Plant Profile
Family : Wurmbaeoidae of Liliaceae
English name : Glory Lily
Indian name : Langali, Visalya (Sanskrit)
Kalihari, Languli (Hindi)
Agnishike, Gowrihoovu, Akkatangiballi (Kannada)
Kalappaikkilanku, Nabhikkodi (Tamil)
Species : Gloriosa superba Linn.
Distribution : Indian, Africa, Asia, Indochina
Madagascar, Sir Lanka, USA
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES AND USES
• Seeds are rich source of Colchicine used against gout, rheumatism and in botanical researches inducing polyploidy.
• The tubers are sued as tonic, antipatriotic, antihelmenthic and also against snake bite in Indian systems of medicine.
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
SOIL
• In Southern India, it is found growing successfully in red or black loamy soils
with medium water holding capacity and good drainage.
• A soil pH range between 6-7 has been found suitable to raise this crop.
CLIMATE
• It is a tropical plant and comes up well under warm humid regions.
• It grows upto an elevation of 600 m from sea level.
• An annual rainfall of about 375 cm, well distributed throughout the year is ideally
suitable for the crop.
VARIETIES
It is a newly domesticated crop and there are no identified varieties.
CULTIVATION
Propagation
• Kalihari is commercially propagated from its underground `V’ shaped tubers.
• The tuber should not weight less than 50-60 gm in weight otherwise the plant
does not flower and fruit.
• The dormant tubers start sprouting from the month of May to August.
• Planting should be done during the months of July and August
• The selected tubers should be treated with 0.1% organ mercurial fungicide of
Bavistin before planting to avoid rotting of the tuber.
‘V’ Shaped Gloriosa tubers used for planting
Planting
• The land should be ploughed and harrowed to get a fine tilth. Subsequently, the field is levelled and subplots of convenient size are made.
• The entire quantity FYM is applied and mixed well.
• Furrows are opened at 60 cm apart and the treated tubers are planted at a distance of 45 cm and 6-8 cm deep.
• Fertilizers are applied in shallow furrows using the entire quantity of P2O5 and K2O and 50 per cent of N.
• The remaining dose of N is applied in two equal doses at 30 and 60 days after planting.
Irrigation and interculture
• Early stage irrigation at 4 days interval and later at weekly intervals will be
sufficient to meet its water requirements.
• In initial stages Kalihari requires frequent weeding.
• Utmost care should be taken to avoid any damage to the growing tips as once
damaged it does not sprout again during the season. In all about 4-5 weedings are
required.
Crop monitoring
• Being a climber Kalihari needs some support to get it exposed in the maximum
sunlight and reduced physical damage. This is achieved by either staking the
individual plants or the entire row of plants.
• Care should be taken to avoid any damage to the tubers during staking.
PLANT PROTECTION
Major insects : Lily caterpillar and green caterpillar
Major diseases : Leaf blight and rhizome rot Schedule
1. For control of pests, spray 0.2 per cent Metacid at fortnightly intervals
2. Leaf blight can be controlled by spraying 0.3 per cent Dithane M-45 (or contaf 10
ml/10 litres of water) at fortnightly intervals.
3. Drench the soil with Bavistin at 0.2 per cent in order to control rhizome rot.
HARVESTING, PROCESSING AND YIELD
• Kalihari is about 170-180 days crop.
• Harvest the pods when its colour starts turning to light green from dark green and the skin of the fruit shrinks.
• After picking, shade dry the pods for 10-15 days, when the fruits turn yellow and
open out showing deep orange yellow coloured seeds.
• Collect the seeds, dry them in shade again for a period of one week before packing them for storage.
• In a well managed plantation an yield of 200-250 kg seeds and 150-180 kg of pericarp per hectare can be obtained.
Farmer can earn 5 to 10 lac.
Reference
