Parsley is short duration crop and it may take up to 70 to 90 days from seeding to first harvest of fresh leaves. It is easy to grow parsley plants in any climate. A detailed account of growing practices for parsley is given below:
Climatic Requirements: It is a cool season, hardy crop which flourishes well both in temperate and tropical climates. It can also be produced under glasshouse or polyhouse production practices. Parsley loves full sun. It grows best between 22 °C and 30 °C.
Soil Requirements: Parsley grows well in rich, fertile, moist soil with good drainage. Ideal soil pH is between 5 and 8.
Propagation: Propagation is mainly through seeds.
Seed Rate: About 50 to 100 gm of seed is sufficient for one acre. Seed rate per acre should be determined depending on prevalent soil and environmental conditions.
Pre-Sowing Seed Treatment: Parsley seeds have very low germination rate. Seeds may take up to four to six weeks to germinate. Therefore a pre-treatment soaking of parsley seeds is recommended to hasten germination. Seeds may be soaked in hot water for 24 hours before sowing them.
Sowing Time: Best time for sowing parsley seeds is spring. Spring-sown crop is harvested in late spring through summer. Parsley may be sown during summers for fall, and winter harvesting and during falls for an early spring harvesting.
Sowing Process: Seeds may be sown in well prepared nursery beds for field transplanting or they may be directly seeded. In case of nursery bed sowing, a fine seedbed is required.
Nursery Bed Preparation: Soils need to be prepared by ploughing and levelling and incorporating organic manures such as compost and leaf mould before preparing nursery beds. Raised nursery beds are prepared at a height of at least 50 to 60 inches. At least 3 to 4 rows may be prepared per bed. A space of at least 20 inches may be left between two rows. Seeds are sown in these rows and then covered with leaf mould and sand. A light watering is done immediately after sowing.
Field Preparation: Field is prepared by ploughing, harrowing and levelling. Organic manures and fertilizers such as farm yard manure, compost and leaf mould are incorporated into the top soil to enhance soil fertility.
Transplanting: Two-month-old seedlings are used for transplanting.
Spacing: Standard spacing is 50 cm × 50 cm. Spacing may be adjusted according to the grower requirement. It is believed that high plant density yields higher economic yields.
Manuring and Fertilization: Fertilizer application needs to be based on soil testing results and crop requirements. As a general rule, application of 15 tons of farmyard manure, 65 kg Nitrogen, 40 kg of Phosphorous and 25 kg of Potassium per hectare of area gives a good crop yield.
Irrigation: Overhead sprinklers or drip irrigation may be used for large parsley plantations. Irrigational frequency needs to be based on prevalent climatic and soil conditions. As a general rule, crop may be irrigated at 15–20 days intervals.
Insects Pests: Major insect pests that are found affecting parsley crop includes aphids, cabbage looper or beet armyworm, carrot weevil, corn earworm, flea beetles, leafhoppers, plant bugs, and rootknot nematodes. IPM (integrated pest management) practices including mechanical traps, field monitoring, and biological pest control methods are recommended for effective control of these insect-pests. Nematodes can be effectively controlled by soil fumigation process. Soil needs to be fumigated before planting the crop in the main field.
Diseases: Major diseases that are found affecting parsley crop are leaf spot, aster yellow and damping-off. A description of these diseases is given below:
- Septoria leaf spot: This is a seed-borne disease caused by fungus Septoria apiicola. It can be controlled by purchasing and sowing good quality infection-free seeds.
- Aster Yellow: This is a viral disease spread by leaf hoppers. Eliminating leafhoppers (disease-spreading vector) from the field gives the best control of this disease.
- Damping-off: This is caused by fungus Pythium spp. Since this pathogen is soil-borne, best control measure is soil treatment with a recommended fungicide.
Weed Control: In organic production practices, manual and mechanical weed control practices are recommended. Hoeing may be used as a weed control method. Hoeing and weeding are done as and when required to keep the crop weed-free.
Interculture: Shallow and clean cultivation is recommended for parsley.
Harvesting: Harvesting is done either by hand or by a harvesting machine. In hand harvesting, outer leaves of marketable size are cut 2.5 to 3 centimeters above the crown by a harvesting knife. In machine harvesting, leaves are mechanically clipped 2.5 to 7.5 centimeters above the crown. Multiple harvestings are possible.
Yield: Average yield per acre is about 700 -1000 bushels.
Field Packing: A bunch of harvested fresh leaves are bunched together and tied with a rubber and or a jute thread or any other similar materials and placed in crates or wooden baskets before transporting the produce to pack houses or nearest markets or processing centers.
Postharvest Management: A detailed account of post harvest practices for parsley is given below:
Precooling: Precooling of freshly harvested parsley leaves is recommended in order to remove the excess field heat present in the fresh produce. Normally precooling is done by hydro cooling.
Optimum Storage Conditions: Optimum storage temperature is 32 to 36° F at 95% relative humidity.
Quality Indices: Major quality indices that are considered for parsley crop are leaf colour, appearance, and crispiness. A description of the same is given below:
- Leaf colour- Deep green and bright
- Appearance- Fresh and crispy; with long stalks; and free from yellowish, wilted, over mature, diseased and damaged leaves
Packing for Shipping: Hydro-cooled (washed and cleaned) parsley leaves are bunched together into small bundles and placed in wooden boxes or corrugated carton boxes before shipping.
Processing: Freshly harvested parsley leaves are transported to the pack houses where it is washed and cleaned with water before drying it in a dark shaded place. Rapid drying is recommended in order to preserve the flavour and aroma of the produce. In rapid drying (quick drying) process, the leaves are subjected to oven drying at 95 Degree C (200 Degree F). In this method, the bright green color of the produce is retained. A major criterion is that ventilation should be provided during the entire drying process. Dried or dehydrated parsley leaves are called parsley leaf flakes and it is normally stored in dark storage chambers in air tight glass containers.
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