Classification of Curcuma Plants (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb)
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Spermatophyta
- Subdivisions: Angiosperms
- Class: Monocotyledonae
- Order: Zingiberales
- Family: Zingiberaceae
- Genus: Curcuma
- Species: Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.
Designation names in other areas:
- Sundanese: koneng gede, Java: Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb, Madura: meeting turnips,
- Foreign: halud (Bengali), kurkum (Arabic), zardcchobacch (Persian), mengal (Tamil), kunong-huyung (Indochina).
Description of Temulawak (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb)
Temulawak is a medicinal plant in the form of clumps of pseudo-stemmed plants. The Indo-Malaysian region is the place from which this Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb spread throughout the world. Currently this plant, apart from Southeast Asia, can also be found in China, Indo-China, Bardabos, India, Japan, Korea, in the United States and several European countries.
Herbaceous plants with pseudo-trunk up to more than 1 m high but less than 2 m, green or dark brown in color. Rhizome roots are fully formed and strong branched, dark green. Each stem has 2-9 leaves with a round shape elongated to lanceolate, green or light to dark green or purplish brown, leaves 31-84 cm long and 10-18 cm wide, leaf stalk length including 43-80 cm strands.
Lateral inflorescences, slender stalks and striped scales, 9-23cm long and 4-6 cm wide, multiple protective leaves exceeding or proportional to the crown of the flower. The petals are white hairy, 8-13 mm long, tubular petals with a total length of 4.5 cm, white elongated circular flower strands with red or red tips, 1.25-2 cm long and 1 cm wide.
 |
Growing RequirementsNaturally, Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb grows well in shady areas and is protected from the hot sun. In their natural habitat, this plant thrives under the shade of bamboo or teak trees. However, Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb can also be easily found in hot places such as dry land. In general, this plant has high adaptability to various weather in tropical climates. The air temperature is good for the cultivation of this plant between 19-30°C. This plant requires an annual rainfall of between 1,000-4,000 mm / year. Temulawak roots can adapt well to various types of soil, including calcareous, sandy, slightly sandy soils, and heavy clay soils. However, to produce optimal rhizomes, fertile, loose and well drained soil is needed. Thus, inorganic and organic fertilization is needed to provide sufficient nutrients and keep the soil structure loose. Soil that contains organic matter is needed to keep the soil from becoming waterlogged. Temulawak can grow at an altitude of 5-1,000 m above sea level with an optimum altitude of 750 m above sea level. The highest starch content in the rhizome is obtained in plants grown at an altitude of 240 m asl. Temulawak grown in the highlands produces rhizomes that contain only a small amount of essential oil. This plant is more suitable to be developed in the temperate plains. The production of fresh Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb rhizome is influenced by agroecological conditions. The average productivity in Wonoharjo and Kaligentong Villages is 13.99 tonnes / ha and 9.65 tonnes / ha, respectively. |
Cultivation
Land Preparation
The location for planting can be in the form of dry land, plantations or yards. Preparation of land for Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb garden should be done 30 days before planting.
The land is cleared of other plants and weeds which can interfere with the growth of Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. The land is hoeed 30 cm deep until the soil becomes loose.
The land is made with beds 120-200 cm wide, 30 cm high and 30-40 cm spaced between beds. Apart from being in the form of raised beds, the land can also be formed into fairly large plots surrounded by water intake and discharge ditches, especially if Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb is to be planted in the rainy season.
Mature manure is put into the planting hole as much as 1-2 kg. The need for manure for one hectare of garden is 20-25 tons because in one hectare there are 20,000-25,000 plants.
Preparation of Seeds
Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb plant propagation is carried out using its rhizome, both in the form of the main rhizome (main rhizome) and tiller rhizomes (branch rhizomes). The requirement for the main rhizome is 1,500-2,000 kg / ha and branch rhizomes as much as 500-700 kg / ha. The rhizomes for seedlings are taken from healthy old plants 10-12 months old.
For seed preparation, the parent plant is dismantled and clean the roots and soil attached to the rhizome. Separate the parent rhizome from the rhizome of the child. The main rhizome is divided into four parts containing 2-3 buds and dried in the sun for 3-4 hours for 4-6 consecutive days.
After that the rhizome can be planted immediately. Store the freshly taken child rhizomes in a damp and dark place for 1-2 months until new shoots come out. Preparation of seedlings can also be done by burying the rhizomes in the soil in the shade, watering them with clean water every morning / evening until shoots come out.
The sprouted rhizome is immediately cut into pieces that have 2-3 buds ready to be planted. The seeds from the parent rhizome are better than the tiller rhizomes. It is better if the seeds are prepared just before planting so that the quality of the seeds does not decrease due to storage.
Planting
Planting is done in monoculture and is better done at the beginning of the rainy season except in areas that are irrigated all the time. The initial phase of growth is when the plants need a lot of water.
The planting hole is made on the bed / plot with a hole size of 30 x 30 cm with a depth of 60 cm. The distance between the holes is 60 x 60 cm.
For planting, one seedling is inserted into the planting hole with the bud facing upwards. After that the seeds are filled with soil as deep as 10 cm.
Temulawak planting period is at the beginning of the rainy season for the upcoming dry season harvest. Planting at the beginning of the rainy season allows for sufficient water supply for young plants that really need water at the beginning of their growth.
The optimal shade for Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb plants is 60% or light intensity of 40% as indicated by the highest total dry weight, rhizome dry weight, plant height and leaf area.
Maintenance
Fertilization, fertilization can use organic fertilizers or artificial fertilizers. In organic agriculture that does not use chemicals including artificial fertilizers and medicines, fertilization is done using organic compost / manure which is done more often than if we use artificial fertilizers.
The application of organic compost is carried out at the beginning of planting at the time of making the mounds as a basic fertilizer as much as 60-80 tons per hectare which is spread and mixed with processed soil. To save on the use of compost, you can also fill in each planting hole at the beginning of planting as much as 0.5 - 1 kg per plant.
Fertilizer inserts are then carried out at the age of 2 - 3 months, 4 - 6 months, and 8 - 10 months. The doses of fertilizers are 2-3 kg per plant. The application of compost is usually carried out after weeding activities and in conjunction with piling activities.
For artificial (conventional) fertilization, this can be done by providing the basic fertilizer that is given at planting. Fertilizer used is SP-36 of 100 kg / ha which is spread in 5 cm deep rows between the rows of plants or inserted into a 5 cm deep hole at a distance of 10 cm from the newly planted seedlings.
The manure hole or hole is then covered with soil. Immediately after fertilizing the plants are watered immediately to prevent shoots from drying out. Follow-up fertilization is carried out when the plants are two months old.
Plants are fertilized with manure as much as 0.5 kg / plant (10-12.5 tons / ha), 95 kg / ha urea and 85 kg / ha KCl. Fertilizer is given again when the plant reaches four months in the form of urea and KCl with a dose of 40 kg / ha each.
Fertilizer is given by spreading it evenly in an array at a distance of 20 cm from the base of the plant stem and then covered with soil.
Temulawak production and quality are strongly influenced by cultivation technology, one of which is fertilization. In general, the doses of inorganic fertilizers that must be given to increase the growth and yield of curcuma are: urea, SP-36 and KCl with doses of 200 kg, 100 kg and 100 kg / ha respectively for monoculture patterns and 200 kg / ha for overlapping patterns. sari.
SP-36 and KCl were given at the time of planting, urea was given 3 times, namely at the age of 1,2 and 3 months after planting one third of each. The nutrient needs of the temu lawak plant can be met by applying inorganic and organic fertilizers.
The doses of inorganic fertilizers given were 200 kg urea / ha, 100 kg SP-36 / ha and 100 kg KCl / ha for monoculture patterns, and 200 kg / ha for intercropping patterns. Meanwhile, organic fertilizers that are commonly used are manure as much as 10-20 / ha.
Fertilization application affects the parameters of rhizome weight, length and width of rhizomes and the number of parent rhizomes, but does not affect rhizome diameter. The use of goat manure 2 kg / plant + artificial fertilizer (2 g urea, 1.8 g SP-36 and 2.7 g KCl per plant) produced the highest rhizome weight but was not different from the treatment of 1 kg / plant manure alone as well as with the addition of artificial fertilizers (Table 1).
The highest curcumin content was obtained in the treatment without fertilization, namely 4.1%. Bio-fertilizers can significantly increase the productivity of Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb, but this increase is influenced by agroecological conditions.
The average production of fresh Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb rhizome with the recommended inorganic fertilization package is 9.56 tonnes / ha, increasing to 11.86 tonnes / ha and 14.04 tonnes / ha with the addition of bio fertilizers of 45 kg / ha and 90 kg / ha or increased by 24% and 47% (Table 2.).
Table 1. Response of production of Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb from rhizome of the second generation of tissue culture to fertilization, four months after planting.
|
Treatment |
Rhizome weight (g) |
Rhizome Length (cm) |
Rhizome width (cm) |
The number of main rhizomes |
Rhizome diameter (mm) |
|
No
fertilizer (control) |
674.75
c |
22.9
b |
10.0
b |
2.0 b |
73.6
a |
|
Goat
manure 1 kg / plant |
1250.25 b |
29.3 b |
13.2 a |
2.3 a |
79.8 a |
|
Goat
manure 2 kg / plant |
1354.25
ab |
28.3
b |
12.3
ab |
2.1
ab |
79.1
a |
|
Goat
manure 1 kg / plant + artificial fertilizer |
1387.50 ab |
38.2 a |
10.0 b |
2.1 ab |
77.3 a |
|
Goat
manure 2 kg / plant + artificial fertilizer |
1733.25
a |
38.2
a |
2.3 a |
2.3 a |
78.5
a |
|
KK
(%) |
19.6 |
14.1 |
13.7 |
6.7 |
7.7 |
Note: The numbers followed by the same letter in each column are not significantly different at the 5% DMRT level. Source: Hadipoentyanti and Syahid, 2007).
Table 2 Effect of bio-fertilizers on the yield of fresh curcuma xanthorrhiza roxb rhizome at different agroecological conditions
|
Bio
fertilizer dosage (kg / ha) |
Fresh
rhizome weight (g / clump) |
Fresh
rhizome production (ton / ha) |
||
|
Wonoharjo |
Kaligentong |
Wonoharjo |
Kaligentong |
|
|
0 |
604 c |
420 a |
11.28 c |
7.84 a |
|
45 |
757 e |
514 b |
14.13 e |
9.60 b |
|
90 |
887 f |
617 d |
16.56 f |
11.52 d |
Note: Numbers followed by the same letter in one column are not significantly different at the 5% level of the Duncan test. Source: Yusron (2009).
Based on the results of the analysis of curcuma from the second generation of in vitro rhizomes 9 months after fertilization, it can be seen that the provision of 1 kg of goat manure / plant + artificial fertilizer provides higher levels of essential oil (9.8%) than other treatments (Table 3).
The results showed that temu putih (C. zeodaria) and red turmeric (C. domestica Val. Var.rubra) have a higher rhizome wet weight than other species. The highest rhizome dry weight was shown by red turmeric (C. domestica Val. Var rubra).
The 75% shade rate is the maximum for most species, except for white turmeric (C. zeodaria) and red turmeric (C. domestica Val. Var. Rubra) which are more suitable for growing without shade to 75% light intensity.
Temu ireng (C. aeruginosa Roxb), Temu emas (C. Emas / Gold curcumae), Temulawak (C. xanthorriza Roxb), and Temu mango (C. mango) are potential species to produce rhizomes. (Sukarjo, 2004)
Table 3. Analysis of the quality of curcuma from the second generation of in vitro rhizomes, nine months after fertilization
|
Treatment |
Water
content (%) |
Essential
oil content (%) |
Curcumin
content (%) |
|
No fertilizer (control) |
8.49 |
7.4 |
4.10 |
|
Goat manure 1 kg / plant |
8.87 |
7.4 |
3.74 |
|
Goat manure 2 kg / plant |
9.00 |
7.2 |
3.03 |
|
Goat manure 1 kg / plant + artificial fertilizer |
10.00 |
9.8 |
7 |
|
Goat manure 2 kg / plant + artificial fertilizer |
8.98 |
6.6 |
3.92 |
Source: Hadipoentyanti and Syahid (2007).
Stitching and Weeding
Damaged / dead plants are replaced with healthy seeds from reserve seeds. Weeding weeds is done in the morning / evening that grows on beds or compartments with the aim of avoiding competition for nutrients and water.
The first and second weeding are carried out at 2 and 4 months after planting (along with fertilization). Furthermore, weeding can be done as soon as the weeds grow. To prevent damage to the roots, weed the weeds carefully with the help of a hoe.
Irrigation is carried out regularly in the morning / evening when the plants are still in their early growth period. Irrigation is further determined by soil and climatic conditions.
Usually, watering will be mostly done in the dry season. To maintain good growth, the soil must not be dry.
Shading activities need to be carried out on rhizome cropping to provide a medium for growing rhizomes which is quite good. Backfilling is done by backfilling the root area with soil that has fallen off the ground. Heading is done routinely after weeding.
Pests and Diseases
Pest
Temulawak pests are: Caterpillar (Chrysodeixis chalcites Esp), Earthworm (Agrotis ypsilon Hufn) and rhizome fly (Mimegrala coerulenfrons Macquart). How to control it by spraying the insecticide Kiltop 500 EC or Dimilin 25 WP with a concentration of 0.1-0.2% (Team of Writers Martha Tilaar Innovation Center, 2002).
Disease
- Fusarium fungus is caused by the fungus oxysporum Schlecht and Phytium sp and the bacteria Pseudomonas sp which have the potential to attack the roots and rhizomes of curcuma xanthorrhiza roxb either in the garden or after harvest. Symptoms of Fusarium can cause root rot of the rhizome with symptoms of yellowing, wilting, dry shoots and dead plants. The roots of the rhizome become wrinkled and blackish in color and the center rot. Phytium fungus causes the leaves to turn yellow, the base of the stem and rhizome rot, turn brown and eventually the whole plant rot. The method of controlling by rotating plants is that after harvesting, not planting plants that come from the Zingiberaceae family.The fungicides that can be used are Dimazeb 80 WP or Dithane M-45 80 WP with a concentration of 0.1 - 0.2%.
- Wilt disease caused by Pseudomonas sp, symptoms in the form of wilting of the lower leaves, which begins with yellowing of the leaves, the base of the wet stems and the cut rhizome secretes mucus like sap. How to control it by rotating plants and spraying Agrimycin 15 / 1.5 WP or grept 20 WP with a concentration of 0.1-0.2% (Team of Writers Martha Tilaar Innovation Center, 2002).
Weeds
Potential weeds in temu lawak plantations are garden weeds, including nut grass, alang-alang, ageratum, and other broadleaf weeds (Martha Tilaar Innovation Center, 2002).
Organic pest / disease control
In organic agriculture that does not use hazardous chemicals but with environmentally friendly materials, it is usually carried out in an integrated manner since the beginning of planting to avoid attacks by pests and diseases known as IPM (Integrated Pest Management) whose components are:
- Striving for healthy plant growth, namely choosing healthy superior seeds that are free from pests and diseases and resistant to pest attacks from the very beginning of planting
- Make maximum use of natural enemies (Martha Tilaar Innovation Center, 2002).
Harvest and Post Harvest
The rhizomes are harvested from plants that are 9-10 months old. Plants that are ready for harvest have yellowish and dried leaves and plant parts, have large rhizomes and are brownish yellow in color.
Harvesting is done by digging the soil around the clump and lifting the clumps together with their roots and rhizomes. Harvesting is done at the end of the plant's growth period, namely in the dry season.
Harvest time is usually marked by drying out the top of the soil. However, if there is no harvest during the dry season of the first year, it should be done in the dry season of the following year. Harvesting in the rainy season causes damage to the rhizomes and reduces the quality of the rhizomes due to low active ingredients due to more moisture content.
Post-harvest that is done is by washing the rhizomes from dirt until clean. Furthermore, the rhizome is drained. To make simplicia, the rhizome is sliced 7-8 mm thick and then dried in the sun. The process of drying the rhizome slices can be done by drying in the sun or using an artificial dryer at a temperature of 50°C.
Harvest age had a significant effect on plant height, wet weight and dry weight of rhizomes (Table 4). Harvest age of 7 months increases the xanthorrhizol content of curcuma xanthorrhiza roxb plants. The interaction between harvest age and drought stress did not significantly affect the agonomic and physiological characters of curcuma xanthorrhiza roxb (Khaerana et al., 2008).
Table 4. Effect of harvest age and drought stress on wet weight and dry weight of curcuma xanthorrhiza roxb rhizome.
|
Treatment |
Rhizome
Wet Weight (g) |
Rhizome
Dry Weight (g) |
|
Curcuma Harvest age |
|
|
|
29.8 b |
8.20 b |
|
27.48 a |
10.12 a |
|
Drought |
|
|
|
25.08 |
9.52 |
|
25.70 |
9.65 |
|
23.78 |
8.98 |
|
22.34 |
8.54 |
Note: The same letter in the same column and treatment group means that it is not significantly different in the DMRT 0.05 test. MSP = Weeks Before Harvest. Source: Khaerana et al, (2008).