2018 ASHS Annual Conference

This study evaluated three ginger cultivars (Chinese White - CW, Hawaii Yellow - HY, Kali Ma - KM) on their growth and rhizome yields in a greenhouse on the farm of North Carolina A&T State University. Seed gingers were pre-sprouted using coconut coir as the initial substrate. The pre-sprouted seedlings were then potted in 10-liter pots filled with pre-mixed substrate containing Metro Mix 360 and compost at 1:1 ratio. Potted plants of all three cultivars were then randomly placed on top of a bench in the greenhouse with drip irrigation. A completely randomized design was used. One tablespoon of fertilizer (Weaver 17-17-17) was added to each pot one month after potting. During the ginger growth period additional substrate was added as needed for hilling purpose. All three cultivars demonstrated vigorous and healthy growth. Among the three cultivars tested, only HY plants had strong aroma and attracted caterpillars that was also observed from our study in a high tunnel. Our data indicated that the three cultivars had very similar growth in terms of stem diameter and plant height, but with significantly different productivity in terms of yield (rhizome weight). Stem diameter data indicated that both CW and KM plants had a little thicker stems than HY plants. Rhizome weight data indicated that CW (625 g/plant) produced slightly higher yield than KM (613 g/plant), and both CW and KM produced significantly higher yield than HY (417 g/plant). According to our observation, the 10-liter size pot is too small for adequate ginger growth.