Editing Ginger (section)

== Ginger farming ==
[[File:gingerfield.jpg|thumb|Ginger field]]

The size of the ginger rhizome is essential to the production of ginger. The larger the rhizome piece, the faster ginger will be produced and therefore the faster it will be sold onto the market.<ref name=":1">{{Citation|last=Nair|first=Kodoth Prabhakaran|chapter=Ginger as a Spice and Flavorant|date=2019|pages=541–554|publisher=Springer International Publishing|isbn=978-3-030-29188-4|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-29189-1_26|title=Turmeric (''Curcuma longa'' L.) and Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'' Rosc.) - World's Invaluable Medicinal Spices|s2cid=208647553}}</ref> Prior to planting the seed rhizomes, farmers are required to treat the seeds to prevent pests, and rhizome rot and other [[seed-borne disease]]s.<ref name=":1" /> Various ways Indian farmers do seed treatment include dipping the seeds in cow dung emulsion, smoking the seeds before storage, and hot water treatment.<ref name=":1" />

Once the seeds are properly treated, the farmland in which they are to be planted must be thoroughly dug or ploughed by the farmer to break up the soil.<ref name=":1" /> After the soil is sufficiently ploughed (at least 3–5 times), water channels are made {{convert|60–80|ft}} apart to irrigate the crop.<ref name=":1" />

The next step is planting the rhizome seed. In India, planting the irrigated ginger crop is usually done in the months between March and June as those months account for the beginning of the monsoon, or rainy season.<ref name=":1" /> Once the planting stage is done, farmers go on to mulch the crop to conserve moisture and check weed growth, as well as check surface run-off to conserve soil.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Carpenter|first=Philip|date=1975|title=An Evaluation of Several Mulch Materials on Landscape Plant Growth, Weed Control, Soil Temperature and Soil Moisture : Interim Report|journal=Purdue University E-Pubs|location=West Lafayette, IN|doi=10.5703/1288284313900|doi-access=free}}</ref> Mulching is done by applying mulch (green leaves for example) to the plant beds directly after planting and again 45 and 90 days into growth.<ref name=":1" /> After mulching comes hilling, which is the stirring and breaking up of soil to check weed growth, break the firmness of the soil from rain, and conserve soil moisture.<ref name=":1" /> Farmers must ensure that their ginger crops are receiving supplemental irrigation if rainfall is low in their region. In India, farmers must irrigate their ginger crops every two weeks at the least between September and November (when the monsoon is over) to ensure maximum yield and high quality product.<ref name=":1" />

The final farming stage for ginger is the harvesting stage. When the rhizome is planted for products such as vegetable, soda, and candy, harvesting should be done between four and five months of planting, whereas when the rhizome is planted for products such as dried ginger or ginger oil, harvesting must be done eight to ten months after planting.<ref name=":1" />

Dry ginger is one of the most popular forms of ginger in commerce.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|last=Balakrishnan|first=K.V.|chapter=Postharvest and Industrial Processing of Ginger|pages=401–443|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4200-2336-7|doi=10.1201/9781420023367-15|title=Ginger|year=2016}}</ref> Ginger rhizomes for dry ginger are harvested at full maturity (8–10 months).<ref name=":2" /> After soaking them in water, the outer skin is scraped off with a bamboo splinter or wooden knife by hand as it is too delicate a process to be done by machinery.<ref name=":2" /> The whole dried rhizomes are ground in the consuming centres.<ref name=":3">{{Citation|last=Madan|first=M. S.|chapter=Production, Marketing, and Economics of Ginger|pages=444–477|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4200-2336-7|doi=10.1201/9781420023367-16|title=Ginger|year=2016}}</ref> Fresh ginger does not need further processing after harvest, and it is harvested much younger.<ref name=":3" />