradesh, Karnataka, Sind, Rajasthan and in the Himalayas. In Madhya Pradesh it is cultivated in Manasa, Neemuch and Jawad tehsils of Mandasaur District.
Description : Ashwagandha is an important cultivated medicinal crop of India. It is also known as Asgandh in Hindi. It is commonly know as Winter Cherry in English. It is mentioned as an important drug in ancient Ayurvedic literature.
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• The roots are used for curing rheumatism, dyspepsia, skin diseases, bronchitis, ulcers and sexual debility.
• The root is used to treat snakebite.
• An infusion of leaves is given for fevers.
• For the treatment of piles, a decoction of the leaves is used both internally and externally.
• The leaves are used for eyes, boils and swelling of hands and feet.
• An infusion of the bark is given for asthma.
• As an insecticide, it is useful for killing body lice.
• The decoction along with milk and clarified butter is considered as a cure for female sterility, if taken for a few days after the menstrual period.
Parts-Used :
• Whole plant
Yield-Per-Ha :
• 300 to 500 kg/ha of dried roots and 50 to 75 kg/ha of seeds.
Origin & Distribution :
It is found wild in Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Western Utter Pradesh, Karnataka, Sind, Rajasthan and in the Himalayas. In Madhya Pradesh it is cultivated in Manasa, Neemuch and Jawad tehsils of Mandasaur District.
Description : Ashwagandha is an important cultivated medicinal crop of India. It is also known as Asgandh in Hindi. It is commonly know as Winter Cherry in English. It is mentioned as an important drug in ancient Ayurvedic literature.
Family : Solanaceae
Order : Solanales
Species :
• W. somnifera
• W. congulans
Description :
Ashwagandha is an important cultivated medicinal crop of India. It is also known as Asgandh in Hindi. It is commonly know as Winter Cherry in English. It is mentioned as an important drug in ancient Ayurvedic literature.
Order : Solanales
Species :
• W. somnifera
• W. congulans
Description :
Ashwagandha is an important cultivated medicinal crop of India. It is also known as Asgandh in Hindi. It is commonly know as Winter Cherry in English. It is mentioned as an important drug in ancient Ayurvedic literature.
View :
• It is an erect, herbaceous, and evergreen.
• All its parts are clothed with whitish.
Leaf :
• Leaf is ovate, entire and thin.
Flower :
• Flowers are bisexual and greenish or lurid yellow.
• Flowering season is from July to September.
Fruit :
• Fruit is a berry, 7 mm across, red, globose, smooth, and enclosed in an inflated.
• Fruits turn orange-red in color when they mature.
• Ripe fruits are available in December.
Seeds :
• The seeds are yellow in color and reniform in shape.
Height-of-Maturity:
• It attains about 13-150 cm height.
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• It is an erect, herbaceous, and evergreen.
• All its parts are clothed with whitish.
Leaf :
• Leaf is ovate, entire and thin.
Flower :
• Flowers are bisexual and greenish or lurid yellow.
• Flowering season is from July to September.
Fruit :
• Fruit is a berry, 7 mm across, red, globose, smooth, and enclosed in an inflated.
• Fruits turn orange-red in color when they mature.
• Ripe fruits are available in December.
Seeds :
• The seeds are yellow in color and reniform in shape.
Height-of-Maturity:
• It attains about 13-150 cm height.
(1)
Variety
Name : Jawahar Asgandh-20
Features :
• It is released by Jawaharlal Nehru KrishiVishwa Vidyalaya, Regional Agricultural Reserch Station, Mandasaur, under the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants project.
• This variety has recorded the highest dry-root yield, consistently, over the others.
Name : Jawahar Asgandh-20
Features :
• It is released by Jawaharlal Nehru KrishiVishwa Vidyalaya, Regional Agricultural Reserch Station, Mandasaur, under the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants project.
• This variety has recorded the highest dry-root yield, consistently, over the others.
Climate :
• It prefers a subtropical climate.
• It is planted during the late rainy season.
• It prefers dry weather for its successful growth.
• Places which receive 660-750 mm of rainfall are suitable for its cultivation.
Soil :
• It grows successfully in sandy loam or light-red soils with good organic matter and drainage.
• A soil pH range of 7.5 to 8 is ideal.
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• It prefers a subtropical climate.
• It is planted during the late rainy season.
• It prefers dry weather for its successful growth.
• Places which receive 660-750 mm of rainfall are suitable for its cultivation.
Soil :
• It grows successfully in sandy loam or light-red soils with good organic matter and drainage.
• A soil pH range of 7.5 to 8 is ideal.
Land Preparation :
• Land is prepared in month of April-May.
• Before sowing one deep cultivator is required.
• 2-3 tillering is good to improve the soil.
• Distance between beds must be at 30-40 cm.
Cropping Method Description :
• The seeds are sown directly in the main field by broard-casting.
• Since it is largely grown as a rainfed crop, the sowing is determined by the monsoon.
• Seeds are sown during the second week of July. A seed rate of 10-12 kg/ha is required for this method of planting.
• Land is prepared in month of April-May.
• Before sowing one deep cultivator is required.
• 2-3 tillering is good to improve the soil.
• Distance between beds must be at 30-40 cm.
Cropping Method Description :
• The seeds are sown directly in the main field by broard-casting.
• Since it is largely grown as a rainfed crop, the sowing is determined by the monsoon.
• Seeds are sown during the second week of July. A seed rate of 10-12 kg/ha is required for this method of planting.
Bed Preparation :
• A well maintain nursery should be prepared.
• About 5 kg of seeds are required to provide enough seedlings for sowing one hectare.
• To avoid nursery diseases, the seeds are treated with Dithane M-45 at the rate of 3 g/kg of seeds before sowing.
• The seeds in the nursery-beds are sown in lines spaced at 5 cm and covered with light soil.
• The germination commences within 6-7 days of sowing.
Method of Transplanting :
• When the seedlings are 6 weeks old and sufficiently tall they are transplanted in 60 cm-spaced rows, 60 cm apart in well-prepared land.
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• A well maintain nursery should be prepared.
• About 5 kg of seeds are required to provide enough seedlings for sowing one hectare.
• To avoid nursery diseases, the seeds are treated with Dithane M-45 at the rate of 3 g/kg of seeds before sowing.
• The seeds in the nursery-beds are sown in lines spaced at 5 cm and covered with light soil.
• The germination commences within 6-7 days of sowing.
Method of Transplanting :
• When the seedlings are 6 weeks old and sufficiently tall they are transplanted in 60 cm-spaced rows, 60 cm apart in well-prepared land.
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(1)
Disease : Alternaria alterneta (Leaf blight)
Identification-Symptoms :
• They reduce the plant population drastically, ultimately reducing the yield.
Controls :
• It can be controlled by treating seeds before sowing with Captan at the rate of 3 g/kg of seeds, followed by spraying the crop with Dithane M-45 at the rate of 3 g/l of water when the crop is 30 days old.
• The spray should be repeated at an interval of 7-10 days if the disease is not controlled
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Disease : Alternaria alterneta (Leaf blight)
Identification-Symptoms :
• They reduce the plant population drastically, ultimately reducing the yield.
Controls :
• It can be controlled by treating seeds before sowing with Captan at the rate of 3 g/kg of seeds, followed by spraying the crop with Dithane M-45 at the rate of 3 g/l of water when the crop is 30 days old.
• The spray should be repeated at an interval of 7-10 days if the disease is not controlled
Manures :
• It does not require heavy doses of manure.
• About 2 tonnes vermi-compost should be use.
• It does not require fertilizers.
• A fertilizer dose of N:P:K may be given in ratio of 8:24:16 Kg for better growth.
Irrigation Management :
• It does not require of irrigation, if rainfall is at regular intervals.
• Irrigation should be given after 30-35 days of germination.
• Second irrigation should be given after 60-70 days.
Weed Control Management :
• Hand-weeding at 30-days intervals helps to control the weeds effectively.
• Weeds may be controlled by using Isoproturan 0.5 kg/ha, Glyfoset 1.5 kg/ha before planting.
• It does not require heavy doses of manure.
• About 2 tonnes vermi-compost should be use.
• It does not require fertilizers.
• A fertilizer dose of N:P:K may be given in ratio of 8:24:16 Kg for better growth.
Irrigation Management :
• It does not require of irrigation, if rainfall is at regular intervals.
• Irrigation should be given after 30-35 days of germination.
• Second irrigation should be given after 60-70 days.
Weed Control Management :
• Hand-weeding at 30-days intervals helps to control the weeds effectively.
• Weeds may be controlled by using Isoproturan 0.5 kg/ha, Glyfoset 1.5 kg/ha before planting.
Harvesting Time :
• Harvesting starts from January and continues till March (150-170 days after sowing).
• The maturity of the crop is judged by the drying out of the leaves and the berries turning red.
• A light irrigation should be given before uprooting the plants.
• The entire plant is uprooted and the roots are separated from the aerial parts by cutting the stem 1-2 cm above the crown.
• They are then transversely cut into smaller pieces of 7-10 cm for drying.
• The berries are plucked from the dried plants and are threshed to obtain the seeds.
• Harvesting starts from January and continues till March (150-170 days after sowing).
• The maturity of the crop is judged by the drying out of the leaves and the berries turning red.
• A light irrigation should be given before uprooting the plants.
• The entire plant is uprooted and the roots are separated from the aerial parts by cutting the stem 1-2 cm above the crown.
• They are then transversely cut into smaller pieces of 7-10 cm for drying.
• The berries are plucked from the dried plants and are threshed to obtain the seeds.
Cleaning :
• Uprooted roots are cleaned from mud and sand.
• They are beaten with a club to remove the adhering soil and the thin lateral roots and rootlets.
• The main taproot may be cut into transverse pieces.
Drying :
• Cleaned roots are then lay down for drying.
• Occasionally the roots are dried as a whole.
Grading :
The entire product is then carefully hand-sorted into four grades, based on the thickness and uniformity of the pieces.
A-grade:
• Root pieces up to 7 cm in length, solid, with 1-1.5 cm diameter; they should be brittle and pure white on the inside.
B-grade:
• Root pieces up to 5 cm in length, solid, with a diameter of less than 1 cm, the roots should be brittle and white on the inside.
C-grade:
• Root pieces up to 3-4 cm in length, side branches solid, with a diameter of 1 cm or less.
Lower grade:
• Small root pieces, semi-solid, very thin and yellowish on the inside.
Packing :
• Airtight bags are ideal for it.
• Ashwagandha must be packed in poly or nylon bags to prevent the entry of moisture.
Storage :
• Roots should be stored in dry places.
• Godowns are ideal for the storage.
• Cold storage in not good for it.
Transportation :
• In general farmers use bullock carts or tractors for sending the produce to nearby market.
• From market yards, the produce is transported to distance in ordinary trucks and Lorries.
• Perfect packing, care in loading and unloading and quick transport results in less spoilage of crops.
Other-Value-Additions :
• Ashwagandha powder
• Ashwagandha extract
• Ashwagandha tablets
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• Uprooted roots are cleaned from mud and sand.
• They are beaten with a club to remove the adhering soil and the thin lateral roots and rootlets.
• The main taproot may be cut into transverse pieces.
Drying :
• Cleaned roots are then lay down for drying.
• Occasionally the roots are dried as a whole.
Grading :
The entire product is then carefully hand-sorted into four grades, based on the thickness and uniformity of the pieces.
A-grade:
• Root pieces up to 7 cm in length, solid, with 1-1.5 cm diameter; they should be brittle and pure white on the inside.
B-grade:
• Root pieces up to 5 cm in length, solid, with a diameter of less than 1 cm, the roots should be brittle and white on the inside.
C-grade:
• Root pieces up to 3-4 cm in length, side branches solid, with a diameter of 1 cm or less.
Lower grade:
• Small root pieces, semi-solid, very thin and yellowish on the inside.
Packing :
• Airtight bags are ideal for it.
• Ashwagandha must be packed in poly or nylon bags to prevent the entry of moisture.
Storage :
• Roots should be stored in dry places.
• Godowns are ideal for the storage.
• Cold storage in not good for it.
Transportation :
• In general farmers use bullock carts or tractors for sending the produce to nearby market.
• From market yards, the produce is transported to distance in ordinary trucks and Lorries.
• Perfect packing, care in loading and unloading and quick transport results in less spoilage of crops.
Other-Value-Additions :
• Ashwagandha powder
• Ashwagandha extract
• Ashwagandha tablets
