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.

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 – 

• Temperature -20-35°C 
• Rainfall – 600-1000mm
• Sowing Temperature -30-35°C
• Harvesting Temperature– 20-25°C

• 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)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

• 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.