Shatavari
Botanical Name – Asparagus officinalis var.
Family -Asparagaceae

Shatavari is known as the most innocent herb which contains wide range of benefits for human body.
It derives its named “Shatavari” as a woman possessing hundred husbands.
It is a rejuvenate herb and roots are used about 500 tonnes in India every year for the production of medicines.
Drugs prepared from Shatavari is used to treat gastric ulcers, dyspepsia and for nervous disorders.
It is a shrub with average height of 1-3m with fascicle or clustered roots.
Flowers are branched and are 3cm long.
Perianth is white with good fragrance and 3mm long.

Varieties
Marth
Washington,
Mary
Washington.
Soil and Climate

Soil –

It is grown in variety of soils such as red loamy to clayey soil, black soil to laterite soil having good drainage system.
It can also grow under rocky and shallow soils having soil depth not more than 20-30cm.
It gives best result in sandy loam to medium black soil having good drainage system and pH ranging from 6-8 ranges best for plant growth.

Climate –

For Shatavari plantation, it requires sandy loam soil with drainage system.
To bring soil to fine tilth, digging of land is to be done at the depth of 15cm. transplantation is done on raised beds.

Time of sowing
Transplanting of seedlings should be done in the month of June – July.
Spacing
Depending upon its growth habit, use spacing of 4.5m x 1.2m and 20cm in height.
Method of Sowing
Crop is transplanted in field, when crop attain height of 45cm.

Seed Rate
For high yielding use seed rate of 400-600g per acre.

Seed treatment
To protect crop from soil borne disease and pest, before sowing do seed treatment by soaking seeds in cow urine for 24 hours.
After treatment seeds are sown in nursery beds.

Chemical treatment is given to the soil before sowing.
Seeds are sown in the month of April.
Sow Shatavari seeds on raised beds of 30-40 cm width and of convenient length. After sowing cover beds with thin cloth so as to retain moisture.
Seedling germination starts within 8-10 days.
Seedlings are ready for transplanting when they attain the height of 45cm.
The seedlings are transplanted at the ridges of 60 X 60 cm.

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

UREA	SSP	MURIATE OF POTASH
52	200	66

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

NITROGEN	PHOSPHORUS	POTASH
24	32	40

At the time of land preparation, apply well decomposed FYM (Farm Yard Manure)@80q/acre and mix well in the soil.
Apply fertilizer dose of N:P:K @24:32:40kg/acre in form of Urea@52, SSP@200 and MOP@66kg/acre.
To prevent plant from soil borne disease apply bio pesticides, Dhatura, Chitrakmool, Cow’s urine etc.

Frequent weeding is required in early growth periods of the crop. 6-8 hand weeding are required for making field weed free.

First immediate irrigation should be done after planting the seedlings in the main field.
Too much irrigation is not required to this crop.
However in the starting irrigation is done at the interval of 4-6 days and then after sometime irrigation is done at weekly intervals.
Irrigation must be done before the harvesting so that digging of roots become easier.

Rust: Caused by Puccinia asparagi. The disease causes brown spots on the leaves and results in drying of leaves.

To get rid of this disease application of Bordeaux mixture@1% is done to control the disease.

Cropping and Harvesting
Harvest from
third year of
planting
Yield
1250 –
3750
kg/ha

Asparagus Crop Guide(India)