Coleus
Botanical Name- Coleus forskohlii
Family - Lamiaceae

TNAU- medicinal coleus CO-1

Soil –

Red sandy soil and sandy loam soil are highly suitable. Soil drainage is essential and hard pan and water logged soils should be avoided.

Climate – 

The plant is sun loving and grows well in tropical regions.Suitable for plains and lower hills. Requires 70 cm annual rainfall

Suitable for plains and lower hills. Requires 70 cm annual rainfall

Terminal three to four nodal cuttings measuring 10 cm length is used. Cuttings are planted at 60cm x 45cm spacing with total plant population of 37,000 plants per hectare.
Apply 15 t FYM/ha. Ridges are formed at a spacing of 60 cm. Cuttings have to be planted at a spacing of 45 cm.
The nutrients NPK @30:60:50 kg/ha have to be applied in two split doeses at 30 and 45 days after planting. In micronutrient deficient soils, ZnSO4 @ 25kg/ha can be applied as basal dose.
Irrigate immediately after planting and later at weekly intervals. Withhold the irrigation ten days before harvest.

Diseases:
The occurrence of wilt is becoming a major problem in coleus cultivation. Pathogens associated with wilt and root rot are Fusarium chlamydosporum, Macrophomina phaseolina, Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium sp coupled with incidence of root knot nematode
Meloidogyne incognita. Due to these diseases, the yield loss is up to 50 to 60%.

 Select the coleus cuttings from disease free plants.
 Coleus cuttings have to be treated with carbendazim solution (0.1%) before planting
 Soil drenching with carbendazim (0.1%) or propiconazole (0.1%)
 Soil application of FYM @ 12.5 ton/ha + 500 kg neem cake/ha + Trichoderma viride @ 2.5 kg /ha before planting is effective for bio management of nematode fungal disease complex involving Meloidogyne incognita and Macrophomina phaseolina
 Application of chemical nematicide carbofuran 3G @ 1 kg a.i/ha before planting for control of root-knot nematode.
 Use drip irrigation to minimize the spread of pathogens from infected plants to healthy plants

Crop can be harvested six months after planting. Before harvest, top portion should be removed when sufficient moisture is in the soil. Roots are dug manually or by tractor drawn harvester. The soil particles are removed and the tubers are cut into small bits using motorized chopper to facilitate drying. The cut root bits are dried under sun for 3-5 days with frequent turnings until the moisture drops to 6-8 per cent.

Fresh root: 15 – 20t /ha , Dry root: 2 – 2.2 t /ha