• Seed Rate - 5 - 7 kg/ha for single seedling per hill

Prepare 100 m 2 (2.50 cents) nurseries to plant 1 ha.

• Prepare 100 m 2 (2.50 cents) nurseries to plant 1 ha.
• Spread a plastic sheet or used polythene gunny bags on the shallow raised bed to prevent roots growing deep into soil.

4 m 3 of soil mix is needed for each 100 m 2 (2.50 cents) of nursery.

• 4 m 3 of soil mix is needed for each 100 m 2 (2.50 cents) of nursery.
• Mix 70% soil + 20% well-decomposed pressmud / bio-gas slurry / FYM + 10% rice hull. Add the soil mixture 1.5 kg of powdered DAP or 2 kg 17-17-17 complex fertilizer.

Blending Soil Mixture

Filling in soil mixture : Place a wooden frame of 0.5 m long, 1 m wide and 4 cm deep divided into 4 equal segments on the plastic sheet.

Fill the frame almost to the top with the soil mixture. : Soak the seeds for 24 h, drain and incubate the soaked seeds for 24 h, sow when the seeds sprout and radical (seed root) grows to 2-3 mm long.

Pre-germinating the seeds 2 days before sowing : Soak the seeds for 24 h, drain and incubate the soaked seeds for 24 h, sow when the seeds sprout and radical (seed root) grows to 2-3 mm long.

Sowing :

Soil application of biofertilizers : Application of Azospirillum @ 2 kg and mycorrhizal fungi @ 5 kg for 100 m2 nursery area

• Sow the pre-germinated seeds weighing 90 -100 g/m 2 uniformly.
• Cover them with dry soil to a thickness of 5 mm.
• Sprinkle water immediately using rose can to soak the bed.

Watering :

• Water the nursery with rosecan as and when needed (twice or thrice a day) to keep the soil moist.
• Protect the nursery from heavy rains for the first 5 DAS. At 6 DAS, maintain thin film of water all around the seedling mats.
• Drain the water 2 days before removing the seedling mats for transplanting.