| Family |
Rubiaceae |
| English Name |
Manjetti, Manchethi |
| Malayalam Name |
Manjetti, Manchethi |
| Tamil Name |
Manjitti, Sevvelli |
| Kannada Name |
Chithravalli, Katthee dhaare balli |
| Telugu Name |
Tamravalli, Manjishta |
| Hindi Name |
Manjitha, Manjit |
| Sanskrit Name |
Manjishtha |
| Trade Name |
Manjit |
| Part Used |
Root |
| In Wild |
NA |
| Under Cultivation |
NA |
| Temperature |
NA |
| Rainfall |
NA |
| Farmers |
NA |
| Traders |
NA |
| Institution |
NA |
| Individually |
NA |
| State/Region |
NA |
| District |
NA |
| Nursery Information |
NA |
| Yield |
Three tonnes of dry root is obtained per hectare of cultivated crop. |
| Economic of cultivation |
1. Cost of cultivation for two years crop: ₹
1,00,000 per hectare.
2. Market price: Dried roots- ₹140per kg (as
on June 2019).
3. Total income: ₹ 4,20,000 per hectare.
4. Net income: ₹ 3,20,000 per hectare. |
| Quantitative quality standards |
1. Foreign material: Not more than 1 per cent
2. Total ash: Not more than 10 per cent
3. Acid insoluble ash: Not more than 0.8 per
cent
4. Alcohol soluble extractive: Not less than
23 per cent
5. Water soluble extractive: Not less than 47
per cent
6. Moisture content: 8.8 per cent
7. Loss on drying: 9.944 per cent |
| Description |
Scabrous climber, stem 4-angled, jointed; roots reddish. Leaves whorled, 4 in each node, equal or unequal, to 7 × 3 cm, ovate, acuminate at apex, cordate at base, 3-5-ribbed from base; petiole 2-5 cm long. Flowers 3 mm across; in axillary dichotomous cymes. Calyx tube turbinate, lobes 4, minute. Corolla lobes ovate, valvate, spreading, white. Ovules solitary in each cell. Fruit fleshy, globose, purple 4-5 mm across; seed one. |
| Agro technology/Cultivation practices |
Rubia cordifolia occurs mostly in loamy soil rich in humus. The rainfall is high in the regions in which this plant grows.
Cultivation
1. Planting-stock production: The plant is propagated through seeds and
two-node root cuttings. The seeds are collected during December and
January. It is preferable to use seeds for large scale cultivation,
considering the cost factor and high rate of germination. The planting
stock may be raised in nursery in January through seeds. The seeds
obtained from dried ripe black fruits are sown in nursery beds either in
rows or randomly by broadcasting. A thin layer of soil and organic
manure is spread over the seeds, and the beds are regularly watered.
After germination, seedlings with two to three leaves are transplanted
in polybags for establishment. The plants can also be raised through
cuttings containing two or three nodes, treated with commercially
available rooting hormones or 3000 PPM (parts per million) IBA (indole-
3-butyric acid) for rooting. Although cuttings give 90% success, it is
still preferable to take up large-scale cultivation through seeds, which
is economic and results in 80%–85% germination within 20 days. About 350
g of seeds are required to raise a nursery for planting in 1 hectare of
land. Sometimes, seeds may be directly broadcast in the well-prepared
field or sown in rows. In such cases, much higher quantities of seeds,
to the tune of 1.5–2 kg, may be required.
2. Field planting: The soil is properly ploughed, harrowed once or twice
and planked lightly to make it porous and weed free. farmyard manure @
10 tonnes per hectare is applied to the soil as basal dose during land
preparation. Seedlings/rooted cuttings are transplanted to the main
field in April– May. An optimum spacing of 60 cm × 75 cm is recommended
in the field, which gives an optimum crop stand of 22,000 plants per
hectare. When the seeds are directly sown in rows or broadcast in the
well-prepared field, singling is an important activity to provide
optimum spacing to the growing plants. In the first year, first manual
weeding is done 45 days after planting, and the second one is carried
out 120 days after planting. Bamboo/shrub staking is done 30–45 days
after transplanting. Inter cultural operations during second and third
years may be carried out at least twice during each year.
3. Manuring/Fertilization: Farmyard manure/compost may applied 120-130 days
after transplanting as top dressing.
4. Irrigation: Irrigation may be provided as and when necessary. However,
the plant may be grown as a rain-fed crop in North-East India where the
rainfall is high and evenly distributed throughout the year.
5. Pest and disease: No serious pests and diseases are reported. |
| Harversting |
Rubia cordifolia starts flowering after one year in August and seeds mature in October–November. Roots can be harvested after two years at pre flowering stage in October or late fruiting stage by the end of November or even in early December when seed is required for next crop. The crop can, however, be allowed to stand in the field for three years. |
| Processing |
The hard roots are cut into small pieces and dried in the shade. The dried root pieces are packed in gunny bags for storage in cool and dry place. |
| References |
NA |
