Performance of different turmeric selections for high altitude areas of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Ten turmeric selections were evaluated under rainfed conditions for three crop seasons in the high altitude areas of Chintapalle in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. The selections differed in their production potential and growth characters (plant height, number of tillers per plant, leaves/plant, leaf length and leaf breadth). Among selections tested, PTS-55 exhibited maximum productivity of fresh rhizome yield of 18.5 t/ha during 2001-2002, 21 t/ha during 2002-03 and 13.2 t/ha during 2000-01 with average productivity of 17.5 t/ha. PTS-11 and BSR-1 also performed well with average productivity of 17.4 t/ha and 17.3 t/ha respectively. These three selections, PTS-55, BSR-1 and PTS-11 were superior to other selections and are suitable for cultivation in high altitude areas of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh.