6.

Plantation Crops (HPH 204) 3(2+1)

History and development, scope and importance, area and production, export and import
potential, role in national and state economy, uses, industrial importance, by-products
utilization, soil and climate, varieties, propagation: principles and practices of seed,
vegetative and micro-propagation, planting systems and method, gap filling, systems of
cultivation, mulching, shade regulation, weed and water management, training, pruning
and handling, nutrition, foliar feeding, role of growth regulators, soil management,
liming practices, tipping practices, top working, physiological disorders, harvesting,
post-harvest handling and processing, packaging and marketing, yield and economics of
coconut, arecanut, oil palm, palmyrah palm, cacao, cashew nut, coffee, tea and rubber.

Practical: Description and identification of coconut varieties, selection of coconut and

arecanut mother palm and seed nut, planting of seed nuts in nursery, layout and planting
of coconut, arecanut, oil palm, cashew nut, cacao gardens, manuring, irrigation;
mulching, raising masonry nursery for palm, nursery management in cacao. Description
and identification of species and varieties in coffee, harvesting, grading, pulping,
fermenting, washing, drying and packing of coffee, seed berry collection, seed extraction,
treatment and sowing of coffee, epicotyl, softwood, grafting and top working in cashew,
working out the economics and project preparation for coconut, arecanut, oil palm, cashew
nut, cacao, etc. Mother plant selection, preparation of cuttings and rooting of tea under
specialized structure, training, centering, pruning, tipping and harvesting of tea.

www.anilrana13014.webbly.com Page 1
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 LECTURE 1
PLANTATION CROPS

Definition: A group of commercial crops of perennial nature, cultivated extensively in

tropical and subtropical situations which need employment of labour through out the year and
the produces of which are usually consumed after processing.

Definition in traditional sense – Plantation crops are those which are cultivated on extensive
scale like tea, coffee and rubber. Here the term plantation or estate is used synonymously.
Estate or plantation means large scale agricultural unit usually of a single crop.

Differences between plantation crops vs. fruit crops:

Features Plantation Crops Fruit crops
1. Climate under which Tropical mainly between Tropics, Subtropics and
cultivated 20 º N and 20 º S Latitude temperate

2. Necessity of training and Less More

pruning
3. Suitability for Processed and consumed Major portion is consumed
Consumption directly in fresh form

4.Perishabilityof produce Less/ not perishable Perishable

5. Export potential Comparatively high Some portion of fruits and
/Foreign Exchange preserved products are
earnings exported.
6. Uses Diversified: i.e., in Used mostly as protective
medicines, beverages and foods (Rich in vitamins and
oilseeds etc minerals)

Important plantation crops

 Oil yielding crops:Coconut, oilpalm, palmyrah
  Masticatory : Arecanut, betelvine
 Beverage crops : Tea, coffee, cocao
 Nut crops : Cashew nut
 Industrial crop : Rubber

Status of plantation Crops in India

1. Area and distribution: Plantation crops have limited geographical distribution and in the
world it is largely grown between 20 0N and 200S of equator.
Area and production of Plantation crops in India 2009-11
STATE/UT'S Total
A (000 ha) P (000 t)
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR 25.8 62.0
ANDHRA PRADESH 304.2 768.9
ASSAM 88.8 163.7
CHHATTISGARH 33.0 17.0
GOA 82.5 116.8
GUJARAT 16.0 108.0
KARNATAKA 730.5 1777.0
KERALA 968.2 4176.5
LAKSHADWEEP 2.7 40.0
AHARASHTRA 198.2 321.6
MEGHALAYA 12.4 17.1
MIZORAM 6.6 8.2
NAGALAND 1.1 1.6
ORISSA 194.0 274.0
PONDICHERRY 2.2 20.1
TAMILNADU 537.4 3763.3
TRIPURA 10.2 16.4
WEST BENGAL 51.0 276.2
TOTAL 3264.6 11928.2

(http://nhb.gov.in/statistics/area-production-statistics.html)
Area and production (Crop wise)
Crop Are Production
(000ha) (000t)
Arecanut A 923 P 613
Cocoa A 400.1 P 478
Coconut A 46.3 P 12.9
Coffee A 1895.2 P 10824.3
Tea A 388.2 P 308.0
 Rubber A 578 P 980.0
Oilpalm A 171.7
Total

Possible area expansion in traditional area is limited. Scope for expansion in non
traditional regions is mainly in North and Eastern States.

Area occupied by plantation crops in India = 4 million ha.

=2.8% of total cropped area.
Earnings from export of plantation crops is 27% of total agricultural . Commodities and
4.8% of total export.

2. Topographical situation of plantation crop area in India:

Plantation crops in India are mainly confined to the less populated remote hilly areas of
South India, i.e. mainly Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

3. Commercialization of plantations:
Coconut and Arecanut-Being cultivated in India from time immemorial.
Cocoa-from 1960’s (Brazilians origin) : However, expansion gained momentum only
after 1970’s
Oil palm-1970’s (African origin): Highest edible oil yielding crop ( 4- 6 tonnes oil per ha
and some times even 8 t/ha)

Cashew- Introduced by Portuguese during 16 th Century in malabar coast as Soil

Conservation Crop (Brazilian origin). Now India ranks 1 st in the world both in Area
and production.

Rubber- Mainly in Kerala and Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Now India occupy
4th position in the world. (4th position in and position in production )

4. Yield gap: There is gap in yield obtained by the farmers and yield reported in
Research Stations. Potential yield of crops is very high.
Question Bank :
1)Define Plantation crop and differentiate between plantation and fruit crops ?
2)Growing of more than one annual or perennial crop in the interspace of main crop is
termed as ------------------ (Multiple cropping)
3) Plantation crops are mainly grown for export market . Justify ?
4) Plantation crops are grown mainly in South India . Why ?
5) List out the important beverage crops with botanical name and family ?
LECTURE 2
Scope and Economic importance of plantation crops

Scope for plantation crops:

1. Expansion in non-traditional areas: As population and spice crops have restricted
geographical distribution, the possibility of expansion in the traditional areas is limited.
However, there is ample scope for expansion of area in non-traditional regions such as
North Eastern States where there is irrigation potential. Due to the development of drip
irrigation technology new area/non traditional area under plantation crops is increasing.

2. Export potential: Plantation crops earn foreign exchange.

Eg. Coir based products ,Coir export and Coffee .
Main products and by-products not only have export prospects but also have considerable
internal demand in several ancillary industry. Earning from export of plantation crops
accounts to 27% of total agricultural Commodities and 4.8% of total export.

3. Employment generation: Cultivation of plantation crops provide year round gainful

employment on the farm and factories.
Eg. Coconut provides for 78 man days/ha/yr. Amounting to 70 million man days/year. in
Kerala alone.
4. Crop diversification: These crops provide ample scope for diversification and there
by it creates sustainable agriculture.
5. Availability of technology and yield gap: Considerable information on recent
technologies are available on these crops.
Eg. CPCRI Kasargod, Kerala.
NRC on Cashew, Shantigod, Puttur (D.K). and Various Agril. Universities, Res.
Stations etc.
Economic importance of plantation crops:
1. Export earnings: Plantation crops occupy less than 3 per cent of the total cultivated
area (i.e. 1.82 per cent of total crop land – 4 million ha. out of 143.00 million ha. i.e.
around 2.3%).
2. Leading position in the world: India is leading in the total production of certain
plantation crops in the world.
Eg: Tea, Cashew, Arecanut, Coconut and Rubber.
3. Employment opportunity: Plantation crops provide direct and indirect employment
to many people.
Eg: Tea- 20 lakhs people-
Cashew-5 lakhs people
4. Industrial importance: Production industry supports many byproduct industries and
also many rural industries.
Eg: Coconut Fiber (obtained from husk) production in India is about 2.2 lakh tones.

5. Conserving soil and ecosystem:

Eg: Tea and coffee with shade trees planted on hill slopes
Cashew in barren and waste lands – Both are protect soil from water and wind
erosion.

Important Research Stations on Plantation and Beverage Crops

Coconut : Central Plantation Crop Reserch Institute , Kasargode, Kerala
Arecanut : CPCRI, Regional Research Station, Vittal, Karnataka
Cocoa - CPCRI, Regional Research Station, Vittal, Karnataka
Rubber: Rubber Research Institute of India, Kottayam, Kerala
Cashew : Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur, Karnataka
Oil Palm : National Research Centre, Elur, Pedavegi, Andhra Pradesh
Palmyrah : Srivaliputtur, Tamil Nadu
Tea : Tea Research Institute, United Planters Association of South India (UPASI),
Valparai, Tamil Nadu
Coffee : Central Coffee Research Institute, Balehonnur, Karnataka

Question Bank .
1) List out the economic importance of plantation crops ?
2) Mention research Stations working on beverage crops ?
3) Where is the headquarters of CPCRI ?
4) Which are the identified non traditional areas for area expansion under plantation
crops ?
5) Mention the plantation crops in which India is in leading position in the world ?
LECTURE 3
ARECANUT (Areca catechu)
Fam: Palmae / Arecaceae
Introduction
A tropical palm mainly cultivated and used in Indian subcontinent for mastication.
Research Centres working on arecanut
1) CPCRI Regional Station, Vittal.= Started in 1956.
2) CPCRI Research Centre, Hirehalli (Tumkur)
3) CPCRI Research Centre, Peechi (Kerala)
4) CPCRI Research Centre, Mohitnagar (W.B)
5) CPCRI Research Centre, Kahikuchi (Assam)
CPCRI Research Centre,Palode (Kerala)= Here main work is on YLD. Alkaloids present in
arecanut
Arecoline is the main and physiologically most active alkaloid present to an extent of 0.07 to
0.1 per cent.
1. Masticatory use: Betel or pan.
2. Socio religious uses:
3. Medicinal uses:

Origin and Distribution of arecanut

Origin:
World: India, Sri Lanka, Malayasia, Philippines, Thailand, Burma and Bangladesh.
In South East Asian countries it is a stray crop. Only in India it is under scientific
cultivation.
India is the world’s largest producer of arecanut contributing nearly 74 % towards
world production.
World Arecanut production during 2009
Area
Yield Production
Harvested
(Hg/Ha) (tonnes)
(Ha)
India 387100 12433 481300
China 47881 41647 199413
Myanmar 53000 22641 120000
 Bangladesh 176350 5979 105448
Indonesia 128000 4687 60000
Sri Lanka 14220 19592 27860
Thailand 19060 14291 27240
Bhutan 5700 11184 6375
Nepal 2098 18956 3977
Malaysia 1468 13474 1978
Kenya 97
Maldives 1 30000 3
Total 834878 1033691
FAOSTAT 2009
India : As per 1994-95 statistics. (Too old)
Area : 2.54 lakh ha
Production : 3.0 lakh tonnes
As per issue of Indian Horticulture January to March 2001.
India is the world’s largest consumer of arecanut (accounting to 89 % of world
production)

Important arecanut growing states

states Area Production
(000 (000t)
ha)
KARNATAKA 184.5 224.0
KERALA 97.2 112.1
ASSAM 70.0 62.7
WEST BENGAL 11.4 21.2
MEGHALAYA 12.4 17.1
TAMILNADU 5.0 10.4
TRIPURA 4.4 8.4
MIZORAM 6.6 8.2
ANDAMAN &
NICOBAR 4.1 6.0
 MAHARASHTRA 2.2 3.6
GOA 1.9 2.8
Total 400.1 478.0
Source: www.nhb.gov.in

Present Status and Future Policy for arecanut

1. We have attained self sufficiency in our requirement: The area and production of arecanut
in India showed an increasing trend during past 40 years
2. Uses of arecanut other than chewing are negligible: Now research is going on to find out
medicinal uses and better alternate uses of arecanut
3. Limited export potential: People of only Asian origin are habituated for arecanut chewing
but not western people.

Future Policy (Suggestions are for intensive cultivation by);

1. Taking up of replanting and under planting in the age and unproductive plantations.
Arecanut palms live for about 60 –100 years but economic yields are attained up to 30 –45
years depending on conditions of management.
2. Multiple cropping – Inter and mixed cropping in arecanut plantation to augment the
income from existing plantations.

Climatic requirement)
Agro climatic zone
Arecanut is being grown in the zone 12 consisting of Western Plains and Ghats as well as
the North Eastern Hills.
Temperature
The temperature should be a minimum of 4 oC (at Mohitnagar in West Bengal) and a
maximum of 40oC (at Vittal in Karnataka and Kannara in Kerala). However, the palm
flourishes well within a temperature range of 14 oC to 36oC.
Rainfall
Arecanut requires abundant and well distributed rainfall. It grows well in tracts of very high
rainfall, where annual showers may go up to or even more than 4500 mm. But it also
survives in low rainfall areas having 750 mm annual precipitation. During prolonged dry
spell palms should be irrigated.
Soil
Arecanut cultivation is predominant in gravelly laterite soils of red clay type of Southern
Kerala and Coastal Karnataka. Arecanut needs deep and well-drained soil preferably not
less than 2 meters, for development of root system. Laterite, red loam and alluvial soils are
most suitable. In plain region or Maidan part of Karnataka, it is cultivated in fertile clay
loam soils. In areas where tank irrigation is common practice, the soils may have admixture
of tank silt. Deep black fertile clay loam soils supported luxuriant palm growth.
Question Bank

1) Main centre working on arecanut is located at _____________ (Vittal, Karnataka)

2) Main alkaloid content in arecanut is _________________ (Arecoline)
3) Uses of arecanut other than chewing is limited. Justify
4) Major state growing arecanut in India is _____ (Karnataka)
5) Arecanut has limited export potential. Justify ?
 VARIETIES

A. Cultivars of arecanut:

(source:http://www.cpcri.gov.in/farmer.htm)

Cultivars of arecanut are known by the place where they are grown.

Mangala

It bears early with more number of female flowers per inflorescence,

higher nut set. It stabilizes quickly in comparison with local South
Kanara variety. The cultivar was released by CPCRI for coastal areas
of Karnataka and Kerala upto an altitude of about 800 meters above
MSL.

Sumangala

It is a tall type with partially drooping crown. Under good

management, palms flower in 4-5 years. The colour of the ripe
nuts is deep yellow to orange and oblong to round in shape. The
variety recorded an average yield of 17.25 kg of ripe nuts per
palm per year at the age of ten years. It was released by CPCRI.
Sreemangala

Arecanut palm is tall with partially drooping crown with

longer internodes and sturdy stem. It starts flowering in 4-5
years. It is a high yielder with an average yield of 15.63 kg
ripe nuts per palm per year. Ripe nuts usually oblong to round
in shape with deep yellow colour. It was released by CPCRI.

Mohitnagar

The variety is consistent high yielder with an average yield of

15.08 kg ripe nuts per palm per year. This variety is released
by CPCRI for cultivation in West Bengal and Coastal areas
of Karnataka and Kerala.

Kahikuchi Tall

A high yielding variety, Kahikuchi (VTL-64)

has been released for Assam and NEH region.
Nuts are bigger and heavier with high recovery
of chali/ dry kernel (25.2 %) from fresh nuts.
The average yield of this cultivar is 3.70 kg dry
kernel per palm per year.
 Swarnamangala

Tall type with partially drooping crown, flower in 4-5 years,

longer internodes, sturdy stem, orange to deep yellow
colored and oblong to round shape nuts. Average yield
(Chali/palm) : 3.90 Kg. It is released for irrigated areas of
Karnataka and Kerala.

South Kanara Local/Kasaragod Local

It is largely grown in Dakshina Kannada district of

Karnataka and Kasaragod district of Kerala. It is
characterised by large sized nuts with uniform bearing and
the average chali yield is about 2.0 kg/palm/year. Ripe nut
of this cultivar is mainly used for making chali.
 Calicut-17

The striking features of this cultivar is its consistent and high

yielding potential (average yield of 18.89 kg ripenuts per palm
per year with a kernel wt. of 4.34kg per palm per year), well
placed bunches with round and bold nuts. This cultivar has
been released for commercial cultivation in Andaman and
Nicobar group of islands.

SAS-1

This variety is characterized by tall palm with compact

canopy. Nuts are round and even sized and closely
arranged on compact bunches. Also it is suitable for both
tender and ripe nut processing. It has got the potential to
yield about 4.60 kg chali per palm per year. The variety
has been recommended for traditional arecanut growing
valleys of Sirsi hill zone of Karnataka.
 Shriwardhan

It is grown widely in the Raigad and Rathnagiri districts of

Maharashtra and Coastal Karnataka. The nuts of this variety
are oval in shape and the yield is comparable to `South
Kanara’. Average yield recorded is about 2.20 kg
chali/palm/year. Due to its shape and marbled appearance
of the kernel when cut, it fetches premium price in the
market.

Sagar

It is mainly grown in Uttara Kannada and Shimoga districts of

Karnataka. It is a tall type and having sturdy stem with erect
bunches are the distinguishing characters of this cultivar. The
nuts are smaller in size and round in shape. Average yield
2.25 kg chali/palm/year. Nuts are used for making both chali
and tender nut processing.

Thirthahalli
It is grown extensively in Malnad areas of Chikmagalur and Shimoga districts of
Karnataka and ripe nuts of this cultivar preferred for tender nut processing. The size of the
nuts are smaller and oblong in shape. Its yield is about 12 kg ripe nut/palm/year.
Vittal Areca Hybrid -1

It is early bearer, dwarf with partially drooping crown, well

spread leaves, sturdy stem, medium size, oval shape and
yellow to orange coloured nuts. It reduces cost of
cultivation, harvesting and spraying easy. Average yield
(Chali/palm): 2.54 Kg. It is released for coastal Karnataka
and Kerala.

Vittal Areca Hybrid -2

It is early bearer, dwarf with partially drooping crown, well

spread leaves, sturdy stem, medium size, oval shape and
yellow to orange coloured nuts. It reduces cost of
cultivation, harvesting and spraying easy. Average yield
(Chali/palm): 2.64 Kg. It is released for coastal Karnataka
and Kerala.

Selection and Raising of arecanut Planting material

In arecanut we have to have selection at different levels to get better result i.e.,

1. Selection of seed plantation : The plantation should be from disease free and having
higher proportion of regularly high yielding palms.

2. Selection of mother palms : One of the established method of selection is to select

palm possessing characters of high heritability.
 a) Earlyness in bearing and percentage of fruit set : Of the several characters of
mother palm studied age at first bearing and percentage of fruit set were found to be
correlated with yield and are having high heritability. Age at first bearing has heritability of
72 per cent and genotypic correlation of – 0.55 with yield (Number of nuts). Similarly
percentage of nut set has 0.88 genotypic correlation with yield and 33 per cent heritability.
Hence, it is suggested to select palms which are early bearing and have high percentage of
fruit set .
b) Age of palms: Middle aged palms : Collection of nuts from the selected palm can
be commenced after the stabilization of yield which normally takes 4 – 5 years after
commencement of bearing. Hence, select middle age palms ( 15 – 35 years) with robust
crown
c) It must be regular bearing
d) Select palms having large number of leaves on the crown
e) Palms with shorter internodes are preferred
3) Selection of seed nuts : Heavier nut ( > 35 g fresh nut weight) which are fully ripe are
selected. Undersized and malformed nuts should be rejected. Heavier nuts with in a bunch
not only give higher per cent of germination but also produce vigorous seedlings of better
quality. Above 25 per cent of nuts with in a bunch are light in weight.

4) Selection of seedlings : Twelve to eighteen months old seedlings are transplanted in the
main field. Nuts germinate in 53 to 94 days ( 2-3 months) after sowing.

Seedling Index in arecanut : It is observed in arecanut that,

There is significant positive genotypic correlation of number of leaves and negative
correlation of height at the time of transplanting with subsequent yield it is suggested to
select seedlings having maximum number of leaves and minimum height (Bavappa., 1970).

Seedling Index = (Number of leaves X 40) – Plant height (cm)

Seedlings having higher value of seedling index should be select to the extent practically
feasible.
Question Bank :

1) Mention the name of two arecanut hybrids ? (Vittal Areca hybrid-1 and Vittal Areca
Hybrid -2)

2) What do you mean by seedling index in arecanut and give its formula ?

3) Higher the seedling index better will be the selection – True or False (True)

4) Minimum weight of nut for raising arecanut seedling is __________ (35 g)

5) Mention the features of mother palms in arecanut ?

 Establishment of Plantation

Successful establishment of arecanut plantation depends on

 1. Provision of protection against sun scorch and
 2. Perfect drainage

Drainage channel is dug for every two rows of arecanut.

Depth of drainage channel = At least 15 to 30 cm deeper than the depth of planting.
Note
: 1) Clean drainage channels at the onset of monsoon every year. And
2) Provide out lets for the flow of water from pits.

1. Planting time :
May –June = In well drained soils /Low rainfall areas
August – September = In clay soils subject to water logging/ In heavy rainfall areas.

2. Spacing and alignment: Different methods of planting, viz., Square, rectangular and
quincunx are in vogue. Aligning in N-S direction and planting on quincunx systemor
square system lowers the incidence of sun scorch.
Spacing = 2.7 m x 2.7 m
Arecanut needs adequate protection from Southwestern sun (October to Jan.) to minimize
sun scorching of the stem. This can be attained by ;
 1. North South line should be deflected at an angle of 35 º towards west.
 2. Growing of tall and quick growing ever green perennial shade trees on western and
southern borders. Eg. Acacia auriculiformis, Jack, Kokum, neem, Casurina, Pongamia
etc.
 3. Tying of areca leaves or areca leaf sheath on the south western exposed portions of
stem.
 4. White washing with lime slurry.

Planting
Deep planting
Planting pits of 75 to 90 cm deep is necessary in areas where
 Provision of drainage can be made or
  Areas having well drained soils

Shallow planting
Planting pits of 45 to 60 cm deep is done in areas where
 I. Soils are heavy and
 2. Impedance/ obstruction for the proper drainage

Nurse crop/ shading

During hot weather starting from October, young seedlings may be protected against direct
exposure to sun by;
 Artificial shading : With either coconut or arecanut leaves or by raising
 Nurse crop: Eg. Banana

Season of sun scorch: Between October to January

Question Bank :
1) Drainage channels in arecanut must be deeper than depth of planting – True or False (
True)
2) Depth of planting in arecanut varies with soil type . Justify ?
3) Mention the spacing recommended for growing arecanut ?
4) What do you mean by Nurse crop. ?
5) What do you mean by sunscorching in arecanut ?
 MANURING IN ARECANUT

A) Organic manure
FYM / Compost/Green leaf/Cattle manure = 20 kg per palm per year.
B) Fertilizers:
Recommended dose : 100 g N : 40 g P2O5 : 140 g K2O per palm per year applied in two
equal splits i.e.,
1) Pre monsoon = May – June
2) Post monsoon = September - October
Note: Apply 1/3 of recommended dose after one year of planting and 2/3 at the age
rd
of 2 years and full dose from 3 year onwards.

Method of fertilizer application

I dose = May – June.: Broad casting of fertilizer

Weed out and broad cast around the base and mix with soil by light soil
working/forking.
II dose = (September-October) : Basin application
Dig out basins of
Depth = 15 – 20 cm and
Radius = 75 to 100 cm leaving 20 cm from the base of the palm.

IRRIGATION IN ARECANUT

Water requirement for areca

December to February = 12 liters per palm per day
March to May = 20 liters per palm per day.
Irrigation intervals
In West coast ( Major arecanut growing area) interval of irrigation recommended are
(@ 175 liters per palm per irrigation).
November – December = 7 – 8 days
January – February = 6 days
March – May = 3- 5 days
Systems of irrigation in arecanut
I. Traditional /Earlier methods
 a) Bunding and storing water in drainage/irrigation channels. Water is allowed to
percolate.
 b) Splashing : Splashing water guided in to irrigation channels. Irrigation channels
are usually of 20 cm deep and 45 cm wide.

II. Modern methods

 a) Sprinkler irrigation and Perfo methods : It is suitable for high density areca based
multicropped plantations.
 b) Micro irrigation
i) Drip irrigation and
ii) Micro sprinkler irrigation
Drip Irrigation
Dripper or emitters are to be placed at a distance of 0.40 to 0.60 m away from the arecanut.
The extra cost incurred on drip can be regained in 3- 4 years due to saving in water and
increase in yield.
Cover cropping in arecanut plantations
Used in areas where soil erosion is a problem i.e., heavy rainfall areas. Cover crops
kills/suppresses weed growth during rainy season.

Green manure cum cover crops in areca plantation

1. Mimosa invisa = Thorneless mimosa,

2. Stylosanthes gracillis ,
3. Calapoginium muconoides,

The land always desires to be with crop cover(, i.e., sashya shamale as mentioned in
our national song )

Mulching:
Mulching and its advantages in arecanut plantation;

German word Molsch = soft to decay ,

In general mulch refers to the use of straw or leaves spread over ground.
Materials commonly used for mulching are
 Crop residues like husk, peels, etc
 Straw
 Leaves
 Paper
 Plastic films and
 Dry soil etc

Season of mulching: The base of the palm & interspace is mulched during summer months.

Multiple cropping in arecanut plantations

Growing of crops in association with arecanut and coconut is an age old practice. Venation
structure and orientation of fronds permits adequate solar radiation falling on the fronds to
percolate below facilitating multiple cropping.

Rooting pattern of palms also provides scope for taking up of component crops either
as intercrop or as mixed crop. However, these crops are to be adequately and separately
manured in addition to the manures applied for arecanut.

Considering the
 long pre bearing age of 5 to 8 years in arecanut,
 the low in come in the early period of bearing and
 the fluctuation in the market prices of arecanut from year to year,
it is worth to take up inter cropping in the plantation. The practice helps the arecanut
growers to get additional income and to cover the risk of poor yields from arecanut resulting
from unfavorable weather conditions and incidence of pest and diseases.
 The choice of intercrops depend on its ability to tolerate shade and to withstand the
heavy dripping from arecanut palm during monsoon showers. Crops grown as associated
mixed/intercrop should result in minimum competition with arecanut for their nutrient
requirements. Several crops are reported as component crop with arecanut in a plantation
under different agroclimatic conditions

Multiple Cropping: When it is referring to plantation crops it denotes growing more than
one annual and or perennial crops in the inter space of main crop.

Intercropping: As applied to plantation crops refers in growing of annuals or biennials in

the inter space of main crop.
Eg Turmeric, ginger, elephant foot yam, tapioca, dioscorea, sweet potato etc are grown in
areca based intercropping systems :

Mixed cropping: As applied to plantation crops refers to growing of perennials along with
the main crop.

Eg of arecanut based mixed cropping systems: Banana, cocoa, pepper, betel vine,

Multi storeyed cropping: Refers to the compatible combination of crops having varying
morphological frame and rooting habits, grown together in such a way that, their canopies
intercept solar energy at varying heights and the roots forage the soil mass at different
zones/depths.
Eg of arecanut based multistoreyed cropping systems:

Nurse crop: Are annuals or perennials grown during the early years of plantation crops with
a view to product them against scoring wind or frost damages.
Eg. Banana crop grown in the initial stage of arecanut plantation.
 Plant protection in arecanut

A) Pests:
1. Mites (Red and white)
2. Spindle bug
3. Root grub
4. Tender nut drop
5. Thrips :
B) Diseases:
1. Koleroga, mahali or fruit rot
2. Bud rot,
3. Inflorescence die back and button shedding,
4. Anabe roga/Foot rot
5. YLD
6. Leaf blight,
C)Physiological disorders:

1. Hidimundige or band disease due to a) water logging b) High acidity and c) Hard
sub soil strata.
2. Nut splitting and
3. Sunscorch/stem breaking

A) Pests

1.Root grub in arecanut

(White grub/Root grub: Leucopholis burmeisteri Brenskii)

The grub : The grub is characterized by shaped soft body with brown hairy legs.

Stage of attack : Larvae of beetles.

Method of damage : Feeding on tender roots → Followed by older roots

Symptoms :
 Tapering of stem,
 Yellowing of leaves and
 Dropping of fruits

Season of occurrence: May – June to February – March in moist soils

Control / Management:

1) Improving drainage,
2) Keeping plantation clean and free from weeds, un decomposed Organic matter or FYM
3) Chemical control:

Soil insecticides like Phorate / Thimet 10 G are used at 8g to 15 g per palm twice in a year
i.e., May-June and September – October

Question Bank :

1)Arecanut requires ___ litre of water per palm per day under drip system during hot
summer (20 litres)
2) Recommended dose of potassium for arecanut is ______ g per palm per year in yielding
stage (140 g)
3) Mention the purpose of growing cover crops in arecanut ?
4) Which are the recommended cover crops for growing in arecanut plantations ?
5) What do you mean by multistoreyed cropping in arecanut ?
LECTURE 7

B) Diseases

1) Koleroga or Mahali or Fruit rot of arecanut:

Cause : Phytophthora arecae
Season: Monsoon, High humidity alternating with bright sunshine and rain.
Symptoms: Water soaked lesions on the surface of fruit. Later the lesions spread over to
other lesions giving dark green colour.

Neergole: →Initial sysmptom

Boosargole: → Later stages

Control of Koleroga in arecanut:

1) Spraying of Bordeaux Mixture ( 1 %) as prophylactic or preventive spray
I Spray = Onset of monsoon ( i.e., After first monsoon showers)
II spray = 40 to 45 days of first spray and there after if necessay
III spray = If necessary
In place of Bordeaux mixture we can also use COC (Copper Oxychloride) /Blitox @
3 g per liter of water can be used.
2) Collection and removal of affected plant parts and burning → To reduce the inoculum
Note : Entire surface of nuts has to be covered fully which can be achieved by applying
the solution as a very fine spray.
3) Tying of plastic bags/straw/Areca leaf sheath: The fruit bunches at different stages of
maturity are tied with plastic bags/straw/Areca leaf sheath at the onset of monsoon after
drenching with 1 per cent Bordeaux Mixture.

C) Physiological disorders arecanut:

1) Band or hidimundige disease:

Band = barren (in marathi).
This disease is a major problem in Konkan Coast of Maharastra. Diseased palms
ceases to produce fruits.
It is known as hidimundige disease in Karnataka
In Sri Lanka = Pencil point disease and in
LECTURE 7

Austrelia = Rosette disease

Symptoms :
1. Production of smaller leaves and ultimately crown forms a rosette shape
2. Reduction in internodal length and tapering of stem towards apex
3. Mostly unproductive :nuts if at all produced are small and malformed.

Etiology :
1) Poor drainage and low fertility of soil
2) Sub soil pan / hard clayey pan
Control :
 Better soil management and improvement in drainage.
 Removal of hard pan on the sub soil and foliar application of micronutrients,
 Correction of soil acidity and incorporation of mixture of copper sulphate and lime.

2) Nut splitting in arecanut:

A physiological disorder of universal occurrence in almost all gardens. It is purely
physiological. The growth of pericarp does not keep pace with the development of kernel
inside and thus causing the splitting up of the pericarp and distal end. The split nuts drop.
Infection of bacteria and fungus of the exposed kernel after splitting renders the nuts useless.

Symptoms:
Premature yellowing of nuts when they are ½ to ¾ matured. It is seen in patches in
individual plantations and common on young palms.
Cause/ Reasons.: Excessive flow of cell sap into the inflorescence in very healthy palms.
o Excessive flow of sap in to the inflorescence
o Excessive nutrient supply
o Prolonged drought followed by sudden irrigation

1)Application of borax @ 2 g per liter of water (0.20 % spray) on bunches during early
stages of disease. and K2O at the base is found to check nut splitting to a certain extent.
2) Improvement of drainage and provide regular irrigation during drought
LECTURE 7

2) Sunscorch and stem breaking:

Cause: Due to adverse effect of solar radiation., i.e., palms exposed to the south western sun
are affected.

Symptoms

Stem: Golden yellow spots which later turn brown. In advanced stages fissures develop at
these points. Further, saprophytic micro organisms and insects harbour in these portions
leading to breaking of stem at later stages.

Management/Protection
1. Tying areca sheath or leaves on the stem being exposed to Western and southern sun.
2. Planting of quick and tall growing shade trees on the south – western side of the
garden. Eg., Ever green trees like Kokum (Garcinia indica), Jack,

3. Adoption of proper alignment while planting to minimize the damage due to

scorching.

Question Bank

1) Mention any two physiological disorders in arecanut ?

2) What are the reasons for Hidimundige in arecanut ?
3) Suggest management practices for sunscorch protection in arecanut ?
4) Which is the major disease of heavy rainfall areas in monsoon? (Fruit rot/ Kole roga)
5) Spraying of _______ micronutrient is suggested for the management of nut splitting in
arecanut (Boron)
LECTURE 8

Harvesting, Processing and yield

Season of harvesting : For chali = November to March ( From blooming to maturity it

takes 9 to 11 months)
In arecanut the stage of maturity of nut at harvest varies depending on the type of
produce that is to be prepared. There are two category of arecanut based on the
method involved in processing;

Kottapak consumed mainly in North India and in Gutkha industry

Kali pak consumed mainly in South India
1. Ripe nut harvesting for chali/ Kottapak preparation :
From blooming to maturity it takes 9 to 11 months and these nuts are harvested (Usually from
November to March ) , sundried and dehusked to prepare chali.
Stage of harvesting for chali : Ripe nuts i.e., when green nuts turn orange yellow and husk
becomes soft.

Processing
I. Ripe nut processing in arecanut (Kottapak) i.e., chali (dried ripe nut) : It is dried ripe
whole nut. In chali preparation only ripe nuts are harvested. The out turn of Patora or Koka
(lower grade produce) will be more if unripe nuts are harvested, which will fetch low price in
the market. Fully ripe nuts are harvested ( more than 9 months stage of maturity depending
on the agro climatic conditions ) from November to February and are sudried for about 40 to
45 days→ Dried arecanuts are dehusked . Proper drying of the nuts is important to prevent
fungal infection of the nuts in the drying yard.
Chali preparation is mainly in Kerala, Karnatakam Assam and Maharastra
Characters of good Kottapak :
 1. Absence of immature nuts,
 2. Absence of surface cracking
 3. Absence of husk sticking
 4. Free from fungus and insect attack : Inadequate/improper drying leads to
fungal infection and poor quality produce.
 5. Good cutting feel, inside structure and taste
LECTURE 8

II. Tender nut processing/ Kalipak preparation : It is done mainly in

 Kerala and
 Karnataka (i.e Theerthalli type grown in Shimogga) and is consumed largely
in South India.

Processing for KalipaK:

1. Nuts are harvested at 6 to 7 months stage of maturity. At this stage the outer skin of
the husk is dark green and nuts are soft and finger nails can be pressed into it.
2. Dehusking : Separation of husk from kernels
3. Cutting of soft nuts into pieces.
4. Boiling – Cut pieces of nuts are boiled in water in a container till the water becomes thick
syrup. We can also use dilute extract from previous batch of boiling.
5. Kali or chogaru coating : Kali is the extract obtained during boiling of tender nut.
Usually the same water is used for boiling 3 to 4 times. At this stage the water becomes
concentrated called Kali. After boiling the arecanut are given coating with Kali to improve
colouring. Kali coating is repeated to get glossy appearance. Kali contains many
polyphenols.
6. Drying: It can be dried under sun or in an oven after draining the adhering liquid.
7. Colouring: Faulty drying ,exposure to rain or delay in boiling results in bleatched
appearance to nuts due to lack of proper colouring. Thick syrup of Kali or chogaur is used to
colour these dried nuts.
A well dried product of Kalipak will have;
 Dark brown colour
 Glossy appearance
 Crisp chewing feel
 Well toned astringency and
 Absence of over matured nuts.

Yield: Depending on the cultivar about 2 kg chali can be obtained per palm.
Intial yield is at 5-6 years age
Economic yield is at 9-10 years age
Economic life is upto 30-40 years
LECTURE 8

Kottapak consumed mainly in North India and in Gutkha industry

Kali pak consumed mainl in South India

Question bank
1) Mention two stages of harvesting in arecanut for the processing of Kottapak and Kalipak ?
2) Mention the characterstics of good kalipak?
3) Mention the characterstics of good kottapak ?
4) Pre bearing age in arecanut is about ___________ years (5 to 6 years)
5) Average yield per palm per year of kottapak / chali grade of arecanut is _______________ (2
kg )
 Coconut
Cocos nucifera L. Family : Arecaceae.
It is considered as Kalpavriksha as it provides the basic necessities of life.
Coco = Spanish word meaning monkey face (probably refers to the three scars on the base of
the shell resembling two eyes and a nose of monkey face.
In the current situation of edible oil shortage there is enormous scope for improving the
 Existing plantations (intensive cultivation) : can be increased by four folds and
 Extending the area under the crop
 Commercial plantations and
 House yards,
Average national coconut productivity = 40 to 50 nuts per palm per year.
Research and Development on coconut in India

CPCRI: The important organizations conducting research on coconut in India include

Central Plantation Crops Research Institute under ICAR and state Agril. Universities.
Mandate crops of CPCRI are coconut, arecanut and cocoa. It also co-ordinates research on
the mandate crops within the country through AICRP on palms
Origin of coconut :
Malaysia or Indonesia are the probable place of origin of coconut.Although the original
home of coconut is still not precisely known, two distinct regions, South Pacific Islands of
Polynesia and Melonesia at South East Asia are often cited as possible centres of origin
from where it might have disseminated to other areas. Tamils together with the mariners of
the Bengal Coast distributed it into the lands of the Indian Ocean.
Distribution of coconut
World
Indonesia, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea (by the side
of Indonesia, but in Australian Continent), Fiji etc.
Area and Production of coconut in the world
Area
Country Yield Production
Harvested (Hg/Ha) (tonnes)
(Ha)
Indonesia 3231710 66731 21565700
Philippines 3401500 46060 15667600
India 1903000 53326 10148000
Sri Lanka 394840 53160 2099000
Brazil 284058 69470 1973370
 Thailand 237882 58053 1380980
Viet Nam 121500 92880 1128500
Mexico 155713 64523 1004710
Papua New Guinea 216000 43055 930000
United Republic of Tanzania 676821 8526 577099
Total 11864344 61708358
FAOSTAT 2009
All India Final Estimates of area and production of Coconut
2007-2008 (Revised) 2008-2009 (Final)
AREA Production AREA Production
States /Union Productivity Productivity
('000 (Million ('000 (Million
Territories (Nuts/ha) (Nuts/ha)
Hectares) nuts) Hectares) nuts)

Andhra Pradesh 101.32 1119.26 11047 104.00 970.00 9327

Assam 19.00 136.00 7158 18.80 147.10 7824

Goa 25.50 127.60 5004 25.61 128.18 5005
Gujarat 16.40 138.30 8433 15.98 157.42 9851
Karnataka 405.00 1635.00 4037 419.00 2176.00 5193
Kerala 818.80 5641.00 6889 787.77 5802.00 7365
Maharashtra 21.00 175.10 8338 21.00 175.10 8338
Nagaland 0.90 0.20 222 0.92 0.55 598
Orissa 51.00 275.80 5408 51.00 275.80 5408
Tamil Nadu 383.37 4968.20 12959 389.60 5365.00 13771
Tripura 5.80 11.40 1966 5.80 11.40 1966
West Bengal 28.60 355.50 12430 28.60 355.50 12430
A & N Islands 21.60 80.60 3731 21.69 82.00 3781
Lakshadweep 2.70 53.00 19630 2.70 53.00 19630
Pondicherry 2.20 26.60 12091 2.10 30.70 14619
All India 1903.19 14743.56 7747 1894.57 15729.75 8303
Source: Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India.

Kerala stands first in India in area and production of coconut while productivity is
highest in Andhra Pradesh.
Productivity is the highest (2962 nuts per ha) from Maharastra as per 1995-96 figures
reported by Hand Book of Horticulture PP -647)
Major problems of Coconut production in India
During recent years, there is decline in trend of area and production of coconut in
Kerala. This may be attributed to
 1. Root wilt disease in coconut and = Mainly in South Kerala
 2. Fluctuation in prices of coconut.
Due to sudden rise in prices of natural rubber during seventies, many farmers preferred large
scale planting of rubber replacing standing crop of coconut.
Mite Problem during recent years.
Composition and uses of coconut

1) Nut :
1) Coconut water – increases blood circulation in kidneys , i.e., diuretic and eliminates
mineral poisoning.
2) Kernel
3) Shell
4) Husk

2) Coconut water
1) Diuretic
2) Increases blood circulation in kidneys
3) Eliminates mineral poisoning
4) Good substitute for saline glucose under conditions of gastroenteritis.

Nata De cocoa: A product from coconut water developed from National Institute of Science
and Technology, Phillippines. It is a delicious food article of Phillippines and introduced into
local market or Kerala i.e., “Coconut salad” with better consumer acceptibilty. It is prepared
from coconut water by mixing sugar, acitic acid and a culture liquor.
Nata de cocoa is a product of coconut – after hardening and making block like.

3) Kernel/ meat
1) Fresh form is used in
 Culinary preparations.
  Composition of fresh coconut
 Water = 45 per cent
 Protein = 04 per cent
 Fat = 37 per cent
 Minerals = 4 per cent
 Carbohydrate = 10 per cent
4) Copra: Dried kernel. Richest source of vegetable fat containing 60 to 67 per cent oil
In Kerala 60 to 65 per cent of the total coconut produced is converted in to milling copra.
There are two types of copra i.e.,
1) Ball copra =Whole = It is prepared by storing fully mature nuts ( unhusked) for 8 to 12
months.
2) Cup copra= split into two halves = Cup copra is used for house hold purpose in North
India, since fresh nuts are not available for edible purpose.
Coconuts are chief source of vegetable fats. Vegetable fats are solid or semi solid at ordinary
temperature.
Oil = 60 to 67 per cent
Lauric oil : Coconut oil is referred as lauric oil in world market due to high proportion of
lauric acid in it which is not present in other vegetable oils.
Oil cake = 30 to 40 per cent which is used as cattle feed and poultry feed.
Virgin coconut oil
It is also made from the milk extracted from raw kernel. This is done on a small scale by the
traditional method which is now partially mechanised or on a large scale by adopting wet
processing technology. Coconut milk is fermented and then by mechanical process, water is
separated from oil. No heating or application of sunlight or dryer is done for the process.
Desiccated coconut (DC), Coconut Cream, Coconut Milk, Virgin Coconut Oil and
Spray Dried Coconut Milk Powder are the convenience coconut products
manufactured in the country. Desiccated coconut is used as a substitute to grated raw
coconut in various food preparations. Desiccated coconut is marketed in bulk as well as
in small packs. Defatted desiccated coconut is also available in the country.

Oil cake
Coconut cake is the residue left after the extraction of oil from copra which is mainly used as
a cattle feed. Coconut cake contains 4-5 per cent oil which is extracted by solvent extraction
process. This oil is generally used for industrial purpose and de-oiled cake is used to make
mixed cattle feed
Coir Pith
Coir pith a waste product obtained during the extraction of coir fibre from husk
is very light, highly compressible and highly hygroscopic. It is used as a soil
conditioner, surface mulch/ rooting medium and desiccant. Composted coir pith
is an excellent organic manure for indoor plants as well as for horticulture crops.
Several firms are manufacturing composted coir pith in the country. Compressed
coir pith in the form of briquettes for easy transportation is also manufactured in
the country.
Coconut Shell based Products
Shell charcoal, shell based activated carbon, shell powder, shell handicrafts, shell
ice cream cups and bear glasses, ladles, forks, show pieces, shell buttons, etc. are
the shell based products available in the country.

5) Husk
Husk, forms the basic raw material for coir industry. It employs over half a million people
and earns foreign exchange.
Stage of nut maturity for best quality coir = 10 th month stage
Husk in coconut is about 30 to 45 per cent of nut weight on ripening.
In the husk about 30 per is fibre and 70 per cent is coir dust.
World coir production = 0.30 million tones of which 50 per cent is from India alone.
Rubberized coir industry
 Mattresses (Gadi)
 Pillows
 Cushions
 Folding car seats etc

6) Toddy: Sugar containing juice, called toddy is collected on tapping un opened spadix i.e.,
before the flowers fully develop (Sap of the coconut palm). Sweet toddy is the unfermented
fresh juice obtained by tapping. Toddy on fermentation becomes an alcoholic drink.
Coconut leaves are plaited and used for thatching houses and sheds in rural areas.
It is also used for thatching 'honeymoon huts' and such huts in town and cities.
 Plaiting of coconut leaves is a cottage industry in traditional coconut growing
states. Midribs of leaves are used to make brooms of different types which are
used for cleaning rough grounds and floors.
Brooms of midribs of coconut leaves are manufactured on a commercial scale in
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Climate and Soil for coconut
Climate
Tropical palm :Coconut is a tropical palm preferring humid tropical climate. However,
coconut is highly adaptable and performs well under a wide range of environmental
conditions of climate, altitude and soil.

Best yields from coconut plantations are realized under the following conditions;
1) Latitude: Ninety per cent of coconut in the world is grown between 20º N and 20 º S from
equator. Near the equator coconut is grown at higher elevation while at higher latitudes in
plains.

2) Altitude: Generally upto 600m. Can be grown at higher elevation (1000 m.) at higher
elevations if near equator.

3) Temperature: = 27 to 32 º C , Mean annual temperature of 27 º C with a diurnal (hagalina

or pratidinada) variations of 6 to 7 ºC is ideal.( Hence, in North India we cant grow
coconut profitably)

4) Rainfall: 1,800 to 2,500 mm per year, well distributed

5) A sunloving palm : Insolation/sunlight: Coconut being a sun loving palm requires plenty
of sunlight and does not come up well under shade.

Requirement of sun light hours : It requires 7.1hrs. of sunshine per day;; 2000 hrs or more per
year.
Palms under shade will be lean, lanky and unproductive.
6) Humidity: Coconut likes tropical humid climate and 80 to90 per cent relative humidity
(RH) is ideal. RH below 60 per cent affects the growth. At a RH of less than 50 per cent
opening of stomata will be affected.

Soils for coconut cultivation

Soil for coconut: Soils of coconut growing areas ranges between littoral sands to the heaviest
clays.

Ideal soils for better growth should be

1) Well drained
2) Deep: At least 1 to 1.5 m deep,
3) PH = 5.20 to 8
4) Rich in organic matter with good water holding capacity,

Cultivars and hybrids in coconut

The major classification of coconut based on stature or height is as follows:
1) Tall palms and 2) Dwarf palms: These palms are differentiated as under;
Table: Features differentiating between Talls and Dwarfs in coconut

Sl Characters/Features Talls (C. nucifera Dwarfs(C. nucifera

No. var typica) var Nana)
1 Size /stature of the tree (Tree ht. 15-18 m with 25 – 5-7 m with 22 – 28
M.) 30 fronds fronds
2 Age at first bearing/Bearing Late bearing (7-10 Early bearing (3-4
tendency years) years)
3 Stem girth (cm) More (66cm) 51 to 53 cm
4 Leaf length x width (m) (Leaf size) Longer (3.8 x 2.7) 2.9 – 3.1 x1.5 –1.8
5 Length of petiole(m) Longer (1.3) 0.9 to1.2
6 Type of pollination Mostly cross Mostly self and
hence true to type.
7 Size of nut (girth in cm) Bigger (56) Smaller (34 -38)
 8 Copra content (g) High (170g) Lesser (92-99g)
9 Oil per cent in copra Higher >70% Lesser (66-70%)
10 Quality of copra, oil and fibre Superior Comparatively poor
11 Trunk characters i.e., Has swelling at the Thin, narrow, linear
Bole/sweelling at base base trunk from ground
level
12 Yield per palm Less (66) More(66-91)
13 Life span 60-80 years 40-50 years
14 Management requirement Average i.e., Are Better management
adopted to adverse as it is comparatively
soil and climatic less tolerant to
conditions drought.
15 Days for germination 95 days 49-61

KAPPADAM: Confined to Trichur District of Kerala. It has large sized nut.

Average weight of copra : 285 g where as it is only 165 g in LO.
Long pre bearing period of 10 years as against 6 to 8 years in WCT.

LAGUNA : Tall type grown in Phillippines

SAN RAMON : commercial type grown in Phillippines.

MACAPUNO : It is grown in Phillippines characterized by the jelly like endosperm

inside cavity . Entire cavity of some nuts are filled with jelly like endosperm which
is a delicacy in Phillippines. One or two nuts of this kind may be found in a bunch of
5 to 7 nuts while, remaining are ordinary coconuts (6 to 7 % of nuts).

SPICATA : Tall variety of coconut having unbranched inflorescence or rarely with one or
two spikelets. The inflorescence usually carries only female flowers with maleness least
expressed.

Sl. No. Cultivar/Hybrid Parentage Nut yield/ Copra Important

 palm/yr content features
(No.) (g/nut)
A. TALLS
1 West Coast Tall ---- 80 176 Economic life
(WCT) of 75 years. It
is a regular
bearer
producing
about 12
inflorescences
per year.
2. East Coast Tall ---- 73 125 Cultivar
(ECT) grown in east
coast of India
3 Lakshadweep Indigenous 100 160 Released in
Ordinary to 1985 by
(Chandra Kalpa) Laksadweep CPCRI for
Island large scale
cultivation in
Karnataka,
Kerala and
AP. Good for
toddy tapping
4 Lakshadweep ------ 160 90 Small sized
Micro (LM) nuts,
5 Andaman ------ 70-100 186 good toddy
Ordinary (VPM- yielder.
3)
6 Tiptur Tall -------- 86 178 Popular tall
cultivar of
Karnataka
resembling
WCT in most
 of the
morphological
characters
7 Spicata 116 176 No spike in
the
inflorescence
8 Benaulim Tall ----- 150 152 Popular
(Pratap) cultivar in
Goa, Konkan
and Coastal
Maharastra
9 Phillippines For Coastal
Ordinary ( Maharastra,
Kerachandra) AP and West
Bengal

II Dwarf Varieties: These are shorter in stature and life span as compared to talls. They start
flowering in 3-4 years, grow rapidly and bear heavily but have a tendency of irregular bearing
. Size of copra and quality is inferior to talls.
Eg: Choughat Dwarf Orange (it is superior to dwarf green in yield and quality) , chowghat
Dwarf green, Malayan Dwarf yellow, Malayan Dwarf Green, Malayan Dwarf Orange and
Gangabondam (grown popularly in AP), Coconino ( grown in phillippines for good quality
toddy production)

Dwarfs are usually grown for

1. tender nut production

2. Hybrid production and
3. for ornamental value
Table : Dwarf type of coconuts
Sl. No. Cultivar/Hybrid Parentage Nut yield/ Copra Important
palm/yr content features
(No.) (g/nut)
B. Dwarfs
1 Chowghat Dwarf ---- 63 158 Also a
Orange (COD) ornamental
palm
2. Chowghat Dwarf ____ 77 60 For tender
Green (CDG) nut and
ornamental
use
3 Malayan Dwarf ------- 66 140 Introduction
Yellow )MDY) from
Malaysia
4 Ganga -------- 68 150 Popular
Bondam(GB) variety in AP
5 Gudanjali Dwarf - - - Gujarat
6

Other Dwarf types includes Mangipod ( Phillippines), Nuleka (Fiji), Rath Thembli
(Known as king coconut in Sri Lanka).
Dwarfs adopted to Indian conditions are of two types
1) Javanica : Bearing in 4 years- vigorous and are self or cross pollinated.
2) Nana : Bearing in 3 years and self pollinating and are delicate.
http://www.cpcri.gov.in/farmer.htm

Table : Coconut varieties released through selection;

Sl. No. Cultivar Released under the State for which
name recommended
1 Laccadive Ordinary Chandrakalpa A.P., TN, Karnataka,
Maharastra, and
Kerala
2 Banawali Green Pratap Coastal Maharastra
Round
3 Philippines Oridinary Kerachandra Coastal Maharastra,
Coastal AP and WB.
4 Andaman Ordinary VPM-3

Hybrids: The manifestation of heterosis or hybrid vigour in coconut was first reported from
India in 1937. The inter varietal hybrids produced for commercial plantings are T x D and
D x T with different parental combinations. These hybrids are gaining popularity because
of their early bearing and high productivity. The plants are dwarf in stature and start
yielding from 3-4 years after planting.
Eg: Lakshaganga, Ananda Ganga, Chandra Laksha, Keraganga, Kerasree, VHC-1,
VHC-2, etc.

Sl. No. Hybrid Parentage Nut yield/ Copra Important features

palm/yr content
(No.) (g/nut)
C. Hybrids
1 Chandra COD x 116 (even 215 Released from CPCRI
Shankara WCT upto 222 Kasaragod in 1985 for
(1985) nuts) cultivation in Kerala
2. Chandra Laksha LO x COD 109 (even 195 ----do----
 (1985) upto 171
nuts)
3 Laksha Ganga LO x GB 108 (even 195 Released by KAU for
(1987) upto 186 Kerala, Oil content 70
nuts) %
4 Veppankulam ECT x DG 98 135 Released from TNAU
Hybrid coconut-1 for TN
(VHC-1) (1982)
5 Veppankulam ECTxMYD 107 152 ---do----
Hybrid coconut-2
(VHC-2) (1988)
6 Kera WCTx COD 108 187 Released by CPCRI
Shankara(1991)
7 Ananda AOxGB 95 216 Released by KAU for
Ganga(1988) Kerala
8 KeraGanga(1988) WCT x GB 100 201 For Kerala
9 Kera Sree(1992) WCT x 130 216 For Kerala
MYD
10 Godavary ECT x GB 140 150 For
Ganga(1991) AndraPradesh(APAU)
11 Kera WCT x 116 196 Kerala
Sowbhagya(1993) SSAT
(Strait
Settlement
Apricot
Tall)
12 VHC-3 ECT x
MOD

NCD’s in coconut
(Naturally Crossed Dwarfs)
D x T = produced by controlled pollination (i.e., from known talls)
NCDs = From open pollination
Seed plantation for NCD production at
 Kidu, Nettana – 574230, Puttur, Karnataka
 Aralam, Kerala

Question Bank
1) Origin of coconut is from ____________________ (Malaysia or Indonesia)
2) __________ state stands first in coconut area (Kerala)
3) Coconut is a shade loving plant – True or False (False)
4) Mention the differentiating features between Tall and Dwarf cultivars of
coconut. ?
5) Mention two commercially recommended varieties of tender coconut ? (COD
and GangaBondam)
6) Mention the list of released coconut hybrids ?
7) What do you mean by NCD’s in coconut ?
ESTABLISHMENT OF COCONUT PLANTATION

1)SELECTION OF SITE:

Avoid

1) Low lying areas subject to water stagnation,

2) Shallow soils with underlying hard rock i.e., At least 1 to 1.50 m deep
3) Clayey soils: Can be reclaimed by heaping alternate layers of sand and clay.
4) Shady situations is avoided

2) PLANTING MATERIALS: Coconut is a cross pollinated palm and selection at various

stages is very important to eliminate poor quality seed nuts and seedlings. Coconut being
perennial, the performance of palm can be judged only after 15 years of planting.

Poor seedlings will cause considerable loss of

 1. Time: i.e., economic lag and

 2. Money to the grower

Selection of Mother palm, Seed nuts and seedlings in coconut

A. Selection of Seed Plantation

In every coconut growing country certain areas of reputation in coconut production
like Arasikere and Tiptur in Karnataka are identified as Centres of Coconut mother palm
selection. The selected plantation should be

1) Having high proportion of heavy bearing palms,

2) Free from major pest and diseases
3) Avoid small plantation maintained under very favorable conditions as we can not
assess the inherent yield potential. Avoid palms located near the cattle shed and
compost pits.
B) SELECTION OF MOTHER PALMS

Adequate care should be taken while selecting mother palms in coconut as to avoid palms
of low genetic potential. Take care to select mother palms based on the following features in
a reputed coconut seed plantation.
1. Age of the palms: It should attain a age of at least 20 years and not above 60
years of age. Select palms which have attained full bearing stage and have been
giving regularly high yields for atleast four years (if it is from unknown
parentage). However, seed nuts can be collected from newly established seed
gardens irrespective of its age as it comes form the progeny of known parentage.
2. Yield: Selected palms should be a regular high yielder yielding
 not less than 100 nuts per palm per year
 Not less than 150 g copra content per nut ( Nut weight = 1.20 kg unhusked
and 0.60 kg husked)
Yielding potential can be assessed by counting number of nuts on the crown.

3. Shape of the crown (Nature and disposition of leaves on the crown):In

coconut total number of fronds on the crown should be more than 30 and generally
crown shape is

Crown shape=

Spherical (Umbrella shape)√

Drooping or

Erect,

√ = In coconut we have to select spherical fronded palms as there is a positive correlation

with yield.

A mother palm should have at least 30 fully opened leaves having leaf orientation in
all directions i.e., umbrella shaped fronds. Long and thin petioles are not desirable because
they are liable to be weak and may easily bend or break under pressure. Hence select palms
with strong petiole with wide leaf base firmly attached to the stem. Leaf petiole should
provide adequate support to the developing bunches there by minimizing the possibility of
buckling of the bunch stalk and shedding of nuts in the immature stages.

4. Nature, Number and sequence of production of inflorescence: Every leaf axil

should have one inflorescence with large number of spikes (30 to 35 spikes per
inflorescence) and one or two female flowers per spike.
Bunch stalk should be sort, stout and strong and should not show any tendency to droop
down and buckle. Palms having thin, long and pendulous inflorescence stalks are
undesirable. At any time there should be 12 bunches with nuts at different stages of
development.

5. Size and shape of nuts: Fully dried unhusked nuts should weigh more than 1.20
kg and husked nut should be more than 600 g and copra content of 150 g and above.
Nuts of round and oblong shape are better if selected. Palms producing barren nuts or
those shedding large number of immature nuts should be discarded.

C) SELECTION OF SEED NUTS

Nuts with irregular shape and size and improper development should be avoided.

1) Season of nut collection :

In India female production is high during March to May and low in September to January.

Season of nut collection under West Coast : From selected palms seed nuts can be collected
during the period from January to April and sown in June in the West coast region as nuts are
generally bigger and give better germination. In east coast region nuts are sown during
October- November. Season of seed nut collection may have to be adjusted to suit local
conditions so that, the seed nuts can be sown in the nursery after about two months of
storage.

2) Maturity of nuts: The seednuts takes about 12 months for its full maturity. Mature nuts
can be identified on the basis of the following characteristics.

1) Resonant or ringing sound on tapping: Mature nuts will produce a resonant and
ringing sound on tapping which can be identified by experience. Immature nuts
will produce dull sound.
 2) Browning of inner fibers: There will be dry husk with distinct browning of the
inner fibers in case of fully mature nuts.
3) Free movement of water with in nuts and reduction in wieght
4) Light in weight : reduction in weight.

3) Storage of seed nuts : Minimum for 2 months under shade .Nuts are unfit for sowing if
entire water is lost during storage. Seed nuts should be stored for a minimum period of two
months under shade. It is also advisable to sprinkle water over the stored nuts in order to
minimize drying nut water during storage.

D) SELECTION OF SEEDLINGS:

1) Early germination: Under favourable environmental conditions and proper

management coconut will germinate in
Germination period: Normally 2 to 3 months (8 to 10 weeks (i.e., 2 to 3 months while
arecanut in 2(53 days) to 3(94 days) months.)

Reject nuts which germinate late : Reject a coconut seedling, which takes more than five
months for germination.

2 ) Vigourous seedlings: ( 6 leaves and > 10 cm collar girth) The vigourous seedlings
which are one year old, having minimum of six leaves and girth of 10 cm at the collar should
be selected. Early splitting of leaves and dark green coloured leaves are desirable character
for selection at seedling level.

Recovery of good seedlings will be only 60 to 65 per cent of seed nuts sown.

Coconut is propagated through seedlings raised from selected seednuts. Generally 9 to 12

month old seedlings are used for planting. Select seedlings, which have 6-8 leaves and 10-12
cm collar girth when they are 9-12 month old. Early splitting of leaves is another criteria in
the selection of coconut seedling.
Question Bank

1) Narrate about mother tree selection in coconut ?

2) How do you select coconut seedling from the nursery ?

3) Coconut seed nuts are stored for a minimum period of ____ months before sowing in
the nursery ( two months)

4) How do you assess the maturity of nuts in coconut ?

5) From fruit setting to maturity coconut takes about ____ months (11 to 12)
 METHODS OF SOWING SEED NUTS IN COCONUT

Methods of seednut sowing (Based on the positioning of seednuts )

 1) Vertical method:
 2) Horizontal method: Stalk end horizontally

Seed nuts are sown in the nursery at a spacing of 30 cm apart (center to center)
Germination period: 3 to 5 month (or two to five months)

A) Vertical method of sowing seed nuts: It is planting with stalk end up and practiced only
in India.
Advantages

Easy bundling /packing and transportation of seedlings. I.e., handling becomes easier
Disadvantages

Nut water does not remain in close contact with germinating embryo.
B) Horizontal method: With stalk end of nut placed horizontally. It is the common and
recognized method of sowing in other coconut growing countries.

Advantages

Higher percentage of early and total germination, vigourous seedling with thicker girth at the
collar, possibly because of nut water is in close contact with embryo.
Disadvantage\

There is possibility of damage to the seedlings during transportation.

Raising of nursery
Sow seed nuts in beds of size 1 m width and convenient length at a spacing of
40 cm x 30 cm in either vertically or horizontally in 20 to 25 cm deep trenches.

Poly bag nursery for coconut sowing

Advantages of poly bag nursery over conventional nursery are

1. Reduced transplanting shock due to the absence of root damage.

2. Ease of irrigation and fertilizer application in the bag
3. Early germination :The improved water holding capacity of the potting medium
thereby it helps to maintain required moisture for early germination.

Question Bank

1) Mention the advantages and disadvantages of vertical method of seed nut sowing in
coconut ?

2) _______ and _____ are two commonly adopted methods of coconut sowing (Vertical
and Hortizontal)

3) List out the advantages of poly bag nursery over conventional nursery ?

4) In coconut it takes about _____ months from sowing to germination ( 3 to 5)

5) Mention the advantages and disadvantages of hortizontal method of seed nut sowing
in coconut ?
Planting in coconut
TIME OF PLANTING
a) Well drained soils : onset of south- west monsoon
b) If irrigation is available : Better to plant one month before the onset of monsoon, so that
seedlings get established before heavy rains.
c) Low lying areas subject to inundation during monsoon period : After cessation of
monsoon (i.e., usually after the heavy rains).

4) PREPARATION OF PITS FOR PLANTING

Stage of seedling at the time of transplanting : 9 to 12 months in India

Note: In certain parts of Karnataka and AP 2 to 3 years old seedlings are transplanted
particularly in flooded areas and poorly drained soils. However, it causes poor and
delayed establishment.
The depth of pit depends on the type of soil and environmental factors

a) Lateritic soil with rocky substratum : Deeper and wider pits are made.
i.e., 1.2 m x1.2 m x 1.2 m and fill the pits up to 60 cm (50 % depth) before planting with
top soil + Cow dung + ash.
Addition of common salt
Apply 2 kg common salt in the laterite soil which helps in loosening the soil.

b) Loamy soils with low water table: Pit size of 1m x 1m x 1m and fill upto 50 per cent of
pit.

c) In areas with high water table: Surface or planting on the mounds is followed.
 Widen the pits every year before applying manure by slicing down from the edges of the
pit.

5) Spacing
Optimum spacing for coconut : Canopies of neighboring palms should not touch each other
between 8 and 12 years of planting.
9) Talls → 8 mx 8 m (155 plants per ha) or 8.5 mx 8.5 m ( 138 plants per ha)
ii) Dwarfs and hybrids → 7m x 7m or 7.5 m x 7.5 m = (178 palms per ha)
iii) Planting along the boundary of plantation → 7 m x 7 m (204 palms per ha)
Table : Spacing and system of planting in coconut
Spacing System of Planting No. of plants per ha
7.5m x7.5 m Square 175
8 m x 8 m* Square 155
7. 5 m Triangular 205
8 m* Triangular 180
9 m x 6.5 m Rectangular 170
8.5 m x 6.5 m Square system 138
9x5m Single hedge system For establishment of seed
gardens.
* = As practiced by farmers in some places of Karnataka.
MANURING IN COCONUT

Starting from first year onwards we have to manure regularly in coconut for
 Good vegetative growth
 Early flowering and
 High yields

In coconut it takes 32 months from induction of female primordial to flowering. If full

dose of fertilizers is applied from 3 rd year onwards there will not be button shedding in the
initial years of bearing.
Period required for observing response: A minimum period of 3 years is required to observe
the response to fertilizer (i.e., flower primordial induction takes place 32 months prior to the
emergence of spadix.)

Recommendation of Manures and fertilizers to coconut

Organic manure: 50 kg per palm per year.
Addition of neem cake @ 1 to 5 kg per palm is also beneficial / recommended.
RDF for coconut (4th year onwards) : 500 : 330 : 1200 g NPK per palm per year.
Fertilizers: As per CPCRI, Kasaragod *
Year May- June September – October
N P2O5 K2O N P2O5 K 2O
First --- --- --- 50 40 120
Second 50 40 125 110 80 275
Third 110 80 250 220 160 550
Fourth year 170 120 400 330 200 800
onwards
I year = I application of fertilizer is done three months after planting ( Nearly 1/10 of the
recommended dose)
II year = 1/3 rd of the recommended dose of an adult palm,
III year = 2/3 rd of the recommended dose of an adult palm.
th
IV Year and above = Full dose ( 500 :330:1200 NPK g/palm/year: It works out to nearly
1kg urea, 1.5 kg Mussorie Phos/Rock Phosphate and 2 kg of muriate of potash)
Method of fertilizer application in coconut
9. Premonsoon application
(May – June): Broadcasting : Spread the fertilizers around the palms with in a radius
of 1.80 m (6 feet) and forked in.

II. Post monsoon application (September – October): Basin method: Apply fertilizers in
circular basins of
Radius = 1.80 m
Depth = 25 cm
Leaving the base of the palm undisturbed.

FYM is spread at the base of the basin over which RDF is spread. It is also better if RDF is
applied one or two weeks after the application of FYM.
Since 80 per cent of roots is confined to 2 m radius from the base it is advisable to
apply fertilizers with in that limit. Apply green leaf /compost @ 50 kg per palm. Spread
organic manures in the pits. Recommended dose of fertilizer is spread in the basin over
th
organic manure and the basins may be covered. Widen the basin /pits every year till 4 year.
Widen the basin upto 4 th year of planting.
Irrigated plantations: Fertilizers may be applied in four or more equal split doses avoiding
heavy rainfall season.
Fertigation : Urea,
Diamonium phosphate (DAP)
Phosphoric acid (Commercial grade) and
Muriate of Potash can be applied in 4 or 6 equal splits through fertigation.
Pocket Manuring

It is a new method of fertilizer application (Based on studies in established coconut

plantations of Tamil Nadu) in holes dug with a crow bar at about 25 cm apart in circular
basins formed around the base of the palms. After filling the holes of 15 cm deep with
fertilizers, they are to be properly closed with sand or soil. Prescribed amount of organics
should be incorporated into the basins and irrigated.

Advantages of pocket manuring in coconut

1) Easier, cheaper and quicker method. Two people can fertilize 50 trees a day.
2) Better absorption of nutrients through roots
3) Prevents nutrient loss by way of leaching and run off.
4) This method of application suits well in sloppy lands/areas.

Fig : Holes at 25 cm apart and 15 cm deep and close with sand or soil.
Water management in coconut plantations (Irrigation) Though coconut can tolerate dry
spell to some extent, long dry spells will adversely affect the growth and productivity of
the palms.
Irrigation in CoconutProlonged dry spell ( 5 to 6 months or more) results in;
1. Yellowing and drooping of leaves,
2. Wilting of lower whorls,
3. Reduction in yield : due to reduction in number of bunches, female flowers
per bunch and setting percentage besides shedding of immature nuts and
tender nuts,
4. Immature nut fall and button shedding,
5. Thickening the walls of roots resulting in reduced absorption capacity.
6. Aggravated stem bleeding disease.
7. Increased leaf fall
 8. Quality : Reduced nut size and copra content

All these symptoms results in growth stagnation and reduced leaf and flower production and
decrease in yield.

Drip irrigation: In water scarce areas, drip irrigation is ideal as it saves water, energy and
labour and it is an efficient irrigation method.

Placement of drippers : Three to four drippers at the basin of the palm placed at 1 m
distance from the bole of the palm. Three drippers are located at 120 º around the stem of the
palm is optimum, when placed at 1 m distance from the bole of the palm. This system is 50 to
70 per cent efficient (Water use efficiency) than traditional system. Mulching with the husk
with convex side up will help in conserving soil moisture. Drip irrigation also advances first
yield in coconut by 8 to 12 months.
Note:1) In drip irrigation point of wetting should not be shifted.
2) It is not essential to wet all round the palm as 25 per cent of root zone is capable of
absorbing more than 85 per cent of total water requirement of most of the palms.

Water requirement/irrigation requirement for coconut

It depends on method of irrigation, whether/season and climatic conditions apart from soil
characters.
Apply 100 per cent of recommended irrigation during summer, 60 per cent during winter and
40 per cent during rainless period of rainy sesason.
 West coast =Basin method= 200 liters per palm per irrigation at four days intervals.
 West coast= Drip irrigation = 32 litres per palm per day (at 66 % of open pan
evaporation) = 30 to 40 liters per palm per day
 Ring method = 60 liters per palm per day

Cover cropping in coconut

Growing of green manure / cover crops in situ and its incorporation in to the soil has
been recognized as the easiest and the most economic method of augmenting the organic
matter content of soil.
Incorporate when soil moisture is adequate :Green manure crops should be incorporated at
the correct stage of growth when the soil moisture is sufficient to permit complete
decomposition of the green matter. Grasses particularly in heavy rainfall areas should not be
removed during monsoon as they are very good soil binders and solar energy trappers.
It has beneficial effects like

Leguminous cover crops recommended in coconut plantations are

1) Mimosa invisa, = Generates 25 kg green manure per palm basin which can be incorporated
into the basin before flowering
2) Stylosanthes gracillis,
3) Calopogonium muconoides,
4) Macuna bracteata = A cover crop introduced from Tripura in Kerala. Not flowerin under
Vellanikkara conditions.
5) Valvet bean = Macuna spp.

Other crops that are grown as green manure cum cover crops in coconut plantations are;
Perennial source of green leaf :Glyricidia aculate and Tephrosia candida can be grown
along the boundaries of the plantation and the green matter is cut and applied to the coconut
palms as a perennial source.

Multiple cropping in coconut

Coconut as a monocrop does not fully utilize the basic resources such as soil and
sunlight available in the plantation.
Based on the growth habit of the palm and the amount of light transmitted through its canopy,
the life span of coconut palm could be divided into three distinct phases from the point of
view of intercropping.

9) Young Plantation Up to 10 years: From the time of planting till the development of
canopy;
In this situation there will be good light transmission initially but decreases with age.
Suggested to go for inter cropping with annuals or biennials.
B) Middle aged palms palms (9 t0 25 years) / Intense shaded situation: Maximum
ground coverage ( 80 %) and canopy at lower height due to shorter trunk, Poor light
availability. At this stage it is not suitable to grow other crops in the interspaces of the
plantation.
C) Grown up palms ( > 25 years): Gradual increase in the magnitude of light penetration
to the ground ; and decrease in the apparent coverage of canopy. The trunk will be taller and
this situation is ideal for raising annual and or perennial crops.

INTERCROPPING: It refers to the cultivation of annuals or biennials in the interspaces of

coconut.

Eg.
1)Tropical Tuber crops like tapioca, elephant foot yam, sweet potato, colocasia, greater yam,
lesser yam,
2) Rhizome spice crops: Ginger and turmeric
3) Cereals: Upland rice varieties, Maize, pearl millet, finger millet ( Eleusine corecana),
4) Vegetable: in maidan areas of Karnataka= Chillies, potato, French beans,
Kasaragod (Coastal tract) conditions = Coccinia, snake gourd, bottle gourd, amaranthus,
brinjal, bitter gourd,
5) Pulses =Cowpea, black gram, green gram, red gram, Bengal gram, soya bean, in maidan
tracts of Karnataka. Under Kerala conditions it is horse gram, cow pea, green gram, and black
gram,
6) Oil seeds : ground nut,
7) Fruit crops: Banana and pine apple. Papaya can also can be intercropped with coconut.
8) Floriculture: Orchids, anthuriums, and other cut flowers and ornamentals can be
successfully grown in coconut plantation.
9) Medicinal and aromatic plants: Lemon grass, Kacholam, dioscorea, arrow root, sida,
hippali (Long pepper), neela amari, Patcholi (Pogostemon , ) adapathiyan,

MIXED CROPPING : Growing of perennial crops in association with coconut palm is

referred to as coconut based mixed cropping.
Eg. Cocoa, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, betel vine, jack, bread fruit, cardamom, coffee,
vanilla and mango.
HIGH DENSITY MULTISPECIES CROPPING SYSTEM (HDMSCS)

High Density Multispecies Cropping System (Hdmscs) involves growing of large number of
crops to meet the diverse needs of the farmer such as food, fuel, timber, fodder and cash.
HDMSCS is the system where a number of crops are grown in high plant density in unit area
of land. This system includes annuals, biennials, and perennials. The HDMSCS model
developed involves crops viz., mango, bread fruit, jack, nutmeg, clove, sapota, acid lime,
guava, pepper, subabul, banana, pineapple, papaya, coffee, elephant foot yam, cococasia, and
cassava ( 17 crops were included). The annual crops (except banana) were withdrawn from
the system in stages as the perennials grow. Some of the perennials like acid lime, sapota,
mango, guava, pepper, subabul, papaya and coffee were also removed as their performance
was not satisfactory. HDMSCS aims at to meet the diverse needs of the farmer such as food,
fuel, timber, fodder and cash.

Question Bank
1) Mention the size of pit for planting coconut seedlings
2) Age of coconut seedlings at the time of transplanting is ----------------- months (9-12)
3) Recommended dose of NPK fertilizer in yielding coconut plantation is ----------
g/tree/year (500: 330: 1200)
4) Mention the method of fertilizer application in coconut
5) List the cover crops for coconut cultivation
6) Narrate about multiple cropping in coconut
 Plant Protection in coconut
Pests:
1) Rhinocerus beetle
2) Leaf eating caterpiller Red palm weevil
3) Root grubs
4) Mites , Eriophid mite Mealy bugs
5) Scales
6) Coreid bugs
7) Rats etc
Diseases:
1. Bud rot Stem bleeding
2. Anabe roga
3. Pestalotia leaf spot /Grey leaf spot :
4. Thanjavar wilt / Ganoderma wilt:
5. Root (wilt) disease:
6. Mahali or fruit rot and nut fall:
Other diseases:
1) Button shedding,
2) Production of barren nuts,
3) Root wilt,
4) Tatipaka in AP
5) Leaf yellowing and
6) Tapering or pencil point disease.

PESTS OF COCONUT
1)Rhinocerus beetle: Oryctes rhinoceros

It is a most serious pest of coconut,

Stage of damage of insect: Adult beetles which are usually active during night (Nocturnal). The
adult beetles have dark brown to black colour and it is characterized by the presence of a horn on
the haed.
Nature of damage:
 Boring the soft tissues of the growing bud or cabbage (i.e., un opened fronds and
spathes) by cutting and chewing the tender unopened leaves and spathe. It also destroy
the inflorescence while chewing leading to direct (Prevents the nut production) and
indirect losses.
 Triangular / Geometric cuts: The attacked fronds when fully opened shows
characteristic triangular cuts and there will be presence of chewed up material around
the hole.
 Death of palm: The repeated infestation by the beetles lead to the death of palm

Management / Control
I. Sanitation in the plantation: Sanitation in the plantation has to be maintained by proper
disposal of decaying organic debris, Eg: Cattle dung, Compost etc.
II. Manure pits and other possible breeding sites are to be treated with carbaryl (10%) @
350 g / 3 m3 pit (1 m depth, 1 m width and 3m length) . OR Manure pits and other
breeding sites are to be treated with carbaryl 50 WP at 0.01 per cent concentration.
Spraying is to be done thrice i.e., During April, September and December.

III. Mechanical Removal : Hook out the beetle from the attacked palms using
beetle hook.
As a prophylactic measure, fill up the top most three leaf axils with Sevidol 8G(25g) +
fine sand (200g) thrice in April, September and December.
Remove the beetles from the infected fronds with the help of beetle hook and fill up the
innermost 2-3 leaf axils with
Malathion + Sand or
Qinolphos + sand In equal proportion (100g each ) .
Leaf axil filling is to be done thrice a year i.e during April, September, and December.
Filling leaf axils with 12 g napthalene balls (approximately three balls ) covered with
fine sand at 45 days interval is also effective (Ref: Coconut cultivation technology by Coconut
Development Board)

Eriophyid Mite (Aceria guerreronis K.,)

Eriophid mite has reached epidemic proportion in recent times affecting production and
productivity in many districts of
  Kerala,
 TN and
 Karnataka.

Method of damage: Mites feed underneath bracts at the stalk end of nuts which are whitish and
soft with fast multiplying cells. Entry of mites will take place when nuts are of 3 -4 months stage
since younger nuts will have tightly covered bracts in the perianth region without any space for the
entry of mites in the soft region of nuts.
Nuts :
 Sap is sucked from tender meristematic tissues of immature nuts (buttons at 3 to 4 months
stage) under perianth lobes resulting in brown lesions. It invariably affects all the nuts of a
tree and almost all the trees in a plantation. The mite being small, is carried away by the
wind which acts as the agent of dispersal. Because of this reason it has become a difficult
task to contain this pest from spreading quickly in a region.
 Reduction in size and quality of affected nuts: There will be reduced yield of copra with in
the nut.
 Hardening of husk: The fibrous region in these nuts also becomes hard, hence dehusking
becomes difficult.

Symptoms:
1) Premature nut shedding, when the infestation is severe.
2) Size of nut and husk looses quality due to development of warts and splits on them.
3) Malformation of nuts

Management / Control of mites.

Twin reasons causing difficulty in mite control : The control of this mite has become a major
problem because of Wind dispersal : speedy dispersal by wind and Faster rate of Multiplication :
also due to its fast multiplication rate

1) Root feeding : Root feeding of monocrotophos (10 ml in 10 ml water). However, a waiting

period of 45 days has to be given before harvest.

2) Spraying : Use of wettable Sulphur (@ 5 g/litre of water) or neemazal @ 5 ml /litre of water, or

Monocrotophos ( for spray) or Dicofol @ 6 ml per liter of water ( Dicofol 20 EC = Kelthane)

Nutrient Management : 5 kg Neem cake per palm + Recommended N and P + 31/2 kg MOP (
instead of recommended 2 kg) + 1 kg Gypsum (Gypsum = CaSO 4.2H2O) + 50 g Borax per palm
per year.

Question bank
1. List out the important pest and diseases in coconut

2. List out the disorders in coconut

3. Mention the symptoms of Rhinocerous beetle damage in coconut

4. Mention the symptoms of damage and management of Eriyophid mite in coconut

5. Eryiophid mite incidence is severe during ------------ season (summer)

 1

MAMMALIAN PESTS

1) Rats:
Rodents damage tender nuts by making entry hole and feed on internal contents and
cause severe crop loss. Droppen nuts will have characteristic holes at the base.

Management / Control of Rats :

For the control of rats food and shelter should be avoided. Rat control by the use of poisonous
chemicals is dangerous to human being (as rat is a mammalian pest)
Provide mechanical barrier: GI sheet bands of 40 cm wide, fixed around the trunk of palms at
a height of 2 m from the ground.

3) Poison baits:
1) Single dose acute poisons Eg. Zinc phsphoide
2) Multiple dose antiblood coagulants: Eg. Warfarin, Fumarin compounds. Eg : Roban –
Avoids blood clotting in rats and there will be continuous bleeding leading to the death of
rats.
3) Fumigate the hiding places using Aluminium phosphide tablets. :Rat burrows in the fields
( in rice ecosystem etc.,) can be fumigated with aluminium phosphoide tablets).

Disease of coconut:
Diseases:
1 Bud rot
2 Stem bleeding
3 Anabe roga
4 Pestalotia leaf spot /Grey leaf spot :
5 Thanjavar wilt / Ganoderma wilt:
6 Root (wilt) disease:
7 Mahali or fruit rot and nut fall:
Disorders in coconut:
8 Button shedding,
9 Production of barren nuts,
 2

10 Root wilt,
11 Tatipaka in AP
12 Leaf yellowing and
13 Tapering or pencil point disease.
Diseases
1) Bud rot in coconut:
Cause : Phytophthora palmivora , P. Katsurae
This disease is seen in all coconut growing states of India.
Season : Rampant (Aggressive/Higher/Unchecked) during monsoon when temperature is low
and RH is high.
Symptoms:
 Yellowing: Yellowing of one or two younger leaves surrounding the spindle→ Black
spots appears on spindle leaves →The spindle wilts and droops down.

 Rotting : The tender leaf base and soft tissues of the crown rot into a slimy mass of
decayed material emitting fowl smell.
 Fatal : The disease kills the palm if not checked in early stages. Ultimately the entire
crown falls down and the palm dies.

Management/Control of bud rot in coconut:

1)Prophylactic spray: As a prophylactic measure, spray 1 per cent Bordeaux mixture on
spindle leaves and crown of affected palms as well as neighbouring palms before the onset of
monsoon. Spraying : Spray with 1% Bordeaux mixture during May and September if the
disease occur frequently.
2)Application of Bordeaux Paste : If noticed in early stages, apply Bordeaux paste on the
crown after thorough cleaning. ( Bordopaste =BM 10% = 100 g CuSO 4 +100 g Lime in one
litre water). Neighboring trees should be sprayed with BM (1%) as a prophylectic measure.
3) Burn all disease affected tissues removed from the palm.

Button shedding:
 3

It is usual phenomenon to notice dropping of nuts in their very initial stages of

maturity (3 to 4 months stage). It is the natural phenomenon exhibited by plant to protect
itself from exhaustion.

Reasons and Remedies for button shedding in coconut.

1) Nutritional Imbalance / deficiencies: NPK recommended for coconut is 500 : 330 : 1200
th
g per palm per year. Usually full dose of NPK is applied from 4 year onwards.
Application of K and N minimized the incidence of button shedding in coconut.

2) Unfavorable conditions :
a) Moisture: Deficiency / stress or water logging / excess of water promote button
shedding
b) Hard pan: A rocky strata at shallow ( < 1.5 m) depth.

3) Pathogen and insect: Some pathogens especially fungi are known to be associated with the
button shedding. They include
Colletotrichum spp,
Phytophthora spp.,
Botrydiploidia spp.,
Cause premature nut drop in coconut.
Barren Nut
Insects viz., 1) Coried bug (The attacked buttons do not develop resulting in immature
nut fall.) The nuts if developed may become barren.
2) Eriophid mites and
3) Rodents problems (Attack tender nuts resulting in immature nut fall.) are also results in nut
drop.

4) Defective pollination and fertilization: Many of the talls are cross pollinated. There may be
inadequate pollination possibly due to high temperature or hot winds which cause desiccation
or drying of the stigmatic surface. For this we can;
a) Keep bee hives
b) Spray 2,4-D @ 60 PPM to improve fruit set and yield.
 4

5) Inherent capacity / Genetic make up ( inborn nature ) of the palm : We can resort to
selective felling and replanting.
Harvest and yield in coconut:
Pre bearing age in coconut : Tall : 6 to 7 years
Dwarfs : 3 to 4 years
Hybrids : 4 to 5 years.

Longivity of the palm : Talls = 70-80 years, and

Dwarfs = 40 - 50 years.
Stage of harvesting :
a) For getting copra fully matured nuts (Ripen nuts ) are harvested.
b) For tender nut purpose : 6 to 7 th months stage
Frequency of harvesting coconuts: Once in a month (In well maintained and high
yielding plantations bunches are produced regularly and harvesting is done once
in a month.) It varies depending upon the yield of the palms.

Number of harvests per year : Usually nuts are harvested 6 to 10 times in a year.
Season of harvesting: Year round harvesting. Inflorescence is produced in every leaf
axil ( 12 to 14 leaves per year) leading to year round harvesting. However, main harvesting
season is Summer.

required stage of ripeness in Indonesia, Malaysia and other South East Asian countries.

Yield: 80 to 100 nuts per palm per year. (National average yield is 44 nuts per palm per year)
Hybrids: 100 to 130 nuts per palm per year,

Storage and seasoning of harvested nuts:

Harvested nuts are stored or seasoned before further processing. This practice has the
following advantages:
1. Decrease in moisture content,
2. Increase in thickness of copra,
 5

3. Increase in oil content,

4. Greater meat resistance to bacterial sliming while sun drying,
5. Easier husking,
6. Cleaner and easier shelling,
7. Uniform quality of copra,

Post harvest processing

In the traditional coconut producing States of India, the post harvest processing is presently confined to the
production of edible and milling quality copra, coconut oil and coir and coir based products.
Copra processing
Optimum moisture content in copra is 5 to 6 per cent. Sun drying, smoke drying, kiln drying and indirect hot air
drying are the commonly used methods for drying coconut.
Copra grading
The copra is graded in the order of its market value. The grading is mainly based on moisture content, the
foreign matter and black copra.
Moisture : 6 per cent
Oil content : 71 per cent
Acid value : 2.5 per cent
Foreign matter : 0.5 per cent
Mouldy cups : 5 per cent
Wrinkled cup : 5 per cent (free)
Black copra : 1 per cent (free)

Coconut Value Addition

Tender coconut water

Tender coconuts are valued both for the refreshing drink and gelatinous kernel, which is a delicious food. The
composition of tender nut water from this variety is as follows
Quantity of tender nut water : 350 ml/nut
Calorific value : 17.5/1000g of tender nut water
Sugar : 7.1 mg/100 ml of tender nut water
Potassium : 2000 ppm
Sodium : 20 ppm

Snow Ball Tender Nut (SBTN)

Snow ball tender nut is a tender coconut without husk, shell and testa which is ball shaped and white in colour.
Coconut of eight months age is more suitable for making SBTN in which there is no decrease in quantity of
tender nut water and the kernel is sufficiently soft.
 6

Coconut chips

Fresh kernel of matured coconut can be used for preparing coconut chips. This can be
prepared from mature coconut kernel after removing the moisture content of the kernel
partially by osmotic dehydration by using various osmotic media. The dehydrated coconut
chips are in ready-to-eat form and can be used as snacks. It could also be used at any time
just like fresh kernel after dehydration of the chips.

Virgin Coconut Oil

VCO produced from coconut milk cream by hot process took less boiling time and also the
produced byproduct skim milk can be used as nutritious beverage containing protein and
micronutrients. Fermentation time could be reduced by adding starter culture to the coconut
milk for the production of VCO.

Husk
About 30 per cent of husk is fibre and 70 per cent is coir dust. Coir and coir products form the major output
from coconut husk. Coir pith is useful as a manure (after composting), mulch material and for making
briquettes. The coir pith briquettes can be used as a substitute fuel in the place of firewood for tile and brick
industries.
Coconut shell charcoal
It is used extensively for the manufacture of activated carbon. The charcoal has a high absorption capacity for
gases and colouring matter and can be used as a refining agent, both as deodorizer and a decolouriser.
Activated carbon
Shell charcoal on activation is transformed into activated carbon which is having the ability to absorb effectively
even trace quantities of either unwanted or valuable liquids and gases. Activated carbon is used in solvent
recovery processes, water and effluent treatment and the treatment of flue gas before discharge into the
atmosphere.
Shell flour
Shell flour is prepared by grinding clean coconut shells to a fine powder. It is used as a filler in the manufacture
of phenolic moulding powders. It is also used as a filler in phenolic glues for plywood and laminated sheet
manufacture, filler for mosquito incense coils and filler in specialized surface finishes, resin castings etc.
Handicrafts from coconut
A variety of handicraft items, from utility articles to show pieces are manufactured from coconut materials such
as wood, shell, fibre and leaflet midrib. Coconut shell is hard, takes a high polish, can be carved, coated with
lacquer, inlaid with silver or other metals and generally used with ornamental effect.
Coconut wood
Freshly cut coconut trunks from senile coconut trees can be used as timber after treatment with preservatives
for increased shelf life. Treated coconut timber can be used as electric poles, telecom poles and for interior uses
for making furniture, window and door frames.

Question bank
 7

1. Write about value addition in coconut

2. Write about the management of button shedding in coconut
3. What are the advantages of storage of harvested nuts?
4. Pre bearing age in tall coconut varieties is -----------------years (6-7)
5. Tender nut purpose the nuts are harvested at ---------------- months stage of maturity (6-7)
LECTURE 15

Palmyra (Borassus flabellifer L.) 2n = 36,

Family : Palmae

It is recognized as the state tree of Tamil Nadu in 1978, recognizing it's importance. It has
been estimated that there are about 8.6 crores of Palmyra palms existing in India of which
5.02 crores of palms are alone spread over Tamil Nadu and remaining 3.58 crores palms are
in Andra Pradesh.

Research work on palmyra palm in India

1) Palmyra reseach Station at Srivaliputhur, Tamil Nadu (TNAU)

AICRP on palmyra

a) at Padiramamudi (AP)

at Killikulam, PIN – 628 252, Tamil Nadu (TNAU)

Kalpagathara (Tree of life) or Kalpaghataru or Kalpakavirucham

All the parts of the palm are useful and over 800 various uses are reported and hence
this palm is known as kalpagathara.

Since every part of this palm is utilized it is known as kalpakaviruchum.

Edible products of palmyra : Neera, Toddy, Sugar, Jaggary, Candy, Vinegar etc

Commercial products of palmyra : Wood, leaves, roots, Fibre, fruit pulp, fruit fibre etc.

It is a source of food,

Neera or padaneer is a transparent and sweet drink having pleasant smell.

Composition:

Sugar – 12- 16 per cent,

Vitamin c (Ascorbic acide),

Vitamin B ( B- complex) and essential amino acids.

Neera is drunk as such or used for preparation of secondary products.

It includes;

Toddy : Due to fermentation of neera (sugary sap) by yeast and bacteria. It contains 5 per
cent alcohol.
LECTURE 15

Jaggary : By concentration of neera through gradual boiling. The jaggary is sweet, delicious
and superior to cane jaggary.

Palm sugar : Crystallized sap juice obtained by boiling and clarifying,

Palm cola : Aerated soft drink containing palm sugar ( 11 %), Citric acid, cola concentrate
and food colours along with other ingredients.

Palm candy : Directly produced from the sap. It is boiled only to 107 to 108  C === Poured
in to pots , which is covered and buried under ground for some months == Crystalline sugar
candy forms. It has medicinal properties and used against cough and pulmonary infection.

Jaggary : Jaggary of palmyra is sweet, delicious and superior to cane jaggary. Palmyra palm
jaggery (gur) is much more nutritious than crude cane sugar, containing 1.04% protein,
0.19% fat, 76.86% sucrose, 1.66% glucose, 3.15% total minerals, 0.861 % calcium, 0.052%
phosphorus; also 11.01 mg iron per 100 g and 0.767 mg of copper per 100 g. The fresh sap is
reportedly a good source of vitamin B complex.

sugar,

vinegar,

palm-wine,

Medicine : Briefly, the young plant is said to relieve biliousness, dysentery, and gonorrhea.
Young roots are diuretic and anthelmintic, and a decoction is given in certain respiratory
diseases.

Sap from the flower stalk is prized as a tonic, diuretic, stimulant, laxative and anti phlegmatic
and amebicide. Sugar made from this sap is said to counteract poisoning, and it is prescribed
in liver disorders.

and wood. The black timber is hard, heavy, and durable and is highly valued for construction.

Leaves are used for thatching, umbrellas, fans, diaper (napkin/ small towel) articles, hats etc
and their

Palmyra fibres : for baskets, brushes, and brooms : Palmyra fibers has a great export potential
and is exported to over 30 countries. The stalks are used to make fences and also produce a
strong, wiry fiber suitable for cordage and brushes

Seedlings
The peeled seedlings are eaten fresh or sun-dried, raw, or cooked in various ways. They also
yield starch, which is locally made into gruel, with rice, herbs, chili peppers, fish, or other
ingredients added. It has been proposed for commercial starch production.

Plalmyrah roots : Three months old roots (tubers) are edible on coocking
LECTURE 15

Besides neera or padaneer we also get

Fruits/ Nungu, : It weighs 27 to 54 g.

Nungu = Mlayalam, and Talsans = Bengali.

It is tender palmyra fruit. It is delicious and rich in

carbohydrate,

Phosphorous,

Iron and

Vitamin –C, Niacin, Riboflavin etc.,

Origin
Palmyra is believed to be a native of tropical Africa, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia
and New Guinea.

Distribution:
World : Assia, Africa and Austrelian continents. is commonly cultivated in India, Southeast
Asia, Malaysia

India, Sri Lanka, Mymnar, Bangladesh,Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

India : Tamil Nadu, AP, Karnatak, Kerala, MP, Orissa, WB, Bihar etc,

Tamil Nadu,: In TN 5.02crore palms out of 8.06 crore palms (Accounting to 58 per cent). In
Tirelveli District it is widely distributed.

It has been estimated that there are about 8.6 crores of Palmyra palms existing in India of
which 5.02 crores of palms are alone spread over Tamil Nadu and remaining 3.58 crores
palms are in Andra Pradesh. Tamil Nadu alone contains about 60 per cent of total palms,
signifying its importance Government of Tamil Nadu recognized it as state tree of Tamil
Nadu since 1978.

Andra Pradesh : 3.58/ 8.60 crore palms are located.

Botany: Palmyra (Borassus flabellifer L.) belongs to family palmae,

It is a dioecious (rarely hermaphrodite) palm where in male flowers are embedded in

fingers where as female flowers are sessile.

Species

Borassus aethiopium - African Palmyra Palm (tropical Africa)

LECTURE 15

Borassus flabellifer -Asian Palmyra Palm (southern Asia)

Borassus heineanus- New Guinea Palmyra Palm (New Guinea)

Borassus madagascariensis - Madagascar Palmyra Palm (Madagascar)

Borassus sambiranensis - Sambirano Palmyra Palm (Madagascar)

Fruit: It is botanically drupe contains three seeds and are 40 - 50 in a bunch.

The palm produces fruits when it attains 15-20 years, giving an annual crop pf 50 –200 fruits
in 6 – 12 bunches per tree. When the fruits are tender the seeds contain a soft, sweet, jelly like
endosperm called nongu in Tamil. The gelatinous pulp gradually hardens into a bony kernel
and develops a fibrous coat. Male and female palms can be distinguished only when they
start flowering which occurs after 15-20 years of growth.

Flowering season: starts from January and continues till August with a peak during May.

Tapping season : Female palms = April – Dec, ( 8 to 9 months)

Male palms = Dec – Feb, (2 to 3 months)

Question bank

1. Botanical name of palmyrah palm is ------------------ (Borassus flabelifer)

2. Palymyrah cultivation is in ------------ and ---------------- states in India (Tamil Nadu &
Andhra Pradesh)

3. Mention any two species of palmyrah palm

4. Write about the uses of palmyrah palm

5. Palmyrah palm is called as Kalpakatharu - justify

LECTURE 16

Climate and soil

Climate:

Rainfall: It can come up in dry areas having moderate to low rainfall.

High temperature and Heavy wind

Altitude : It grows from sea level up to an altitude of 750m.

Soil:

It prefers deep, sandy and loamy soils, through can come up on varied types of soils. The
most congenial situations for its favorable development are Low sandy plains. It is distinctly
wild and propagates itself readily from seed in regions where it is abundant. In such regions it
is capable of forming pure forests or forests intermixed with wild date palm ( Phoenix
sylvestris Roxb). It some times acts as a wind break for the plains.

Soil depth : > 2m

Palm Jaggary grown on calcarius soil are more sweeter

Varieties: There is no recognized variety.

Based on fruit type (colour of fruit pericarp) there are groups of palms viz,

Black skin : are generally more sweet and

red skin / Golden skin fruit types : Fruit and nut number per tree is more than black fruits but
are generally less sweet

SVPR-1: Palmyra research station, Srivaliputhur (T.N.A.U.) has released one improved
variety namely SVPR-1 Palmyra palm.

Features

semi-dwarf type

High padaneer yield of 298 litres per palm in a tapping duration of 95 days.

Quality of padaneer : The padaneer of this variety has a high jaggery content (144 g per
litre of padaneer i.e., 14.40 %) and a high brix content.

Propagation:
LECTURE 16

Seed propagation :

Nursery raised seedling and

Self sown seedlings are used for propagation
Mother palm selection in palmyra
Age of the palm : Middle aged – 30 to 40 years

Stature of canopy : Dwarf and stout palms are selected. Trees with compact leaves are
preferred to long slender stemmed trees

Selection of seed nuts

Stage of maturity : From the fruits which are 80 to 90 per cent ripe. Heap the selected fruit
bunches for 5 to 6 days for automatic stripping from bunches == Select plumy and healty
seed nut.

Removal of mesocarp : Allow fruits to ferment for easy removal of mesocarp. While
removing mesocarp, the fibre adhering to seed nut should be retained which help in
absorption of water and leading to better germination.

Sex of nuts :

Seeds of single nut give == female trees

Double nuts give == One female and one male

Trinuts === Two male and one female

To maintain male and female ratios it is better to collect 10 to 15 per cent of double nuts.

Seed propagation in palmyra palm.

Mature (fully) fruits – - shade storage ( three weeks) - - Sowing – three weeks --- germination
----- 150 to 160 days = for first leaf to come out of soil.

In palmyra palm first sheath of the cotyledon elongates and after it has gone into soil the
radicle comes out and produces the root. It forms tuber and eventually the plumule bursts
the plumule sheath ( i.e., coleoptile) and forms shoot.

Seed nuts collected from a identified mother palm ( of 30 to 40 years age) are stored in shade
for 3 weeks. These seeds may be directly sown in si tu or sown in nursery to raise the
LECTURE 16

seedlings. The seeds of palmyrah should be either planted in the permanent place or in deep
container It is because emerging shoot will go deep into the soil as tuber, up to 1 m depth in
the beginning and later it comes upwards and produces leaves when tubers start rooting

The plumule coming out initially utilizes the food material stored in the seeed nut. This
germinated part goes down into the earth as a tuber and when the tuber matures rooting
starts, == Which abosorbs the soil nutrients == After this leaves come out one after the
other.

. In the earlier stages of germination only the underground portion of the stem increases in
thickness (Palmyra seedlings have tuber above the root). If there is restriction the growth of
the seedling will be affected.

For direct sowing 3 - 4 whole fruits are planted in pits half filled with sand or sand and soil
mixture. Seeds start germinating in 3 weeks.

Spacing in nursery : at 10 cm apart and covered with 5 cm sand. Follow nursery techniques
during the initial period. One year old seedlings are lifted from the nursery and containerized
in the polythene bags. After roots are formed the seedlings can be successfully transplanted in
the main field.

Cultural Aspects / After Cultivation

No organized cultivation is practiced . Seeds fallen in the existing plantations == Self sown
seeds germinate and establish

The palm grown naturally and no particular cultivation is necessary. It requires no

artificial irrigation or manuring. However, for better performance following cultivation
practices are suggested.

Planting :

Pit size : 30 x 30 x 60 cm at

Spacing : 3m x 3m (450 plants /ha)

LECTURE 16

If triangular system of planting is adopted it accommodates 500 trees per ha.

Note : Seeds can also be directly sown in the field 5 cm below soil surface with seed eye
facing down ward to the soil.

Manuring:

Prevailing practice – Before sowing of nuts = 10 kg FYM per pit is applied – Increased
biennially till the dose reaches – 60 kg per pit per year.

A dose of 10 kg FYM per pit is applied before planting and it has to be increased biannually
till it reaches 60 kg FYM/pit/year.

Gap filling: After cultivation consists of gap filling. Gap filling may be carried out using
containerized seedlings.

inter ploughing,

Basin rectification in the initial few years. Basin rectification before rains helps for efficient
collection and storage of rainwater.

Defoliation:

Tending : Removal of persisting leaf bases (Tending) has to be attended in Palmyra

periodically.

Intercrops: Upto initial 5 to 6 years == Seasonal crops = Cowpea, moringa, green gram, red
gram, Bengal gram,

Mixed crops: With semi arid zone fruit cops like , Anona, ber, amla, pomegranate, moringa,
carissa, west Indian cherry, guava etc appears to be good. (Phyllanthus emblica = Bettada
nelli while P. acidus is Indian goose berry,)

Irrigation : In dry lands pitcher irrigation may be followed. Soil conservation measures Viz.,
Mulching,
Forming basin,
Rain pits,
Legume cover crops etc be adopted.
LECTURE 16

Plant protection
Pests: As in coconut
rhinoceros beetles,
red palm weevils and
black headed caterpillar
Eriophid mite often cause damage.

Diseases :
Bud rot ,stem bleeding, Grey blight and tuber rot

Bud rot : The palm is liable to infection Phytophthora palmivora Buttler, causing a serious
fungal disease called “bud rot”. In the advanced stage of the disease the soft heart of the bud
is converted into a foul – smelling, rotten mass and the tree dies.

Control : Prophylactic spray and curative spray of Bordeaux mixture (1 %) spray or Fytolon
( 0.3 % spray) is suggested.

Tapping

The extraction of sap from the inflorescence is called tapping which is the most important use
of this palm. Tapping varies with the age and sex of the palm.

Edible products of palmyra : Neera, Toddy, Sugar, Jaggary, Candy, Vinegar etc

Commercial products of palmyra : Wood, leaves, roots, Fibre, fruit pulp, fruit fibre etc.

Male palms : Only Neera is obtained

Female palms :

Neera, Fruits, and tubers from palmyra seeds can be obtained.

It yields 30 to 50 per cent more sap than male palms.

Age at first tapping : 10 to 12 years after planting if properly managed otherwise it is about
15 years.

Economical life /Yielding age : The trees continue to yield for 30 to 40 years.
LECTURE 16

The spadices of palmyrah, on tapping yield a delicious sugary sap, known as the sweet
toddy

Neera on fermentation gives toddy

Palmyrah is extensively tapped for the sweet sap which is fermented into country liquor
(toddy) or boiled into raw sugar. Trees of both sexes are tapped though the female palms are
yielding 35 to 50 per cent more sap than male palms .

Tapping: = Extraction of sap from the inflorescence is called tapping.

Method of tapping: It varies with sex of the palm and age of inflorescence.

Male palm: The sheath covering the young inflorescence (two weeks old) is removed and
allowed to dry for three days. The end is cut every time and pot is tied to the inflorescence.
Thus in case male palms the flowering shoots are tapped.

A. Male palms: Tapping period = short period ( Dec- Feb)

1. Aripanai Method: In male palm sheath of young inflorescence ( using 2 weeks old
inflorescence) is removed and allowed to dry for three days. The end is cut every time and
pot is tied to the inflorescence. It is practiced for 1 to 1 ½ months.

2. Vellupanai : ( Using comparatively old inflorescence of one month )Here also male palms
are selected but inflorescences are of one month old. Each male spike ( bearing sessile
flowers) is pretreated by pressing and stroking ( pettu/hodeta). Three to 6 such spikes are
brought together, wrapped with aplmyrah leaves and fitted to a pot.

Female palm: The tissues of young female inflorescence are softened by hitting the main
axis of the inflorescence with iron rod and the fork is used to press the regions from which
the fruits develop. Thus in case of female palms the fruiting branches are tapped when
the drupes are still very small.

B. Female palms: Tapped for longer period, i.e., April - December . It gives 30 to 50
per cent more sap yield.
LECTURE 16

1. Thattipalai : Young female inflorescence is tapped in this method. The tappers soften the
tissues by hitting the inflorescence main axis with the iron rod and fork is used to press the
region from which fruit develop.

2. Kaivetty:: When female inflorescence is about 2 to 3 months old. Here the inflorescences
are matured and will be having fruits. In this method fruits are sliced as the tapping progress.

Yield:

Fruit yield == only in female palms == 50 to 200 fruits in 6 to 12 bunches per tree per year

Question bank

1.Narrate the soil and climatic requirement of palmyrah palm

2. -------------- is the released variety in palmyrah palm (SVPR 1)

3. Narrate propagation in palmyrah palm

4. Write about tapping in palmyrah palm

5. Main product in palmyrah palm is ----------------- (Padaneer)

LECTURE 17

Oil palm: (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. = African oil palm )

Family = Arecaceae /i.e.,Palmae,

Introduction: Oil palm is the highest edible oil yielding crop (4 to 6 tonnes of oil/ha from 3
to 25 years of its life span.) compared to less than one tonne of oil per ha from other
cultivated oil yielding crops.

Sl. No. Crop Oil yield (tones per ha)

1 Oil palm 4 to 6
2 Coconut 0.65 to 1.5
3 Ground nut 0.35 to 0.45

India is importing about 5 to 8 lakh tones of palm oil every year from Malesia,
Indonesia for Public Distribution system (PDS).

Palm oil : From fleshy mesocarp ( It contains 45 to 55 % oil)

(Olive oil is also obtained from mesocarp )

Palm kernel oil : From stoney seed ( It contains 50 % oil)

OIL palm research in India

1) NRC for Oil Palm = National Research Centre for oil palm,
Elur, PEDAVEGI- 534 450, West Godavari Dist. AP

Origin of Oil palm

Origin: Africa ( West Africa). Oil palm originated from West Africa from where it spread to
America and far East.

In tropical rain forest of West Africa i.e., Guinea coast of West Africa.
LECTURE 17

It is available in wild, semiwild and cultivated forms in

 Africa,
 S.E.Assia,
 America.

Distribution of oil palm

World :
Regions: South East Asia,
West Africa, With 30 countries
Latin America

Countries growing oil palm

 Malaysia = Largest producer of oil palm in the world, other countries includes. It
produces 58 per cent of world oil palm production from 55 per cent of world area
under oil palm. Malaysia -2.2 m ha under oil palm out of world acreage of 4 m ha. It
produces 7.5 m tones of oil out of world production of 13 m tones of palm oil.

Oil palm is cultivated in roughly 4 m ha in the world to yield about 13 million tones
of oil.

Area and production of oilpalm in world

Area
Yield Production
Harvested
(Hg/Ha) (tonnes)
(Ha)
Indonesia 5000000 172000 86000000
Malaysia 4002000 211999 84842000
Nigeria 3200000 26562 8500000
Thailand 510213 159979 8162380
Colombia 165000 193939 3200000
Ghana 352800 59625 2103600
LECTURE 17

Ecuador 135000 155555 2100000

Papua
New
Guinea 119000 145378 1730000

Cameroon 77000 207792 1600000

Honduras 100000 152600 1526000
Total 14921224 210326644

India is importing about 5 to 8 lakh tones of palm oil every year from Malesia,
Indonesia for Public Distribution system (PDS)
Oil palm in India
1846 : Introduction of oil palm as an ornamental crop in India
1890 :Introduction of oil palm in India at National Botanical Garden, Culcutta
1960 : Introduction of oil palm to our country was done systematically. Oil palm was raised
in a plantation scale in an area of 40 ha in 1960 at Thodupuzha, Kerala where research
Station for oil palm was started in 1960

1971 : Large scale oil palm plantation development in Kerala. Two commercial pla ntations
were initially established at Andaman and Kerala (1971 -1982).
1971-81 : Oil palm attained commercial status in India
1995 : Establishment of NRC on Oil palm
1990-91 : Department of Biotechnology in collaboration with Govt of AP, Karnataka and
Maharastra to up planting of oil palm in 1000 ha area to demonstrate feasibility of oil palm
cultivation under irrigated conditions.
AP : Krishna, East Godavari and West Godavari
Karnataka : Shimogga
Maharastra : Sindhadurga Dist
In Kerala the area under oil palm is rainfed ( 4 months dry spell) while in AP and Karnataka
it is mainly irrigated
Potential area that can be brought under oilpalm in India
LECTURE 17

State Potential
Area In Ha.

Andhra Pradesh 4,00,000

Chhattisgarh 40,000
Goa 2,000
Gujarat 90,000
Karnataka 2,50,000
Kerala 6,500
Mizoram 61,000
Orissa 25,000
Tamil Nadu 1,62,000

Total 10,36,500

 80,000ha of which
 AP = 50,000 ha : Especially in coastal Dist of AP
 Karnataka = 20,000 ha

AP and Karnataka together constitutes 80 per cent of area under rubber.

and
 Tamil Nadu =8,000 ha
 Other states( Gujarat, Orissa, WB, Assam and Tripura) =Remaining area.

Why large scale production of oil palm is necessary in India ?

Need for large scale oil palm cultivation in India
Short supply of edible oil produced in our country. India is having an area of about 19 to 20
million ha under various annual oil seed crops viz., Ground nut, Rape/mustard, Sesame,
Sunflower, Soybean etc.,
Oil requirement
Per capita edible oil consumption as per ICMR recommendation :10 kg/head/year
Indian average oil consumption ( at present ) : 6 kg /head/year
World average : 12 kg/head/year
LECTURE 17

2. Oil palm is an answer to the growing demand of edible oil :

Yield of oil from oil palm = 4 to 6 tonnes per ha compared to less than one tones per ha
from other cultivated oil seed crops (while other oil seed crops yield < 599 kg oil per ha (
i.e., < 0.60 tones per ha)). If five lakh ha of area suitable area for oil palm cultivation is
developed under oil palm (Agroclimatic conditions) the demand and supply gap ( Production
and consumption gap) can be successfully met.

3. Economic importance of oil palm :

a. Oil palm is the richest source of edible oil yielding 4 to 6 tones per ha per year
thereby yielding high economic returns.
b. High employment potential,
c. Raw material for industries :
i. Vanaspati industry,
ii. Soap industry
iii. Production of oleochemicals products such as fatty acids, fatty
alcohols, gylcerols and other derivatives. (These are used for the
manufacture of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, detergents and industrial
products,).
d. By-product utilization:
1. Fiber from fronds and empty fruit bunches are used to make
medium density fiber boards.
2. Furnitures : From trunk,
3. Mushroom cultivation : Empty bunch can be utilized as a
medium for mushroom growth.
4.Environmental Protection: Environmental stability: It is important for maintaining
environmental stability.

e. Suitable for sustainable agriculture,

It is believed that, India will be an important producer of palm oil in the immediate
future. Andra Pradesh and Karnataka have greater potential for oil palm cultivation in
the major irrigated areas.
LECTURE 17

Constraints in the development of oil palm in India.

(In identified irrigated project areas)

1) Acceptance by farmers : It is required to educate farmers so as to convince them

accept oil palm cultivation (which is totally new crop to India) by replacing existing crops
in some areas. Follow up. Demonstration plots of 55 palms each have been established.
2) Long pre bearing period : The long juvenile period ( >3 years) of atleast 3 ½ years for
getting yield makes the necessity of
a) Institutional finance: Through lead bank and NABARD etc.

b) Incentives to take up oil palm cultivation ---Eg. Subsidized inputs and planting
materials, irrigation facility etc.

c) Buy back guarantee:

3) Availability of quality planting material : Though seedlings are produced at CPCRI
Research Center at Palode, there is need to import quality planting materials from other
countries.

4) Processing facility at reasonable distance: Since fruit bunches have to be crushed with in
24 hours of harvest, simultaneous establishment of processing units is necessary. Assured
and timely procurement of FFB from the farmer is suggested.

Public sector companies are coming forward for the establishment of factories.

4) Size of holding in India is very small : To run a processing unit profitably the
plantation should be on a large scale.

Question bank
1. Botanical name of oil palm is ------------- ( Elaeis guineensis)
2. What is the difference between palm oil and palm kernel oil?
3. NRC for oil palm is situated at -------------------- (Elur, Pedavegi)
4. Write about the distribution of oil palm in India
5. Why there is a need for large scale oil palm cultivation in India?
LECTURE 18

Soil and climatic requirement

Soil:
 Deep permeable soil rich in humus. Depth should be at least 1 m ( > 1m)
 Optimum PH = 6.5 to 7.5
 Avoid heavy soils with poor drainage, highly alkaline soils and soils with more of
gravel and sand with poor water holding capacity.

Climate: Oil palm is categorized as a humid tropical palm.

 Sun light :It is a sun loving plant , Requires bright sunshine of more than 5 hours .
Solar radiation below 350 cal /cm2 /day affects the growth and yield of the palm
 Temperature : Prefers hot humid equatorial climate with a mean annual temperature
of 20º C to 27 º C, and temperature of more than i.e., > 33 º C inhibits photosynthesis.
 Altitude /Elevation : Oil palm can be grown upto 900 m. ASL.
But below 450 m ASL it’s performance is better.
 Rainfall : Well distributed rainfall of 2500 to 4000 mm. It can with stand high rainfall
and 3 to 4 dry months in a year. However, dry period affects yield adversely with poor
sex ratio.

Hence, cultivation of oil palm under rain-fed situation may not be profitable
Sex ratio in oil palm
Sex ratio in oil palm is defined as the number of female inflorescence over the total number
of inflorescences produced for a given period
Sex ratio = No. Of female inflorescence X100
Total no. Of inflorescence (i.e., male + female)

There are three different types of oil palm namely dura, pisifera and tenera based on their
fruit forms. The significant differences among the three types are the presence or absence of
shell and the thickness of shell.

Varieties in oil palm

1) Dura : Have low to medium mesocarp ( 35 t0 55 %) and it contains a thick shell around the
kernel . It is not preferred for commercial cultivation. Shell thickness
LECTURE 18

Mesocarp = 35- 55 % (54 % by weight),

Shell = 30% by weight
Kernel= 16 % by weight
Shell thick ness = 2 to 8 mm

2)Tenera : It is a hybrid i.e., = Dura (Female ) x Pisifera (male ) = Tenera ( F1 hybrid)

It is commercially/ widely cultivated all over the world due to high proportion of mesocarp
(60 to 95 %). It is characterized by the presence of thin shell. Tenera is characterized by the
presence of distinct ring of fibres embedded in the mesocarp near to and encircling the seed.
Tenera fruits have a lot of pulp. Thin shell and a big kernel.

Mesocarp = 60 to 95 % (74 % by weght)

Shell = 10 % by weight
Kernel = 16 %

3) Pisifera: It is a shell less fruit and pea like kernel inside. Embryo abortion is common in
this variety and often kernel is also absent. The presence or absence of shell is genetically
controlled. Dura is a genetic constitution of Sh+ Sh+ while Pisifera is Sh-,Sh- and hybrid is
Sh+Sh-. On selfing or intercrossing, the hybrid fruits forms segregate in to 25 % Dura, 50 %
Tenera and 25 % Pisifera.
LECTURE 18

Mesocarp = 90 % by weight
Kernel = 10 %
Note : In Pisifera seed propagation is not possible as many of the fruits do not have embryo.
Embryo abortion is common in this variety and often kernel is also absent. It is used as male
parent in the production of Tenera. Pisifera palms are generally recovered from segregating
populations since direct reproduction of this type is difficult due to the scarcity of fruits with
embryo and the absence of protective shell.
Table: Features differentiating fruit types of oil palm,
Sl. No Characters/Composition Dura Tenera Pisifera
1 Mesocarp proportion in fruit (%) 35-50 60 –96 98
2 Shell thickness (mm) 2 to 8 0.5 to 4 --
3 Oil percentage 15 % 36 % 25 %
4 Average proportion of shell in fruit (%) 30 10 --
5 Average proportion of kernel in fruit (%) 16 16 10

Type of progenies as a result of

a) Durra x Pisisfera b) Dura x Dura c) Tenera x Tenera

Dura = Sh+ Sh+

Tenera = Sh+ Sh-,
Pisifera = Sh- Sh-
Propagation in oil palm :
Germination period in oil palm : Under natural conditions it takes about two years for
germination in oil palm
Mode of Propagation : Seeds
Planting and after care:
Planting:
Season : May – June,
Method/ System of planting :
Systems of planting: Generally square and
Triangular systems of planting are used but the most commercially used
method is triangular system.
LECTURE 18

Age and stage of seedling at the time of planting : 10 to 14 months ( some times 12 to 18
months stage). At this stage seedling will have 13 leaves, and about 1to 1.30 m ht with good
collar girth.
Pit size : 60 cm x 60 cm x60 cm
Spacing: 9 m x 9m (140 to 150 trees per ha in triangular system of planting)
Or
10 m x 10 m.
Fill the pits with FYM,+ Top soil + 125 g P2O 5

1) Seedlings are protected from rodents whenever necessary by wire netting (45 x 120
cm) encircling at a radius of 15 cm from base.
2) Take care of maintenance during initial period of establishment.
Manuring :
FYM = 50 kg per palm per year. (Or 50 to 100 kg). or 100 kg green manure.
Neem cake : Addition of neem cake @ 5 kg per palm is also beneficial.
LECTURE 18

Fertilizers:
Table: Fertilizer recommendation for oil palm (g. per palm)

Season→ May – June(Pre monsoon) Sept- October(Post monsoon)

Fertilizer N P2O5 MgSO4 N P2O5 K2O MgSO4
→
Age↓
Before --- 125 ---- ---- ----- ---- ---
Planting
I Year 200 100 200 200 100 200 125 g

II Year 400 200 400 400 200 400 250g

III yr. And 600 300 600 600 300 600 500g
above

Full dose for adult palm includes: 1200g N, 600 g P2O5 and 1200 g K2O per year.
Deficiencies of micronutrients in Oil palm
Mg and Boron deficiency has been observed in Oil palm
Magnesium (Mg) deficiency : Olive green coloured areas appear on the pinna of older leaves
and the yellow colour spreads down towards the frond midrib until the whole pinna become
a deep orange in colour
Mg deficiency occurs due to heavy application of K fertilizer i.e., when ratio of K:
Mg exceeds five (5).
Boron deficiency : Hook leaves, ( or it is also termed as Blind leaf or Bristle leaf)
Apply 75 to 100 g of Borax ( Sodum Borate) per palm. We can also use solubor for
the foliar spray @ 0.1 per cent.
Note:
1)
 Supply Mg (@500g per palm per year) if deficiency symptoms are noticed.
 Borax @ 100 g per palm per year if boron deficiency is observed.
LECTURE 18

2) Under irrigated conditions, it is preferable to apply nitrogenous and potassium fertilizers in

as many splits as possible to increase the fertilizer use efficiency.

Method of fertilizer application in oil palm :

Apply fertilizer at the base of the palm leaving 1 to 2 ft basal area undisturbed.
Depth of application : 1 to 2 inches and mix with soil.
Basin management /Size of palm basin in oil palm
Widen the basin as and when tree grows.
I year of planting : 1 m radius
II year of planting : 2 m radius
III year and above : 3 m radius.
Basin space must be meant only for the oil palm and should be free from weeds and any
inter/mix crops.
Note :
1) Spread fertilizer in the ring underneath the largest leaves and after spreading cover
with a thin layer of soil.
2) If plants are mulched, remove the mulching material and spread fertilizer and spread a
fresh mulch of dry herbage to a thickness of 15 to 20 cm.
LECTURE 18

Irrigation

Irrigation at the rate of 100 liters of water per palm per day ( 100 to150 liters per palm per
day and even upto 200 liters per palm per day in hot summer) has to be provided during dry
period to realize the yield potential of the palm.
Yield increase in oil palm under irrigation is attributed to;
 1) Increased leaf production,
 2) Increase in number of bunches,
 3) Better sex ratio and
 4) Reduction in abortion of female inflorescences.

After 28 months of irrigation increase was from 1 tones per ha to 4.50 tonnes per ha.
Drip irrigation : Four drippers discharging of 150 to 200 liters in 5 to 6 hours
Cover cropping

1. Pueraria phaseoloides
2. P. javanica,
3. Calapogonium muconoides,
4. Centrosema pubescens
5. Mimosa invisa
6. Macuna bracteata - A cover crop introduced in Kerala from Tripura,. It is
not flowering under KAU conditions. Hence, propagated through stem
cuttings.

Seed rate : 2 to 3 kg per ha

Establishment of cover crops
Seed treatment:
a) Hot water treatment (50 – 60º C) : Soaking of seeds for 2 hours improves establishment
resulting in good cover.
b) Rhizobium culture: @ 1 g per kg of seed.
LECTURE 18

Leaf Pruning in oil palm

Development of leaves in the crown of palm is initially slow. Each leaf remains enclosed for
about 2 years and then develops into a central spear (spindle leaf) before opening. The leaf
stalk is strong and fibrous and is almost 8m long. A mature leaf may have 250-300 leaflets;
each about 1.3m long and 6cm broad.
Rate of leaf production in oil palm : 20 to 25 leaves per year . Each leaf will also carry one
inflorescence.
Persistence of leaves in oil palm : The leaf bases adhere to the stem for about 12 years and
longer and fall away gradually.

Frond pruning in oil palm has influence on yield and hence is of economic
importance.
If pruning of frond has not been attended it results in
 1) Interferes with the pollination, ( Both assisted and natural)
 2) Visual assessment of fruit ripeness.,
Excessive pruning is harmful i.e., Causes reduction in yield.

Immature (Pre bearing period) : Removal of senescent and useless fronds which are lying
very close to the soil surface.
(Annual leaf production in areca = about 6 while in coconut = 12 to14 leaves, oil palm = 24
leaves)

Adult palms: About 32 to 35 top leaves are left undisturbed on adult palms. (Each palm
produces about 24 leaves annually i.e., 2 leaves per month)
Ablation in oil palm :

It refers to the removal of young male and female inflorescences and bunches during the first
three years of oil palm growth.
(Ablation = Removal / Surgical removal of any part of the body). Other terms used for
ablation operation are
 Dis budding,
 Debudding,
 Deflowering
LECTURE 18

Frequency of ablation :Ablation should be done at monthly intervals by cutting with the help
of narrow bladed chisel.

Purposes of ablation:
1. Uneconomic processing by collection of few bunches in the initial years of
bearing,
2. Left over bunches may rot and lead to outbreak of diseases and pests.
3. Divert ion of nutrients for palm growth from theses bunches and
inflorescences. --- Results in to uniform palm stand.

Period of ablation:

14 to 26 months after planting. Ablation can be commenced after about14 months of field
planting and continued till 26 months when about 70 per cent of palms are producing
inflorescences ( at an interval of 4 to 5 months = ?)

Question Bank
1. Write about the sex ratio in oil palm
2. Describe about Tenera hybrid in oil palm
3. Write about the spacing and method of planting in oil palm
4. Why there is need for leaf pruning in oil palm?
5. What do you mean by ablation in oil palm?
LECTURE 19

Management / Control of Rodents Damage in oil palm

Rodents / rat damange

Control/ Management :
1) Trapping : Different baits such as Iron Live traps, Snap traps, Death fall traps, Bow
trap, Cage trap, Spring death trap, Bamboo nose Trap may be used to minimize rat
damage.
2) Orchard Sanitation
3) Poison Baiting :
Acute rate poison : Rodenticides such as Zinc phosphoid, single dose anticoagulants
like Bromadiolone ((0.005%)
Multiple Dose anticoagulant rodenticides : Warfarin, Fumarin are placed in the field
in the evening and removed in the morning
Dead rats should be buried to avoid secondary poisoning
4) Mechanical Barriers : Oil palm seedling at the time of planting can be covered with
22 gauge galvanized iron ( Chicken) wire mesh around bole as prophylactic measure
against rats, porcupines etc
5) Biological agents :
Predators for rats includes a) Snacks, b) Vultures, c) Mongoose d) Cats and e) Dogs.

Diseases in oil palm

1) Spear rot 2) Bud rot and 3) Bunch failure are the major diseases of oil palm.
4) Basal stem rot ( Ganoderma disease)

(1) Spear rot:

It is a lethal and infectious disease found in the oil palm plantations of Kerala.
Cause :
1) Several micro organisms are associated with this disease and most common ones are
Fungi viz.,
Fusarium moniliformae and Collatotrichum gloesporioides
2) MLO and 3) Bacteria
LECTURE 19

Symptoms:
1) Yellowing of the youngest whorl of the unfolded leaves: Yellowing of the youngest whorl
of the unfolded leaves is the initial symptom. Yellowing starts from the tips of leaves and
spreads mostly along the margins of leaflets.
The chloratic area later turns brown and dries up.

Management: In view of uncertain etiology

1) Rouging : Rouging of the affected palm is recommended to prevent the spread of this
malady. We have to go for rouging RWD ( root wilt disease in coconut) and YLD affected
coconut and arecanut palms also from the vicinity.
Barrier trees : Raising quick growing barrier trees in the border of the plantation to prevent
vector movement from RWD/YLD source

Disorders in oil palm

Bunch failure: Failure in the development of bunches at any stage during anthesis to
harvest is referred as bunch failure. Periodical palm cleaning reduces the load of inoculums
and fresh incidence.
Cause : Not specifically known
1) Excess pruning,
2) mutual shading,
3) under pollination : Release of pollinating weevil
4) Moisture stress/ Prolonged drought
5) Inadequate nutrient status
6) Over bearing etc ., increases bunch failure.

Control measures: There is no recovery once bunch failure has started and hence all control
measures must be aimed at avoiding those conditions favoring bunch failure.

Harvesting, Processing and yield in oil palm:

Pre bearing age in oil palm : 3 years

Economical life : 25 years
LECTURE 19

If the clusters are too high up to be cut with the longarmed sickle, use
bamboo ladders, or else climb up the tree with a belt; you can also wear
spiked shoes.
First harvest in oil palm starts in 3 ½ to 4 years after planting.

Fruit maturity period from the period of flowering : It takes about 180 days (6 months) from
pollination to maturity.

Stage of harvest:

Fully ripe fruit bunches are harvested. Immature bunches and partially rotten bunches are not
suited because it results in low oil recovery of poor quality.
1) Change in colour :When colour of fruits changes from black to orange or red or yellowish
orange.
2) Detachment of fruits : For practical purposes when few fruits ( say around 10 fruits or
more detached or easily removable for young palm and 5 fruits for adult palm) are detached
from the bunch.
3) Change in fruit texture : Fruits become smooth when ripe and fruits can be pressed with
fingers with ease.
LECTURE 19

Over ripe fruits reduces quantity and quality of oil. If harvesting is delayed the fat is
converted to free fatty acids and glycerol.
Harvesting is done at ripe stage and if it is delayed the fat is converted to free fatty acids and
glycerol.

Harvesting interval :
As the oil synthesis and free fatty acids formation occur during ripening process, harvesting
should be carried out as frequently as possible inorder to reduce the number of over ripe
bunches. Over ripe bunches have a high degree of fruit detachment and have increased oil
acidity. According to current practices, harvesting should be done at every 7 to 14 days
intervals.
Harvesting tools:

When palms are young.====Chisel attached to the tip of 1.2 to 1.5 m long stick of wood or
of light hollow metal pipe with a handle
When palms grow older use wider chisel ( about 14 cm wide) and a longer stick.

Harvested fresh fruit bunches (FFB) have to be transported to the factory as quickly as
possible and at any cost not later than one day ( With in 24 hours).

Processing and yield: The fruits of oil palm should be processed with in few hours after
harvest to obtain good quality oil. There will be deterioration of oil due to over ripening,
storage, damage of fruits, etc. The usual method of processing (dry process) involves
sterilisation, stripping, fruit digestion, pressing, clarification, etc. Edible palm oil should
contain less than 2 % free fatty acids.

Sl. No. Features Palm oil Palm kernel oil

1 Part of fruit used Mesocarp Kernel or endosperm
2 Oil percentage in 45 to 55 % 50 %
the fruit part used
LECTURE 19

3 Colour Light yellow to Resembles coconut oil i.e.,

orange red nearly colorless
depending on the
amount of
carotenoids present

Processing for palm oil extraction:

As oil is extracted from mesocarp portion of fruit the method of oil extraction is
entirely different i.e., wet processing.

One of the major problems in oil extraction in oil palm is deterioration of oil into free
fatty acids which results in poor quality of oil. Factors affecting quality of oil by increasing
FFA ( Free fatty acid content should be less than 2 % for using it as edible oil )

Time gap between harvesting and processing of FFB : 24 hours.

Fruit bunches of oil palm (FFB) should be processed within 24 hours of after harvest to get
good quality of oil.
During processing oil palm fresh fruit bunches are sterilized in steam/boiling water for 30 to
60 minutes to inactivate the fat splitting enzymes.

1) Bruising (Crush/pound)
2) Bad handling
3) Delayed processing
4) Over ripe fruiut bunches.
Fruit bunches are to be processed with in 24 hours of harvesting. If at all it has to be stored,
it has to be sterilized and stored
Sterillization of FFB: After harvesting bunches are sterilized at 130 ºC for one hour under
pressure of 2 kg per cm2.
Stages of processing

PALM OIL PROCESSING UNIT OPERATIONS

LECTURE 19

Sterillization brings about

1) Inactivation of lipase and lypolytic enzyme activity i.e., fat splitting enzyme which
are responsible for increase in FFA.
2) Loosening of fruits for easy separation
3) Softening of fruits facilitating digestion,
4) Coagulaton of mesocarp proteins.
LECTURE 19

2) Stripping: Fruits are separated from the bunches.

How?
3) Fruit digestion : During digestion process there will be release of oil from the pulp i.e.
conversion in to oily slurry (mesocarp)
How ?

4) Pressing : Separation of liquid component from thee solid.

5) Clarification : Oil is cleaned of water, cell debris and particles of fibre and shell.

Crude palm oil === Refining ---- Palmolein ------- Further purified

Palmolein has thick consistency , red colour,

Production of Edible oil

< 2 per cent free fatty acid content : In edible oil the free fatty acid content should not exceed
2 per cent .

At present in India the oil produced is of poor quality due to bad quality of FFB supplied
from farmers.

If quality FFB is supplied to the processing units production of edible grade oil can be ( i.e.,
< 2 % Free fatty acids) achieved.

Yield:
LECTURE 19

The average weight of harvested fruit bunches will bed = 30kg

Average number of buches per palm = 10 to 12
Average bunch weight : 30 to 40 kg /buch
Average FFB yield per year per ha = 12 tonnes
Oil recovery out of FFB : 18 to 21 % i.e., Extraction ration from oil to bunch=20 %

Under good management

FFB = 20 to 30 tones per ha yielding 4 to 6 tones of oil. However, on an average 12

tones of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) can be obtained per ha per year, yielding 2.5 tones of palm
oil.
Question bank
1. Explain the reasons and remedies for bunch failure in oil palm
2. Pre bearing age in oil palm is about ---------------years (3years)
3. Mention the stage of harvest in oil palm
4. FFB in oil palm stands for --------------- (Fresh fruit bunches)
5. Oil palm FFB has to be processed within 24 hours of harvest Why?
LECTURE 20

CASHEW
(Anacardium occidentale L.), Family : Anacardiaceae (2n = 42)
Cashew in India
1. Status in the world: The cashew kernel of India is of best quality in the world. India is
the largest producer and exporter of cashew in the world. India stands first in area and
production in the world, Area = 37 % and Production = 42 % production. Indian cashew
export: 63 per cent of global cashew trade
Annual export earnings from India is nearly 2500 crore rupees out of which nearly 50
per cent is from imported raw nuts. In general over Rs. 3000 crore is the export earnings by
the export of over 1 LMT cashew kernel and CNSL

2. Productivity: National average is 835 kg per ha (i.e., around 5.50 kg per tree) and this is
far less than the achievable level of 2000 kg per ha (i.e., around 12.50 kg per tree).
Maharashtra state is having highest productivity of about 1500kg per ha (Mainly due to
adoption of drip irrigation and mulching techniques) while productivity in Kerala has come
down (850 kg per ha) mainly because of old plantations.

3. Employment: Cashew gives employment to five lakh people in plantations and factories.

4. Processing units: In India there are more than 1700 processing units. Requirement of raw
nuts for these factories is about 10 to 12 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) but domestic production
in India is around 6 LMT. The deficit is imported from African and other countries viz.,

Origin and Distribution of cashew

Origin:
 South Eastern Brazil. (Tropical America – NE Brazil) The genus Anacardium must have
originated in the Amazon region of Brazil.
 The word cashew is derived from Portuguese word “Caju” who introduced it into India
during 16th Century. There are about 20 species of Anacardium.
Distribution of cashew
World:
World cashew production: In the world about 32 countries are growing cashews (Between
30ºN to 30º S) African countries: Angola, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria,
Tanzania, etc
North Central America: El Salvador, Honduras, South America, Brazil,
Asia: India, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand,

Table: Major cashew producing countries in the world

Area
Yield Production
harvested
(Kg/ha) (tonnes)
(ha)
Vietnam 340800 28110 958000
India 893000 7782 695000
Nigeria 330000 17598 580761
Côte d'Ivoire 660000 3733 246383
Brazil 758085 2908 220505
Indonesia 310000 4677 145000
Philippines 27428 40831 111993
United Republic of
Tanzania 80000 9887 79100
Mozambique 60000 11307 67846

Guinea-Bissau 212000 3049 64653

Total 4103562 3350929

Distribution in India
 Area in India = 8.54 lakh ha
 Production: 5.50 lakh tones (LMT)
 Export earnings (2006-07): 2455 crore rupees by the export of 1.19 tones of cashew
kernel.
 Productivity: Average Indian productivity is 865 kg/ha while highest in Maharashtra
i.e 1500 kg/ ha
 Potential productivity: 3 tones per ha
 Highest area under cashew in India: AP
Area, Production & Productivity of Cashew nut in India
A - Area in '000 Ha.
P - Production in '000 MT.
APY - Average Productivity in Kg per hectare

STATE 2007-08 2008-09

A P APY A P APY
Kerala 84 78 900 70 75 900
Karnataka 103 56 710 107 60 720
Goa 55 31 700 55 30 700
Maharashtra 167 210 1500 170 225 1500
Tamil Nadu 123 65 700 131 68 710
Andhra Pradesh 171 107 900 182 112 920
Orissa 131 90 860 137 95 865
West Bengal 10 10 1000 11 11 1000
Gujarat 4 4 1000 6 4 700
NE States 15 12 750 16 12 750
Others 5 2 500 8 3 460
TOTAL 868 665 860 893 695 900

In India it is cultivated mainly in the coastal regions i.e., East and West coast of India.
Recently (2008-09) the AP is top in area and MH in productivity of cashew

East Coast: Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra Major producing area
Eastern Coast: AP, Orissa, TN, WB, and Pondichery etc
Export earnings from India (2007-08)
More than 2500 crore INR
CNSL rate (2008) = Rs 26/kg

Soil and Climatic Requirements

Soil: Cashew being a hardy crop, it can be grown on a wide range of soils.
Avoid soils which are
Heavy, Water logged and Excessive alkaline and saline soils (Z˼ÀÄ) as tap root will bend
when reaching heavy soil.

Roots of cashew:
Cashew has
1) Tap root --- Penetrates deep into soil,
2) Extensive network of lateral root system: Because of deep tap root and network of both
primary and secondary roots plant gets adequate nutrition and water even during the period of
prolonged drought.
Rhizosphere of cashew :
Depth : 60 cm contains over 70 per cent of active roots
Surface spread : upto 2 m radius from the base.

Climate for cashew:

It is a sun loving tree and does not tolerate excessive shade. It cannot tolerate
temperature above 450C during fruit set and development stage. Cashew is a tropical crop,
loving warm and humid /moist climate of tropics.
1) Vicinity to the sea: Mainly because minimum temperature is high. Cashew is a coastal
tree (Particularly low land mainly because of low temperature range i.e., night temperature
range of 13 to 18 º C) and closeness of sea is a favourable factor for cashew though it comes
up in other areas i.e., even at about 1000 km away from the sea coast in India, Tanzania,
Brazil etc.

2) Latitude:
Hopkin’s Bioclimatic law: Geographical co-ordinates (Latitude, Longitude and
altitudes) influence flowering. For perennial trees flowering is influenced by these
geographical co ordinates i.e., for every
a) Every 400 feet altitude
b) Every 1º Latitude and
c) Every 5 º Longitude (From West to East) there will be delay in flowering by four days.
Cashew comes up well between latitude of 25 º N and 24º S.
3) Altitude: lower is the altitude better will be the performance: Many of the commercial
plantations are up to an elevation of 600 -700 m. and lower is the altitude better will be the
performance. There will be about three days delay in flowering for every 100 m altitude. At
higher altitudes flowering and fruit setting is delayed i.e., delayed harvest than the coast.
However, plantations are seen upto an elevations of 1000 m. asl.

4) Temperature: Minimum Temperature is most important:

A) Minimum temperature should not come down below 10ºC during flowering period.
B) Maximum temperature of more than 35 ºC during reproductive / flowering period cause
nut drop in cashew (East coast). In cashew though cashew can adopt a wide range of
temperature from 15 º C to 45 º.
C) Best range of temperature in 19 ºC to 35 º C. Cashew is very sensitive to low temperature
i.e., frost injury.
The meteorological factors like night temperature (<10C) and day maximum
temperature (>35C) during the reproductive phase of cashew may not be conducive for
better flowering and nut weight across the east coast.

5. Sunshine/ Phototropism: Cashew is a sun loving crop like coconut. It requires about
2000-2400 hr sunshine per year (i.e., > 6 hours per day). It requires about 1285 hr. sunshine
in the flowering /fruit set period (Nov-March). In India sunshine recorded above 9 hours per
day from Dec – May on the west coast during Flowering /Flushing and fruiting season.
Pest incidence vs sunshine: The major threat to cashew production across the west coast is
the incidence of tea mosquito bug complex. It is, again, triggered by favourable weather.
Cloudy weather during flowering enhances tea mosquito infestation.

Question Bank
1.Cashew belongs to the family --------------- (Anacardiaceae)
2.Write about the importance and scope of cashew cultivation in India
3.Cashew is originated from ----------------- (Brazil)
4. Write about the climatic requirement of cashew
5. Write about the distribution of cashew in India
LECTURE 21
CASHEW VARIETIES
Breeding achievements in cashew: Earlier cashew was primarily propagated for soil
conservation and forestation. At present due to the effort of research 40 varieties have been
released. Of these
25 varieties are from selection in the germplasm and
15 varieties are developed by the breeding technique of hybridization and selection.

Cashew Varieties - for Karnataka

There are many cashew varieties/selections/hybrids suitable for different agro climatic
conditions.

Varieties recommended for Karnataka includes;

Table: Released varieties of Cashew nut for Cultivation in Karnataka .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Variety Yield Nut(g) Shelling Kernel
(Kg/tree) wt(g)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ullal (UASB Karnataka)

1. Ullal-1 (8/46 Taliparamba, Kerala) 19(25) 6.6 30.7 2.15

2. Ullal-2 (3/67 Guntur, Andra) 18(25) 6.0 30.7 1.83
3. Ullal-3 (5/37 Manjari, Kerala) 15(20) 6.9 30.0 --
4. Ullal-4 (2/27 Tuni, Andra) 9.5 --- --- --
5. UN – 50(2/27 Neeleshwar, Kerala) 10.5 9.0 32.5 --
NRCC, PUTTUR (KARNATAKA)
1. NRCC-1 8.8 9.2 28.6 --
2. NRCC-2 11.5 7.6 28.8 --

6) Chintamani Cashew -1: Recommended for Southern Dry region of Karnataka.

8) NRCC-1: From National Research Centre on Cashew, Puttur.
9) NRCC -2: From National Research Centre on Cashew, Puttur. It produces big sized nut
i.e., nut weight of 9.20 g.

10) VENGURLA - 4
Mean nut yield / tree: 17.2 Kg
Nut weight : 7.7g
Shelling % : 31
Export grade : W210

11) VENGURLA - 7
Mean nut yield / tree: 18.5 Kg
Nut weight : 10g
Shelling % : 30.5
Export grade : W180

Varieties of Maharashtra
Among vengurla varieties V-4 is popular in Khanapur area of Karnataka.
V-1 is multiplied and not abandoned as it is an early flowering type
V-4 is popular in Belgaum District.
V-7 and V-8 are of bigger nut size.
V-8: Newly released variety with bigger nut size and apple size
Vengurla 1 to V-7, V-7 is having bigger sized nut.
Hybrids: V-3 to V-8 are hybrids

Varieties of Andhra Pradesh

Bapatla 1 to Bapatla -6 (BPP-6)

Varieties of Tamil Nadu

Vridachalam (VRI) – to VRI-4

Varieties of Kerala
Anakkayam -1, Madakkathara -1, Dhana (H-1608), Kanak (H-1598), Amrita, Priyanka (H-
1591),Dharashree (H 3-17), Anagha (H8-17), Sulabha, Hybrid Dhara, KGN -1 (i.e., K.G.
Nair (eex CEPC Secr etar y) -1 a dwarf cashew collected from Brazil which can be planted at 3
m x 3m spacing), etc
Priyanka and Anagha are from Annakayam research station.
Cashew varieties with bigger and bold nuts are UN-50 (i.e., 9.2 g), NRCC-2 (i.e., 9.2 g),
Vengurla -7 (i.e., 10.0 g), Anagha (i.e., 10.0 g), Priyanka (i.e., 10.2 g), Akshaya.

Propagation in cashew
1) Seedling propagation: Though it is commonly practiced method of cashew propagation,
it is not encouraged due to high proportion of cross pollination leading to considerable
variability among seedling progenies.
Clonal / Vegetative propagation: Cashew is amenable for vegetative propagation by
different methods.
 Grafting
 Epicotyl
 Soft wood
 Veneer
 Side grafting
 Top working etc
 Budding and
 Layering i.e., air layering and Mound layering/ Stool layering (Stooling) etc.

Soft wood grafting: Among the vegetative propagation methods soft wood grafting is more
successful in most of the cashew growing areas. It is similar to epicotyl method of grafting
but differ only with respect to age of the seedlings (root stocks) used for multiplication. In
soft wood grafting 30 -40 days old seedlings with 1 to 2 pairs of leaves are retained on root
stocks while grafting. However, usually soft portion of the seedlings at 15 -20 cm from
ground level is availed for grafting.

For grafting 10-12 cm long pencil thick scion from current seasons growth should be
selected and precured. Precuring is done by clipping off the lamina leaving the petiole intact
on the shoots. Within few days these petiols drop-off indicating the shoots are getting cured.
Due to storage of food material the shoots get thickened and the terminal bud appears
swollen. This swollen condition indicates that shoots are ready for separation from the tree.
Precuring is done to increase the meristamatic activity in the auxiliary and terminal buds.
 Wedge technique is used for grafting. Two pairs of bottom leaves are retained on the
stock and the stock is decapitated 5cm above the second pair of leaves and a vertical incision,
along the length of the stump to 3.75cm from the top of the stock is made. The scion is
prepared like a wedge. It is inserted into the stock and tied with polythene strip of 1.5cm
width and 30cm length of 100 gauge. To create a humid atmosphere around the scion bud,
polythene caps of 20 x 2.5cm size of 100 guage thickness is provided for 15-20 days till the
buds sprout.

The grafts are kept under shade or in a mist chamber preferably since humidity and
temperature can be controlled. Application of NPK @ 150:20:100 ppm supplied through
irrigation water helps in better survival of grafts. When the buds are sprouted remove
polythene caps and grafts are shifted to open place. The successful graft shows signs of
growth within 3-4 weeks after grafting. The success percentage in soft wood grafting is more
during March- September under Kerala conditions.

Planting and management of grafts in the main field

The softwood grafts are planted in pits of 50 cm3 with topsoil and 5-10 kg of compost
or dried cow dung per pit after removing the polythene bags during June- July. Care should
be taken while planting to see that the graft union is 2.5cm above the ground level. The
polythene tape is to be carefully cut and removed. Staking should be done immediately after
planting to protect the grafts from damage.

Top working in cashew,

The technique of top working was first standardized at ARS Ullal. It is for the
rejuvenation of uneconomical cashew trees. It involves following steps;
1. Selection of trees: The selected cashew for rejuvenation should be
a. Low yielding trees: Trees yielding less than 2 kg per tree are selected.
b. Trees bearing small sized nuts: Trees producing nuts which weigh less than 200
nuts per kg of raw nut. (i.e., less than 5 g per nut)
c. Trees which are highly susceptible to tea mosquito attack.
d. Age: Age between 10 to 25 years are suitable.
e. Trees free from stem borer infestation.
2. Beheading of trees:
a. Time and season of beheading : December to February
b. Remove branches :
c. Stumping: Cutting stump at 0.50 m to 0.75 mabove ground level with saw to avoid
bark splitting.
d. Smearing cut portion : Smear the cut portion with BM – 10 % paste or cow dung slurry
and red soil.
e. Basin rectification : Prepare a basin of 1.50 m radius
f. Plant protection : Paste sevin dust + Blitox ( 50 g sevin dust + 50 g blitox per liter of
water)
g. Provide shade.

3. Sprouting of beheaded trees:

a) Sprouting: New sprouts appear in 30 to 40 days after beheading.
b) Remove shade
c) Thinning: Retain 10 to12 healthy shoots/sprouts for grafting and remove others.
d) Periodical removal of new sprouts to facilitate the growth of selected sprouts.

4. Selection of Scions:
a. Select scions from high yielding varieties
b. Pencil thick and 12 to 15 cm long scion stick with a sprouted bud should be selected
from shoots of 3 to 4 months growth.
c. Preconditioning: Remove all the leaves 7 to 8 days before grafting.
d. Fresh scion is always preferred for better success.

5. Grafting:
a. Select 10 to 12 sprouts for grafting.
b. Cut the sprout 5 to 6 cm from the top and split it in the middle to 3 – 4 cm depth with
the help of a knife.
c. Technique of grafting : Wedge grafting
d. Select the scion of the same thickness and give a cut to form a wedge or “V” shape.
e. Insert the scion: Firmly tie with the help of polythene strip.
f. Cover the grafted portion with the help of polythene bags./ caps
6. After care:
a) Sprouting in 10 to 15 days. About 5 to 6 successful grafts are sufficient per tree.
b) Remove excess and unsuccessful shoots.

Advantages of top working

I. Vigorous growth: Top worked trees are vigorous in growth, because of well established
root system.
II. Top worked trees starts yielding from second year itself after rejuvenation.
III. Higher average yield and high yield during their life time.
2 nd year = 4kg
3 rd year = 6 kg
4 th year = 8 kg per tree when compared to 2 kg per tree in old plantation ( Before top
working / rejuvenation) which is 3-4 times more than that of earlier yields of 2 kg per
tree.
IV. Cost involved for top working could be recovered from the sale of wood in the first
year itself.
V. Higher nut production could be seen beyond fifth year of the top worked trees,
VI. We can have different varieties of cashew on a single tree

Question Bank
1. Mention cashew varieties which produces bigger size nuts
2. Explain the commercial method of vegetative propagation in cashew
3. Narrate top working in cashew
4. Mention the varieties developed by NRC cashew Puttur
5. List out the advantages of top working
LECTURE 22

ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF PLANTATION

Establishment and management of plantation

Table: Calendar of operation in cashew. (Under west coast of Karnataka)

Sl. No. Month Operation
1 June - July Planting season
2 August – No opertation
October- May
3 September Weeding, Soil working and fertilizer application
4 November Plant protection with insecticide for control of tea mosquito
December and bug ( A fungicide if anthracnose problem is anticipated)
January
5 February, Harvesting and collection of nuts
March and
April

Planting time: With the onset of monsoon.

Planting :
Pit size : 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm
Spacing : 8 m x 8 m (156 plants /ha). At closer spacing (say 2m x2m =2500 plants per
ha) overlapping branches (Interlocked branches causes shading /mutual shading leading to
reduced yield).
Spacing in cashew may be adjusted based on
1) System of planting
2) Moisture status of soil
3) Fertility status of soil
4) Variety and
5) Planting material used etc.
High Density Planting in Cashew

Experiments were carried out at NRCC Puttur and in AICRP on cashew centers in
different parts of the country with plant population ranging from 156 to 2500 trees per ha in
order to study the effect of high density planting in cashew towards enhancing productivity
Present recommendation of plant density in cashew varies from 156 plants (8 mx8m) to 200
plants per ha.
Spacing for High density plantations (Depending upon agroclimatic conditions)

Set – I (After thinning spacing of 8m x 8 m will be maintained)

4 m x 4 m or
8 m x 4 m or
7 m x 4 m or

Set – II (After thinning spacing of 8m x 8 m or 10 m x 10m or 6 m x 8 m will be

maintained)
5 m x 5 m or
6 m x 6 m or with a population varying from 312 to 624 plants per ha
Poor soils are more suitable for HDP due poor canopy expansion.
Age /period of thinning of plants: After 7 to 10 years depending on the spread of canopy.

Spacing maintenance after thinning

Set – I = 8 m x 8m
Set – II 8 m x 8m or 10 mx 10 m or 6m x 8 m

Advantages of HDP:
1. Higher yield per ha during initial years ( There will be 625 tree per ha in 4 m x 4 m
spacing compared to only 156 tree in 8 m x 8m spacing)
2. Fuel wood: due to thinning of plants.
3. Weed control.
4. Soil conservation due to canopy coverage.

Varieties suited: Dwarf varieties with compact branches are well suited.
Eg. Anakkayam -1 and Dhana.
Manuring
Manures and fertilizers promote growth of the plants and advance the onset of
flowering in young trees

FYM: Application of 10-15 kg of farm yard manure or compost per plant is beneficial
Biomass available in cashew for recycling : 5 to 6 tonnes per ha about 15 to 20 kg leafy
biomass per tree is available in cashew

Inputs per ha
1. Planting material per ha. = 155 when spaced at 8 m X 8 m apart.
2. Film or Compost = 2.5 tonnes per ha.
3. Fertilizers (g/plant)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May - June Sept - October
Year ----------------------------- ----------------------------
N P2O5 K2O N P2O5 K2O
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I 50 40 -- 50 40 --
II 100 40 30 100 40 30
III 200 60 60 200 60 60
IV 250 60 60 250 60 60
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual dose for adult cashew (4 th year and above) = 500(1.10 kg Urea): 125 g (625 g R/P):
125 gK (208 g MOP) NPK per plant per year.

Application schedule: The ideal period for fertilizer application is immediately after the
cessation of heavy rains and with available soil moisture. During the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of
planting 1/3rd, 2/3rd and full doze of fertilizers should be applied and 3rd year onwards full
quantity is to be applied.

Method of application:
Apply in basin of 15 cm deep. Prepare trenches of 2 to 3 m radius around the tree trunk.
 For more efficient use of fertilisers the root distribution of cashew should be
considered. It depends on age of the tree, type of planting material, the soil environment,
level of nutrition, irrigation etc. According to Wahid et al (1989) and Salam et al (1995) the
lateral spread is 3-4 m and vertical depth is 60-100cm. But cashew is mostly a surface feeder.

Method of fertiliser application

For adult trees apply fertilisers within a radial distance of 2-3 m leaving half a
meter from the tree trunk or in narrow trenches of 15 cm deep and covered with soil
within the radial limit. For young trees, fertilisers can be broadcast and incorporated over the
entire tree basin (10cm deep) within the canopy area.
An extensive review on nutrient management is given by Salam (2002).

Irrigation in cashew:
Initial years of establishment: In the initial stages of establishment (seedling stage) cashew
needs irrigation in summer especially in sandy soils. However, we have to provide drainage
in places of water stagnation.
Drip irrigation with four drippers at 1 m away from the tree base @80l/tree once in 4
days from the second fortnight of December to the end of March coinciding with the
flowering season resulted in significantly higher yield as compared to lower levels of
irrigation or without irrigation (Samuel, 2002).
Experiments at DCR Puttur has shown that,
Irrigation during January to March has doubled yield in yielding cashew plantation

Note: However, by irrigation flowering period in cashew is extended. To have shorter

flowering period (convenient for harvest and TMB management) we have to with hold
irrigation before flowering.

PRUNING OF ADULT CASHEW TREES

Limb pruning is suggested in cashew (At Puttur conditions)
Height of beheading: 1 m of stem
Season Beheading: May – June (Before the end of July)
In general season of pruning is May to September.
 Kolar conditions = August – Sept’
Plant Protection limb pruning: BM -1 % may be pasted. However, Pasting with cow
dung slurry to protect it from pest and disease entry and also promotes growth
Limb pruning increases cashew yield by flushing

Question Bank
1. Write about the calendar of operations in cashew
2. Narrate high density planting in cashew
3. Write about the manuring and method of fertilizer application in cashew
4. Harvesting season in cashew is during ----------------- months (January to April)
5. What are the advantages of High density planting?
LECTURE 23

PLANT PROTECTION IN CASHEW

Pests in cashew: Tea mosquito, stem borer, thrips, leaf minor and leaf blossom webber are
important pests of cashew. Of these, tea mosquito and stem borer causes economical damage
in cashew.
1) Tea mosquito bug : Helopeltis antonii
2) Stem and root borer: Plocaederus ferrugineus L.
3) Mealy bug
4) Flower Thrips
5) Leaf minor :
6) Leaf and blossom webber :

Diseases in cashew
1. Dieback or pink disease
2. Leaf spots
3. Powdery mildew
4. Root and seedling rot
5. Fruit rot
6. Cashew decline
7. Inflorescence blight
8. Leaf and nut blight disease
9. Anthracnose
10. Cashew wilt

Tea mosquito bug (Helopeltis antonii s.) ,

Season of incidence: Flushing season. Severe usually at the time of emergence of new
flushes and panicles i.e., when trees are in full bloom. ( Opctober to January)
However, in general it attacks the tree in all the seasons during flushing, flowering and fruit
setting period but the peak period of infestation is from October to March.
Rainy season: Minimum activity and lives on alternate hosts
Management of TMB
1) Habitat management: Avoid population build up in other host plans like Guava, neem,
Drumstick Cocoa, Pepper, cotton, Singapore cherry etc

2) Choice of varieties: At present resistant or tolerant varieties are not available. Howerver,
variety Bhaskar (Goa 11/6) is less susceptible. It is easy to manage TMB if flushing is of
short period compared to extended period.
Early bearing varieties are most susceptible and Late season varieties (including mid season
varieties escapes severe infestation of TMB

3) Bio control including botanicals: Botanicals including Pongamia oil, neem oil etc were
found to be non effective

4) Chemical control: Four sprays at an interval of 2 to 3 weeks from middle October

coinciding with new flush.
New flush = October – November
New inflorescence = Dec to January

1) Cashew stem and root borer (Ploceaederus ferrugineus L. )

A dreaded enemy of cashew leading to death of the tree this pest is more severe
in neglected cashew plantation.

Methods of damage = Grubs comes out and bores into the bark and feed on the epidermal
and vascular tissues = Tunneling of stem and roots

Symptoms
1) Presence of small holes in the collar region
2) Gummosis : Oozing of gum
3) Frass extrusion : Extrusion of chewed up fibres and excreta
4) Bark discolouration
5) Foliar Yellowing : Yellowing and shedding leaves
6) Dreaded enemy : Death of tree
 Management of CSRB:
1) Identification in the initial stage of infestation: Do not treat trees which are in the stage of
showing yellowing even in the monsoon. Yellowing is the stage before the death of cashew.
2) Phytosanitation: By the removal of dead trees and trees which are showing particularly at the
end of monsoon.
a) Yellowing: complete yellowing due to CSRB infestation
b) Boring: Showing more than 50 per cent damage to the bole :
3) Mechanical removal of the immature stages of the pest : The grub has six instars and remove
the pest in the initial stage of development to avoid damage of tree. While removing the grub
damage the bark to the minimum extent.
4) Treatment/ Swabbing : Swabbinng or Pasting the damaged portion with mixture of
Carbaryl 50 gm (50%) and copper Oxychloride (25 gm) in one liter of water give effective
control. We can also use Chloropyriphos or lindane pasting
Preventive treatment: Swabbing with Coal tar + Kerosene (1: 2) to a height of 1 m
trunk four times in year.

Harvesting, yield, processing and grading in cashew

Pre flowering age in cashew: 3 to 4 years
Full bearing age = 10 to 12 years
Economic life = over 50 years (35 to 40 years and even upto 60 years).
Stage of harvesting: Fully mature nuts, Cashewnuts when fully mature look greyish brown.
Method of harvesting
a) Collection of fallen nuts: It is better to pick the fallen nuts because there is a possibility
of harvesting immature nuts which leads to poor quality kernel during processing.
b) Periodical plucking of apple : For preparation of cashew apple products one has to
pluck the fruits from the tree. If it is fully mature the fruit just drops.

Yield in cashew: 10 to 15 kg per raw nuts tree ( Apple yield is 8 to 10 times than that of seed
yield )

Processing in cashew nut: Harvested nuts will be dried for 2 to 3 days

Nuts after drying can be stored in gunny bags well protected from rodents and stacked on a
platform above the ground level leaving space on all the sides of the room.
Well dried raw nuts (moisture content 8 to 9%) could be stored upto one year without any
quality deterioration
Processing in cashew refers to the recovery of kernel from mature nuts by manual or
mechanical means.
Mechanical processing involves
Moisture conditioning (Moisture content in the nut is increased to 15 to 25 %) === Roasting
==== Shelling ==== Peeling ( Removal of seed coat or testa ) -drying === Grading ====
Packing ( Vacuum packing extends shelf life in cashew by additional one year) = Marketing

Roasting: Makes shell brittle

Methods of roasting
1) Drum roasting: Results in high percentage of wholes . Dis advantage here is loss of
CNSL.
2) Oil bath roasting: Shell gets heated and shell wall gets separated releasing oil into bath.
i.e. CNSL is recovered.
3) Steam boiling
Shell contains 35 % CNSL and CNSL contains anacardiac acid to an extent of 90 %.

CASHEW NUT SHELL LIQUID - A versatile Industrial Raw Material

1. This raw material is used for a number of polymer based industries like paints and
varnishes, resins, industrial and decorative laminates break lining and rubber
compounding resins. (For more details contact Regional Research Laboratory,
Trivandrum, Kerala.
2. The nut has a shell of about 1/8 inch thickness inside which is a soft honeycomb
structure containing a dark reddish brown viscous liquid. It is known as cashew nut
shell liquid, which is present in the pericarp of the cashewnut.
3. In India annual production of CNSL will be around 15,000 tonnes where as the
potentiality available is around 45,000 tonnes and the world production of CNSL will
be around 1.25 lakh tones.

GRADING IN CASHEW
Basis of grading: Based on counts i.e., number of kernels per pound i.e., 453.5 g
CEPC (Cashew Export Promotion confirms grade specification and recognizes 24 different
grades of kernels

I Main grades Wholes – Good, big sized kernel (Export quality) Eg.
W-180
2 Second grades Whole – good, medium sized kernels ( Export quality)
3 Third grades Halved and broken ( Sold locally)
4 Fourth grade Rejected and spoiled
(Sold locally)

Grades of Whole kernels in cashew (Wholes are the kernels which have no split). These are
again separated in to 6 grades as

I Grade Whole
Kernels per lb
2 W-180 Best grade in the world cashew market
3 W-210 200-210
4 W-240 220-240
5 W-280 260 – 280
6 W-320 300-320 Rates in the world market are based on this grade
7 W-400 350-400
8 W-430 400-430

Question Bank

1. List out the major pests of cashew

2. Suggest management practices for tea mosquito bug

3. -------------- pest kills cashew tree (Cashew stem and root borer)

4. Cashew is harvested at --------------- stage of maturity (Fully mature nuts)

5. CNSL stand for (Cashewnut Shell Liquid)

6. Write about grading of cashew kernel

LECTURE 24
RUBBER

Rubber /Para rubber

(Heave brasilensis Muel-Arg)
Fam: Euphporbiaceae

Origin and distribution,

Origin: Amazon River basin of Southern America. This crop was introduced to South Asia
through Kew garden in the U.K in the late 1970’s. Now it is grown in tropical regions of
Asia, Africa and America.

Distribution of rubber
World:
1.
Area
Yield Production
harvested
(kg/ha) (tonnes)
(ha)
Thailand 1856070 16649 3090280
Indonesia 2941360 9484 2789850
Malaysia 1237000 6928 857019
India 450000 18240 820800
Vietnam 421600 17165 723700
China 600000 10314 618866

Philippines 128300 30472 390962

Nigeria 345000 4202 145000
Sri Lanka 124000 10967 136000
Brazil 128900 9850 126973
Total 8821006 10221285

Total rubber production in the world (1996) is 63.20 lakh tonnes

India ranks fifth and fourth in total area and production of natural rubber. In productivity
India ranks first in the world.

India:
Area : 5.33 lakh ha
Production : 5.44 lakh tonnes
India ranks first in the world with regards to the productivity of natural rubber i.e., 1,503 kg
per ha.

States:
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka

These three states altogether accounts to 98 per cent of total produce of India.
Climate and soil
Climate:
Tropical climate = Tree of warm humid climate.
Temperature: 21º to 35 º C
Altitude : upto 500 m asl
Sunshine : It is a sun-loving tree requiring 6 hours of sunshine per day throughout the
year. i.e., about 200 hours per year.
Rainfall: Not less than 200 cm.

Soil:
Depth: Minimum of 125 cm depth.
Slope : A gentle slope is needed.
PH : 5.5 to 6.5,

Propagation:
Seed Propagation: For nursery planting seeds are germinated in shaded beds of friable soils,
sand or coir dust. Germinated seeds are transplanted into shaded nurseries at spacing
depending on the type of plant required. Seed germination will be completed in about 3
weeks. Seeds start germinating with in 6 - 10 days of sowing.

Clonal seeds: Sexual progeny of budded clones is known as clonal seed. Seed garden
progeny is probably a better name. As clonal seedlings are more variable than budded rubber
their average yield is less. It is desirable to select for vigor in the nursery and in the field
and later for yield in the early years of bearing. Legitimate seeds may be produced by hand
pollination between selected clones.

Budding: Popular method of vegetative propagation in rubber is by bud grafting using buds
of selected mother trees. Nursery seedling can be bud grafted when they attain a girth of a
pencil above the collar. Budded stocks are ready to be stumped about 4 weeks after budding.
they are cut 10 - 15 cm above the bud patch and the stumps are pulled out and transplanted in
the main field. Green budding with buds stripped from green shoots is also practiced.

Rubber is almost entirely propagated through bud grafting of modern high – yielding clones.
Bud grafting is done on the seedlings when they are 2-8 months old using green or brown
dormant bud patch collected from selected scion clones.
Depending on the colour and age of the buds two types of budding are recognized.
1) Brown budding: Here bud wood is of about one year old. Brown buds are collected from
bud wood of one year old and grafted on to the seedlings that are of about 10 months old.
Stock plants: Vigorously growing 10 months of more aged plants having a girth of about 7.5
cm at the base are ideal for budding.

Scion / bud wood: Buds from selected scion plants having about one year growth from the
axils of fallen leaves are generally used. Normally 1-2 m of bud wood can be obtained from
a bud wood shoot of one years growth from which about 20 buds can be obtained.

2) Green budding: Here both stock plant and scion used for green budding are young.
Seedlings of 2 to 8 months old (with green stem) are used as stocks to graft green buds
collected from leaf axils of bud wood that is 6 to 8 weeks (1 ½ to 2 months old ).
Scion / bud wood = from bud shoots of 6 to 8 weeks growth.
Stock plant = Vigourous seedlings of about 2 to 8 months age.
Age of stock → Vigorous seedlings of 2-to 8 month’s age with girth of about 2.5 cm and
Brown bark up to a height of about 15 cm
Scion → Green buds taken from bud shoots of 6 – 8 week growth i.e. buds seen in the axil of
scale leaves.
Sl No. Particulars Brown budding Green budding
1. Age of stock > 10 months old 2 to 8 months old vigourous
seedlings
2 Maturity or age of One year 6 to 8 weeks
scion or bud wood.
3 Colour of bud wood Brown and buds are in Green and buds are in axils,
axils of fallen leaves. when leaves are still attached
and functional.

Classification of rubber clones: In rubber clones are broadly classified into three categories
based on the methods adopted for the development of mother trees.
1. Primary clones: When mother trees are selected from existing seedling populations of
unknown parentage and are multiplied vegetatively. Eg: Tjir –1(Tjirandji –1 of Indonesia),
G.T-1 (Godng Tapen of Indonesi) , G.I –1( Glenshiel-1 of Malaysia) and PB-86.
2. Secondary clones: When the mother trees are evolved by cross pollination (hand
pollination) between two primary clones and are then multiplied vegetatively, they are known
as secondary clones.
Eg: 1) RRIM – 600 = TJIR –1 x PB – 86 and
2) PRIM - 628 = TJIR –1 x PRIM – 527
3. Tertiary clones : Are produced by controlled pollination of two existing clones, but they
differ from secondary clones in that at least one of parents or both the parents are of
secondary clones.
Eg: RRIM – 703 = RRIM – 600 x RRIM –500.

Table: Clones developed by RRII for cultivation in South India

Sl. No Name Parents Important traits

A. Primary clones
1 TJIR –1 - Indonesian clone yield = 930 kg per ha per
year
2 G.T –1 - Indonesian clone, Yield =1360 kg per ha per
year
3 Gl-1 - Malaysian clone, Yield = 1130 kg per ha per
year. Drought tolerant
 4 PB- 86 - Malaysian clone, Yield = 1130 kg per ha per
year.
B Secondary clones
1 RRIM – 600 Tjir –1 x PB Developed by RRIM,
– 86 Yield = 1317 kg/ha
2 RRIM – 628 TJIR – 1 x Yield = 1051 kg/ha/yr
RRIM –527
C Tertiary clones
1 RRIM – 703 RRIM- 600 Yield = 1725 kg /ha/yr
x RRIM –
500

Polyclonal seedlings in rubber

All desirable characters viz., high latex content, drought resistance etc may not be
available in a single clone. Hence, it may not be wise to adopt a single clone for cultivation in
large areas, because if disease or pest epidemic occurs the entire plantation may be wiped out.
Therefore to get the benefits of mixed clones in a population, poly clonal seed gardens are
being established by blending different clones. The hybrid RRII –105, is the highest yielding
in the world. It has become very popular, occupying 80 per cent of the area under rubber. Its
average yield is 2.400 kg /ha/year. Superior clones numbering 3 to 6 are planted in an
isolated area and allowed for natural open pollination. For prevention of pollen
contamination from rubber trees of neighbouring area an isolation belt of 100 m width is
provided all around the seed plantation.
Polyclonal seed families generally give rise to seedlings of good vigour and
growth. In olden days monoclonal seeds of single selected mother clones such as Tjir –1,
not contaminated by crossing with seedling rubber or undesirable male parent clones had
been extensively used as improved plant materials.
Poly clonal seeds are easier to establish and maintain when compared to buddings.
The trunk of the seedlings are much larger than those of budded trees.

Table: Differences between polyclonal seeds and buddings of rubber;

Sl. Features Polyclonal seeds Buddings
No.
1 Establishment and maintenance Easier Comparatively needs
more care
2 Trunk size Larger Comparatively of less
 diameter
3 Susceptibility to wind damage and Less More
diseases
4 General yield level Low (1200 to 1300 High ( 1200 to 1700
kg /ha/year) kg per ha per year)

General yield levels of polyclonal seedlings are much lower than selected modern
clones ( buddings). However, selection based on initial vigour, high initial planting density
in the main field and subsequent judicious thinning of weaklings and poor yielders in a
phased manner is suggested to maintain the higher level of productivity.

Planting and after care

Preparation of land: All preparations should be finished before planting season i.e., June.
1) Clearing:
 New areas
 Old plantation: Old trees may be slaughter tapped.

2) Lining:
 Flat/Slightly undulated areas: Square planting or rectangular planting is
followed by making lines in East – West direction to maximize sun light interception.
 Hilly areas with moderate ( 10 – 20 %) slope : Contour planting is suggested
by marking across the slope.
 In hilly areas with steep slopes ( > 20 % slope): Terracing is resorted.

Spacing/Planting distances
Sl .No. Situation/Planting Spacing (m) Plants per ha
method
1 Hilly areas 6.7 x 3.4 m 445
2 Flat areas- Square 4.9 x 4.9 420
system
3 Triangular system 4.9 x 4.9 470

Pit size: It varies from 75 cm to 90 cm, depending on ;

► soil type = Hard soil go for wider pits
► Type of planting materials = Stumped buddings wider and larger pits, and in germinated
seeds go for smaller pits.
After care:
Manuring in rubber:
For rubber trees under tapping (Usually above 7 years of age)

Recommendation:
Apply 12: 6: 6 NPK grade mixture at the rate of 400 kg per ha per year in two splits i.e.,
► April – May and
► September – October is recommended.
P2O5 has to be applied to rubber in the form of rock phosphate.

Method of Application
Fertilisers should be applied in square or rectangular patches in between rows, each patch
serving four trees. Once the canopy of the plants closes, say, 5 to 6 years after planting, light
forking to incorporate the fertilisers into the top soil is necessary. In areas where the legume
ground cover is present or where the legume cover has died out leaving a thick mulch, it is
enough to broadcast the fertilisers between two rows of rubber trees. Deep pocket placement
of fertilisers and application too close to the base of the trees should be avoided.

Cover cropping:
It is always suggested to maintain the ground cover in rubber plantation in view of
maintenance of soil as a permanent productive asset. Cover crops which can be grown in
rubber plantations are;
1) Pueraria phaseoloides : Features A popular cover crop in India
► 1)Vigourous twiner and creeper that can be propagated by seeds and cuttings,
► 2) Can stand strong sun
► 3) Smothers weeds

Seed rate: 3 to 4.50 kg per ha.

Other cover crops includes
2) Calopogonium muconoides : A twiner and creeper and dies off during dry months.
3) Centrosema pubescens : Climber and can be grown in shade. However, it can not be grown
under wet conditions.
Mulching:
Bases of young rubber plants must be weeded cleanly to avoid weed competition.
 Mulching with
 dry leaves,
 Water weed (Salvinia spp),
 Grass cuttings,
 Cover crop loppings etc
Around the plant is recommended to prevent soil degradation due to severe climatic
conditions.
Aquatic weed = Salvinia spp (African payal) is spreding as a menace in the water ways and
can be applied @ 5 kg per m2 as sun dried material.
Season of mulching: After monsoon i.e., November
Weed control in rubber:
Until cover crops is established regular weeding is necessary. About 4 to 5 rounds of
hand weeding are required during first 2 years. Once the cover crops are established or after
the canopy has closed there is a little weed growth.
Question Bank
1. Botanical name of rubber is --------------- (Hevea brasilensis)
2. Mention the major rubber producing countries in the world
3. Narrate about vegetative propagation in rubber by budding
4. Write about rubber varieties
5. Write a note on polyclonal seedling in rubber
LECTURE 25
PLANT PROTECTION IN RUBBER
DISEASES:
(1) Abnormal leaf fall (Phytophthora palmivora) Infected leaves fall in large number
prematurely.
Control: Spray Bordeaux mixture (1%) as prophylactic measure, prior to the onset of south
west monsoon.

(2) Powdery mildew (Oidium haveae): Ashy coating noticed on tender leaves.
Control: Dusting sulphur @ 10 - 15 kg/ha. 3 to 6 times at 10 - 15 days intervals.
Pests:
1) Scale insects (Saissetia nigra): Severely affected portion dry up and die due sucking of
sap from leaf lets, petioles and tender shoot portions.
Control: Spray melathion at 0.05% concentration.

2) Mealy bug (Perrisiana virgata): Severely affected portion dry up and die. Damage is
similar to scale insects.
Control: Spray melathion at 0.05% concentration or fish oil or soap water ( Neem soap).

Non parasitic maladies:

Brown bast – Taping panel dryness (TPD)
Cause: A physiological disorder, mainly due to intensive tapping. High yielding clones are
more vulnerable.
Symptoms: Partial drying up of tapping cut (initial symptom) with the outer latex vessel
drying up first (No production of latex).
Light brown discoloration of the attacked portion (Hence TPD is also known as brown bast)
Tumors can be seen on the panel area.Drying up entirely and cessation of latex flow.
Control:
1) Remove affected tissues and
2) Rest the trees without tapping from 3 to 12 months,
3) Low frequency tapping is also recommended and
4) Proper manuring
Question Bank
1.---------------- and ------------------ are two major diseases in rubber (Abnormal leaf fall And
Powdery mildew)
2. Mention the control measure for abnormal fall disease in rubber
3. How do you control powdery mildew in rubber?
4. Mention major pest on rubber
5.Give the symptoms of brown blast disorder in rubber and suggest control measures
LECTURE 26
HARVESTING AND YIELD
Rubber trees attain tapping age at about 7 years.
Tapping: Latex is obtained from the bark of the rubber tree by tapping, tapping is the
process of controlled wounding during which thin shavings of the bark are removed to
induce the flow of latex. The number of latex vessels increases towards the cambium.
Tapping cuts extend to half the circumference of the tree (half spiral) and slope down to the
right.

Standard of Tappability and Height of Opening

Budded plants are regarded as tappable when they attain a girth of 50 cm at a height of 125
cm from the bud union. In seedlings, the first opening for tapping is recommended at a
height of 50 cm when the girth is 55 cm. If opening at a higher level is preferred, the
seedling trees can be opened at a height of 90 cm when the girth at that level is 50 cm. In a
budded tree. subsequent panels are also opened at the same height i.e., 125 cm. The height
specified for opening subsequent panels on a seedling tree is 100 cm.

It will be generally economic to begin tapping when 70 per cent of the trees in the selected
area attain the standard girth. In the traditional region it takes an average of seven years to
reach this state. Planting of advanced materials like polybag plants reduce the immaturity
period.

In India, the best period to open new areas for tapping is March-April. The trees that are left
behind during the season for want of sufficient girth may be considered for opening in
September.

Marking

Panels are marked on the trees selected for tapping, using a template and marking knife,
parallel to the contour terrace or planting line to facilitate efficient tapping operation. The
template is made of a strip of flexible metal, preferably GI sheet (of low carbon content).
The width of template will depend on tapping frequency. i.e. under d/2 tapping 23 cm, d/3 -
17 cm d/4 - 15 cm and d/7 - 13 cm. Separate templates are required for seedlings and
buddings and should be made in such a way that when used to mark, the slope of the cut
should be 250 for seedlings and 300 for buddings.

After deciding the position of the panel, a vertical line, called front channel line, is drawn.
On this line, the opening height is marked. Since half spiral tapping is the standard, the half
circumference of the tree at the opening height is determined using a measuring tape or
string and marked on the back. Another vertical line, called back channel line, is marked on
the half spiral point above the opening height. With the aid of the template placed between
these two lines, at the opening height, ensuring a high left to low right, the line for tapping
cut and a few guidelines are marked through the grooves. The vertical front end of the
template should be kept on the front channel of the tree, parallel to it and the free end of the
template is wound on the trunk towards the left side. After marking the guidelines, spout and
cup hanger are fixed. The marking should be repeated annually.

Slope and Direction of Tapping Cut

The tapping cut of the budded trees should have a slope of about 30 0 to the horizontal. For
seedling trees the cuts need to have a slope of only about 25 0, since the bark is fairly thick. A
very steep cut leads to wastage of bark when tapping reaches the base of the tree and too flat
a cut leads to overflow of latex. The slope should be marked, preferably annually, using
appropriate template.

The latex vessels in the bark run at an angle of 3-50 to the right and therefore a cut from high
left to low right will open greater number of latex vessels.

Tapping Depth, Bark Consumption and Bark Renewal

The best yield is obtained by tapping to a depth of less than one millimetre close to the
cambium since more latex vessels are concentrated near the cambium. Shallow tapping
results in considerable loss of crop. To obtain optimum yield, at the time of tapping care
should be taken not to injure the cambium. However, minor tapping wounds which will heal
in due course need not be considered as serious in the case of medium and low yielding
clones.

To restart flow from a tapping cut in a subsequent tapping, all that is needed is to cut a thin
shaving of the bark along with which the plugs of coagulated latex are also removed. Latex
flow ceases when latex gets coagulated, clogging the cut ends of the latex vessels in turn
with minute plugs of coagulated latex.

The rate of bark consumption will depend much on the skill of the tapper. For obtaining
optimum yield, it is preferable to consume about 20-23 cm of bark annually on 1/2S d/2
system without rest period. However removing bark shaving thicker than what is necessary
does not increase the latex yield but only wastes the bark.

Bark regeneration is brought about by the activity of the cambium. The rate and extent of
renewal are dependent on the inherent genetic characters of the planting materials, fertility
of the soil, climatic conditions, tapping system and intensity, planting density, and disease
incidence.

Time of Tapping and Tapping Task

It is necessary to commence tapping early in the morning, since late tapping will reduce the
exudation of latex due to increased transpiration by the trees leading to lower turgor pressure
in latex vessels. Such reduction is more marked in the summer months. For pre-dawn
tapping, headlights are used.

The number of trees allotted to a tapper for a day’s tapping is known as tapping task. Task
size is fixed on the basis of stand of trees per ha and topography of land. Normal tapping
task in India varies from 300 to 400 trees. Task size is reduced when double cut or other
intensive systems are adopted.

Economical life: About 40 years

After the completion of economical life go for slaughter tapping.

Yield:
In south India the annual yield of rubber is about 375 kg per hector per annum
from the seedlings, whereas budded plantations yield 900 to 1000 kg of rubber per ha.
Average latex yield of 1000 to 2000 kg per ha (even some times it ranges from 850 kg to
2500 kg)
Market rate: Rs 40 to 50 per kg.

Tapping and processing:

Latex is a milky white dispersion of rubber in water which is harvested by the
process of tapping.
Containers: Coconut shell,
Polythene cups. These containers are generally used to collect latex in Indian
estates. Collected latex is later transferred to clean buckets two or three hours after tapping.

Latex coagulum rubber / Field coagulum includes;

Normally 15 to 25 per cent of total crop constitutes tree lace ,shell scrap and earth
scrap which together is called as field coagulum rubber.
1) Tree lace: The latex which gets dried up on the tapping panel.
2) Shell scrap: The latex which dried up in the collection cups.
3) Earth scrap: The latex that is split and/ or overflowed on the ground (earth scrap) which
gets dried up. It is also collected once in a month or so.

Marketable forms of natural rubber includes; (Rubber forms processed for marketing)
 Sheet rubber: Prepared by addition of anticoagulants viz., Ammonia, Sodium Sulphate
and Formalin.
 Crepe rubber : When coagulum is passed through creeping machine,
 Latex Concentrates/ Preserved field latex : Obtained by centrifuge machine,
 Block Rubber/ Crumb rubber:
 Anticoagulants: It is a chemical added to latex to prevent pre-coagulation before it is
processed.
Eg: Ammonia, Sodium Sulfate, Formalin etc.

Systems of tapping
Rubber attains tapping stage at about 7 years of age during which period, required girth is
attained ( i.e., 55cm girth at 50 cm height) from ground.
Time of tapping: Early in the morning ( Late tapping will reduce latex flow)

Tapping task: Number of trees tapped in a day by one tapper. In India it is 300 trees
compared to 400 to 500 trees in other countries.

Sl. System of tapping Intensity Remarks

No.
1 ½ S ½ d i.e ., s2 d2 100 per cent Recommended for
(half spiral cutting and tapping at alternate budded plants
days for 6 months and rest for 3 months)
2 ½ S 1/3 d i.e ., s2 d3 1/3 day = 67 Recommended for
(half spiral cutting and tapping at every 3 % clonal seedlings
days for 6 months and rest for 3 months) ½ cut
3 ½ S d1 i.e ., s2 d1 1/1 day = Followed by small
(half spiral cutting and tapping daily for 6 200 % growers and it results in
months and rest for 3 months) ½ cut early deterioration of
trees.

Tapping system depends on the

1) Intensity of cut and
2) Periodicity of tapping.

Slope of tapping panel to horizontal zone in tree:

a) Budded trees = slope down by 30 º
b) Seedling = 25º

Slaughter tapping in rubber: The term slaughter tapping is used to indicate all out
bleeding of rubber tree to obtain maximum yield without regard to health or longevity of
trees. It is done one or two years before replanting or replacing crop.
In old trees tapping is done by giving two or more half spiral cuts simultaneously i.e.,
1. one at the base level and other at
2. at least 120 –180 cm higher level on the opposite side.
Slaughter tapping is sometimes practiced even on branches with the help of ladders. Here
length, height and frequency of tapping are all increased.

Chemical methods of yield increase:

Chemical used: Ethrel (2, chloroethyl phosphonic acid) i.e., ethephon.
Ethrel stimulate and increase the yield of rubber latex flow at least by two folds. Ethrel has
to be diluted with coconut oil to have 10 per cent active ingredient. Judicious application of
dilute (1 to 5 % active ingredient) ethephon on the panel or on the bark at prescribed
intervals and seasons enhances the yield.
Method of application: Bark application with a brush below the tapping cut to a width of 5
cm after light scrapping of outer bark.
Schedule of application:
1) After drought period, preferably after few premonsoon showers
2) Subsequent application during September
3) November

Latex can be processed into any of the following forms

1. Preserved field latex and latex concentrate
2. Sheet rubber
3. Block rubber
4. Crepe rubber
Field coagulum can be processed only into crepe rubber or block rubber.

Question Bank
1. What do you mean by tapping in rubber?
2. Mention the systems of rubber tapping
3. What do you mean by slaughter tapping in rubber ?
4. _____________ growth regulator is used for the stimulation of rubber latex flow
(Ethrel)
5. Tapping stage in rubber is attained in about ______ years of planting (7 years)
LECTURE 27
COFFEE (Coffea spp.)
FAMILY: Rubiaceae,
Arabica coffee =Coffea arabica =2n= 44 = a tetraploid and self pollinated- 80 per cent of
world coffee
Robusta coffee= Coffea canephora = 2n=22 a diploid – self sterile and cross pollinated.
Nearly 20 per cent (Suited for instant coffee and generally utilized for cherry coffee.
Tree coffee= Coffea liberica
Coffea bengalensis = Tree coffee Wild in Bengal, Myanmar (Burma) and Sumatra
Occasionally cultivated in India

Origin of coffee
Arabica coffee: Originated from Ethiopia, from a place called Caffa. The word coffee is
derived from the place called caffa. Here it occurs naturally in the forest between 1,400 to
1,800 feet elevation.
Robusta coffee = Believed to be originated from Central Africa (Congo and Zaire region)

Introduction of coffee to India

Arabica coffee: It was introduced in 1670 by Muslim piligrim Baba Budan. He brought seven
seeds from Yemen and cultivated in Chikmagalur, Karnataka. The original seeds he brought
were probably Mokka seeds.

Robusta coffee: It was introduced from Indochina region at the close of 19 th Century for
planting in the estates of lower elevations

Distribution of coffee:
Distribution of coffee: Coffee is susceptible to frost and hence, distribution is limited by
temperature.
World: It is distributed between 25º N and 25º S
 Area
Yield Production
coffee Harvested
(kg/ha) (tonnes)
(ha)
Brazil 2001340 12192 2440060
Vietnam 504100 23328 1176000
Colombia 768000 11558 887661
Indonesia 980000 7142 700000
India 343000 8440 289500
Ethiopia 395003 6720 265469
Peru 342600 7443 255016
Mexico 788984 3193 252000

Guatemala 251024 9930 249275

Honduras 230000 8947 205800
9841317 8342636

 Cultivation is mainly in developing countries but consumption is largely in developed

countries: Cultivated in about 80 countries mostly of developing world. Total area under
coffee is 11. 6 million ha.

Sl.No. Country Percent of world area

/Position under coffee
1 Brazil 21.2
2 Ivory Coast 12.3
3 Columbia 9.9
4 Indonesia 9.1
5 Mexico 5.2
6 Angola 4.5
7 Uganda 3.5
8 India 2.6
9 Other countries 31.8
Total 100

Coffee distribution in India:

Area under coffee in India (2.60 per cent of world acrage (8th position in the world)
India accounts for 3 per cent of world coffee production.
In India area under arabica coffee is nearly 49 per cent while that of robusta coffee is
nearly 51 per cent of total coffee area.
PRODUCTION OF COFFEE IN MAJOR STATES/DISTRICTS OF INDIA
State/District Post Monsoon Estimation Post Blossom Estimation
2010-11 2010-11
Arabica Robusta Total Arabica Robusta Total
Karnataka
Chikmagalur 37,475 36,000 73,475 39,825 37,000 76,825
Kodagu 20,900 88,600 109,500 22,050 90,750 112,800
Hassan 17,150 11,690 28,840 18,050 11,950 30,000
Sub total 75,525 136,290 211,815 79,925 139,700 219,625

Kerala
Wayanad 0 54,500 54,500 0 55,475 55,475
Travancore 900 7,200 8,100 900 7,300 8,200
Nelliampathis 700 1,400 2,100 700 1,400 2,100
Sub total 1,600 63,100 64,700 1,600 64,175 65,775

Tamil Nadu
Pulneys 5,700 225 5,925 5,700 225 5,925
Nilgiris 1,675 3,725 5,400 1,700 3,725 5,425
Shevroys (Salem) 3,600 50 3,650 3,600 50 3,650
Anamalais 1,000 500 1,500 1,000 500 1,500
(Coimbatore)
Sub total 11,975 4,500 16,475 12,000 4,500 16,500

Non Traditional
Areas
Andhra Pradesh 5,600 65 5,665 5,615 75 5,690
Orissa 200 0 200 260 0 260
Sub Total 5,800 65 5,865 5,875 75 5,950
North Eastern Region 100 45 145 100 50 150
Grand Total (India) 95,000 204,000 299,000 99,500 208,500 308,000

Size of holdings in India: About 98 per cent of Indian coffee growers are of small holding
(i.e., < 10 ha) accounting to 1.48 lakh growers.

2) Production and productivity of coffee in India:

Productivity of Arabica coffee = 815 kg/ha
Productivity of Robusta coffee = 1065 kg/ha
Average productivity = 946 kg/ha

Important differences between arabica and robusta coffee

Important differences between Arabica and robusta coffee

Sl. Characters Arabica coffee Robusta coffee

No. (C. arabica) (C. canephora)
1 Ploidy Tetraploid (2n =44) Diploid (2n =22)
2 Adoptability Higher elevations Comparatively lower
(1000 to 1500m) elevations ( 500 to 1000m)
3 Plant stature A small tree, shrub or a Bigger tree than Arabica
bush under training.
4 Number of days for 9 to 10 days 7 days
blossoming after the
receipt of blossom showers
5 Berries per node 10 to 12 per node but 40 to 60 per node but
bigger smaller
6 Fruit development period 8 to 9 months 10 to 11 months
7 Root system Small but deep Large but shallow
8 Pollination and fertilization Self fertile and self Self sterile and cross
pollination pollination

Question Bank

1) Differentiae between arabica and robusta coffee ?

2) Robusta coffee is tetraploid – True or False ( False – Arabica is tetraploid)

3) Type of pollination in Arabica coffee is _______________ (self)

4) Botanical name of tree coffee is _______________ ( Coffea liberica)

5) Mention major coffee producing countries in the world.

6) ______________ state produces maximum coffee in India (Karnataka)

LECTURE 28

Soil and climatic requirement

Soil: Coffee is not very specific with respect to its soil requirements. Important features of
ideal soil for profitable coffee cultivation are

1) Soil depth : It should be more than 75 cm

Shallow or compact soil: Poor root development and spread. Roots develop only on
upper horizons and it rarely goes deeper than 30 cm
Deep and permeable soil (>75 cm): Well developed tap root system, and rhizosphere
occupy considerable soil volume.

2) Soil PH: Slightly acidic to neutral pH is preferred ( PH of 4.50 to 6.00 and even upto
7.00)

Table: Soil and climatic requirement for coffee

SL. Climatic Factors Arabica coffee Robusta coffee
No.
1 Soils Deep, friable, rich in organic matter, Same as in arabica
well-drained and slightly acidic P H
( PH of 6 to 6.50)
2 Extent of Slope Gentle to moderate slope is ideal Gentle slope to fairly
level fields to be
preferred
3 Aspect North/East/North-Eastern aspects North/East/North-Eastern
are ideal aspects are ideal
4 Elevation for better 1000 to 1500m 500 to 1000m
growth and yield
(m)
5 Temperature 15 C to 25 C, cool equable 20C to 30 C, hot,
humid
6 Relative humidity 70 to80 % 80 ot 90 %
 7 Annual rainfall 1600 mm to 2500 mm 1000 to 2000 mm
8 Blossom showers March – April February – March
( 25 to 40 mm)

9 Backing showers April – May March – April

(50-75 mm)
10 Extent of shade Medium to light shade depending Uniform thin shade
on the elevation and aspects

Climate for coffee

Coffee is more exacting in its climatic requirement than its soil requirements.

Important climatic parameters deciding coffee performance and production

1) Rainfall
2) Temperature
3) Humidity
4) Altitude

Table: Climatic factors adversely affecting production of coffee

Sl. Climatic Factors Arabica coffee Robusta coffee
No.
1 Absence of blossom March- April March
showers during
2 Absence of backing Delayed beyond one month after Delayed beyond 20 to 25
showers during blossom showers – Poor crop set days after blossom rain
- Poor crop set
3 Hail storms Injures floral and vegetative parts Same damage as in arabica
coffee
4 Rain on the day of Partial or complete failure of the Partial crop failure
blossom crop
5 Western/Southern Partial or complete failure Partial crop failure
Exposure ( with
poor soil moisture)
6 Wind exposure Sensitive Sensitive

Rain fall for Coffee cultivation: Well distributed rainfall is preferred for coffee cultivation
with dry months from December to March.
Summer showers === Important for flowering in coffee.
Backing showers === Coffee is shallow rooted crop and can not exploit soil moisture from
deeper sub soils. Hence, for good fruit development backing showers is suggested.

Arabica Coffee varieties developed at CCRI Balehonnur

Variety Method of crop Feature
improvement
1 Selection-1 S-288 Has high percentage of defective beans due to
false poly embryony
2 Selection-2 Pedigree selection Seed distribution of this selection was
withdrawn due to high bean abnormality
3 Selection-3 Multiple crosses S-288 (S3l-1) x Kents arabica = Selection –3 (
( S- 795) ( Released in 1945-46) S-795)
Has least bean abnormality when compared to
S-288 ( Selection-1)
 Occupied large area under coffee since
its release in 1945-46
 High yield = 20 q/ha
 Good cup quality
 High proportion of A grade beans.
4 Selection-4 Pure line selection
5 Selection-5 Hybridization
6 Selection-6 Interspecific S-274 ( A robusta type) X Kents ( Arabica) =
hybridization followed F1 , F1 was back crossed with Kents
by back crossing
7 Selection-7 Multiple crosses San Raman is a dwarf mutant from Costa Rica
(San Raman (1953) – An arabica type. Introduced int India in
Hybrids) 1953. This mutant segregates into 70 per cent
Dwarfs and 30 per cent Tall plants.
 Suitable for high density planting.
8 Selection – 8 Pure line selection Spontaneous hybrid of robusta and arabica,
(Hibrido- De (1968 –69) spotted from Timor island and was given for
timor) cultivation from 1968 -69
9 Selection-9 Hybridization Selection-8 X Tafarikera = Drought hardy and
widely adopted plants.
Sln.9: Selection 9 is a derivative of a cross
between an Ethiopian Arabica collection,
‘Tafarikela’, and ‘Hybrido-de-Timor’. Sln.9
has inherited all the superior cup quality traits
of Tafarikela. This variety has won the Fine
Cup Award for best Arabica at the ‘Flavour of
India - Cupping Competition 2002’ organised
by Coffee Board of India.
10 Selection – Double crosses Caturra crosses other than HDT,
10 Caturra is highly susceptible to rusts
11 Selection – Interspecific C. liberica X C. eugenioides obtained through
11 hybridization amphiploidy. It resembles arabica and is
resistant to leaf rust and moderately tolerant to
drought.
12 Selection – Exploitation of natural Cross between Cauturra X HDT*
12- hybrids by involving
(Cauvery/ hybridization
Catimor)

Cauvery Coffee (Selection –12)- Features:

Cauvery hybrid is a F4 Cross between

Caturra ( A semi dwarf variety of arabica ) X Hybrid de Timor ( A semi-dwarf hybrid)
This variety has gained popularity among growers and it is occupying more than 25 thousand
ha area.

Features of Cauvery Coffee;

1) Suitable for High Density planting: Cauvery is a compact bush with vigorous
vegetative growth suitable high density planting.
2) Profuse branching: It is profuse branching, semi erect and droop when bearing.
No. of primaries upto 1 m height (i.e., at first topping height) = 16 to 20
Nodes per primary= 16 to 20 (i.e., very close internodes)
3) Precocious : Early flowering and = Early bearing
4) Reaction to leaf rust : At the time of release it showed high resistance to leaf rust.
However, from fast 5 to 7 years the resistance has been broaken down due to the
appearance of 7 new rust races.
5) Yield : High yielder = 30 q/ha( Under average management ) to 60 q per ha ( Under
intensive management)
6) Quality : Medium sized beans with
64 % A grade and
15 % B grade beans.
Beverage quality = Cup rating = FAQ to good = Fair average Quality

Chandragiri coffee:
It is a newly released coffee in 2007-08 by Coffee Board with the original source
from Portugal
It was introduced in the year 1975 to CCRI Balehonnur from Portugal. Farm trials and
intensive research trials were taken up at CCRI Balehonnur.

Features:
1) Bushy growth with slightly bigger leaves than Cauvery coffee
2) Bigger sized berries: It produces 25 per cent bigger sized berries compared to other
varieties.
3) Resistant to leaf rust: Lower (5 to 7 %) leaf rust incidence in this variety is reported
compared to other varieties (20 to 40 %).
4) Tolerant to drought

Improvement of robusta coffee ( Coffea canephora)

Robusta selections from CCRI Balehonnur are

1) Selection –1 R ( S-270 and S-274)

2) Selection –2 R ( BR series 9,10 and 11)
3) Selection – 3 R ( C X R coffee)

Unlike arabica coffee robusta coffee has long productive life of 70 to 80 years and hence,
farmers’ donot replace the old varieties frequently.

1) Selection – 1R (S-270 and S-274)

It is a seeding progenies of two individual mother palm identified in robusta gene pool
in India. It has 35 to 50 fruits per cluster.

Yield: 10 q per ha. Under rainfed condition/

S- 274 is preferred to S-270 on account of its bolder beans and wide adoptability. Among the
robusta selections S-274 is most popular and is promising well in planters’ field of all robusta
tracts in India.

2) Selection 2 R ( BR series 9,10 and 11)

Based on individual performance of clones BR (Balehonnur Robusta) 9, 10 and 11
raised from S-274 were found to be promising and seed mixture of these clones was issued as
Selection – 2 R.

The population resembles S-274 in growth habit, yield potential and bean/cup
characteristics.

Note: It is important to note that only seed mixture of these three clones BR –9, BR-10 and
BR-11 should be used for planting. Individual clones should not be planted separately which
may result in no fruit set due to incompatibility problems.
3) Selection – 3 R, ( C X R )
It is a inter specific hybrid between
Coffea congensis X C. canephora (Robust coffee i.e,. Selelction- 274) = F1 (CXR)
F1 is back crossed with both the parents ( Robusta and congensis)
Coffea congensis is a species closely related to both arabica and robusta with compact bush,
drooping branches and better bean quality than robusta.

Yield : 12 q/ha
Speciality : 1) Can be planted at a closer spacing of 8 ‘ x 8’ than S-274 (i.e., 10 ‘ x10’)

Question Bank

1) Blossom shower requirement in arabica coffee is during _____________month

(March- April)
2) Mention the features of Cauvery coffee
3) Mention released varieties in Arabica coffee
4) What are the features of Selection 3 R or C X R coffee ?
5) Write a note on Chandragiri Coffee ?
 LECTURE 29
Planting and aftercare
Site selection
The selected site should have following provisions;
1) Water supply : As perennial source
2) Soil rich in organic matter (humus)
3) Gentle Slope : Slope towards N or NE or E direction
4) Drainage : Provision should be there for adequate drainage
5) Altitude: Minimum of 500 m asl (Arabica 1000 m to 1500m while robusta 500 m to
1000m asl)
6) Wind break: Eastern wind during December- February causes injury to plants (cold
injury). Hence, wind belts of silver oak or orange or tree coffee should be raised
7) Partial shade: Clear natural vegetation for providing required partial shade to coffee
growth. It can be done by selective felling /retention of desired species of wild shade
trees in the natural forest vegetation.

Spacing and planting:

Spacing
Sl. No Type of Coffee Variety Spacing
( species)
1 Arabica Talls 6’ x 6’ or 7’ x 6’ or 7’ x 7’
2 Arabica Dwarfs 5’ x 5’
(Cauvery / Sanramon)
3 Robusta Talls (S-274 and old robustas) 10’ x10’ or
S-1 R and S-2 R 12’ x 12’
4 Robusta C x R ( S-3R) 8’ x 8’
Other robustas viz., 10’ x10’ or
Old robusta and S-274 12’ x 12’

 Plane land = square system of planting

 sloppy lands =Contour planting
 Steep slopes = Terrace planting
Opening up of pits
Time: March-April (Immediately after the first few summer showers to give scope for
weathering for about a month (at least 15 to 20 days))
Size of pit: Depending on soil depth /type
45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm (LBD) - Always leave 15 –20 days for weathering.

Planting material selection for planting:

A) Seed propagation and
B) Vegetative propagation

A) Seed propagation in coffee

Preparation of seeds
1. Selection of berries: Only ripe berries are marked from marked coffee trees for seed
collection and remove pulp and get beans.
2. Discard floats and defective beans
3. Seed treatment: Treat seeds with fungicide and dry seeds under shade.

B) Vegetative propagation:
1) Cuttings and 2) Grafting

Propagation by cuttings:
1. Selection of shoots: Select orthotropic (vertical shoots) suckers from elite trees.
2. Age of shoot: Semihard wood and of about six months old. ( 3 to 6 months old shoots
are better)

Shade management
Beneficial effects of shade in coffee
1) Quality improvement: Shade trees form natural canopy and it improves aromatic
properties.
2) Improved foliar health: Shade helps in getting glassy elegant leaves and controls pre
mature yellowing of leaves, defoliation and dieback.
3) Mulching effect: Leaves shed from the shade trees acts as soil mulch which in turn held
in conserving the soil moisture and prevents soil erosion and improves soil organic
matter status.
4) Temperature regulation: Insulation effect leading to buffering effect in soil
temperature.
Winter season = temperature will be warm enough and
Summer temperature under shade trees: cool
5) Improved organic matter status of soil : Decomposed leafy materials improves organic
matter content of soil. There will be minimum loss of humus under shade thereby
improving soil physical conditions.
6) Disease incidence : some of the diseases viz., Cercospora leaf spot and Colletotrichum
etc are minimized under shaded situations
7) Yield regulations: Shaded situations prevents over bearing in any of the particular year
and results in less variations / fluctuations in annual yields.
8) Wind breaks: Shade trees serve as wind belts and protects from hailstone damage and
damage due to cold wave.

Types of shade trees

Coffee requires filtered sunlight. It can be provided by providing lower canopy
(Temporary ) or upper canopy ( Permanent shade trees).

I) Temporary shade trees / Lower canopy shade trees:

Spacing of temporary shade trees: 6 to 8 m (One shade for every two coffee plants)
Temporary shade trees are lopped periodically to maintain required light.
Examples of temporary shade trees:
1) Erythrina lithosperma : Dadap or halwana
2) Grevillea robusta : Silver oak
Tree spices:
Nut meg, clove and cinnamon: Spaced at 5 m apart.

Permanent shade trees / Upper canopy shade trees:

Spacing: 12 – 14 m
Ideal shade trees for coffee - Features
Aim: To get filtered light
Features of ideal shade trees
1) Nature of tree: Evergreen: Tree should be evergreen. However, deciduous trees which
shed leaves during monsoon can also be used. Eg. Cidrella toona ( gandhagarige/ Red
cidar)
2) Flushing interval: Interval between shedding of leaves and emergence of new flush /
leaves must be short.
3) Feathery leaves: Selected trees preferably should have feathery leaves as to allow filtered
light. Avoid dense foliage and broad leaved trees.
Eg : Albizzia lebbeck
A. Stipulata
4) Clean trunk / Single stem: Trees should produce a clear trunk upto 30-35 feet to avoid
damage caused by dripping of rain water.
5) Spreading habit: Trees with wider canopy is preferred as to get maximum canopy from
minimum number of trees.
6) Withstand wind damage : Trees should not be brittle
7) Legume: Selected trees should be a legume.
8) Economically important: Tree should serve either as a timber (Eg. Dalbergia latifolia is a
good timber) yielding tree.or fruit plant (Eg. Jack tree) or standard for trailing black
pepper ( Eg. Silver oak is a very good standard for black pepper and wood is also of
good quality )
9) Withstand Lopping/ pruning/ trimming.

Shade trees absorb effective rays so that, light quality decreases. In open we get better growth
than in shade because of good quality light.

Shade regulation wrt permanent shade trees : Shade regulation is necessary in coffee and
it has to be done every year i.e., just before the commencement of monsoon.
Season :May – June – July ( Monsoon) by cutting/lopping of branches. It is because during
this period coffee receives less sunlight.

Training and Pruning in coffee.

Training in coffee:

Purpose of training:
1) Height restriction: Main purpose of training in coffee is to restrict the plant growth at
desirable height for better management ( spraying, harvesting etc)
2) Frame work: To attain proper shape, strong framework in coffee
3) Bearing wood: To promote the production of bearing wood.

Types of training
1) Single stem training: Suitable under India conditions.
2) Multiple stem: Practiced in American and Latin American countries.

1) Single stem system:

Practiced in India
Topping of growing main-stem
Purpose of topping/capping:
1) To restrict vertical growth and facilitating lateral branching giving increased fruiting area.
2) Thickening of main stem: It also helps in diversion of food material to thicken the main
stem and primary branches.
As soon as the plant reaches a desirable height (first topping height) the growth of
bush is restricted by topping/capping.

Table: First topping height in coffee

Sl. Variety Topping Remarks II Tier height

No. height
I - Tire
(cm)
1 Arabica 60 to 75 ( 2.5 In about 9-12 months 4.50 to 5 ft
Tall feet) stage after planting
2 Arabica 90 to 135 ( 3 to
Dwarfs 4.5 ft.)
3 Robusta 105 to 120 cm In about 18-24 months 4.50 to 5.00 ft
(3.50 to 4 ft) stage
 Raising of second tier:
Depending on the fertility of the soil and spreading of the plant when plants attain
about 4.50 to 5 ft height (135 to 150 cm) the second tier is raised.

2) Multiple stem system (Agobiada system)

Countries: Practiced in African and Latin American countries. Here multiple stems are
encouraged by bending the main stem ( i.e., Agobiada system
In India multiple stem training system is practiced under certain circumstances viz.,

1) Replanted fields: When old blocks are to be replanted with a new material, the old
plants are stumped and converted into multiple stem to yield crops until the new plants come
to bearing.

2) High density planting: Here coffee is planted very closely in the initial years and
later thinned out to normal spacing.
Here the plants which are to be thinned out ( removed or going plants) are raised on
multiple stems for enabling the main plants to spread out their laterals.

PRUNING IN COFFEE
Coffee bean crop on second year wood and hence, require regular pruning.
Purpose/Principles of pruning in coffee
1) To encourage new growth : In coffee by pruning old unproductive wood is removed
there by encouraging the growth of new branches. These new branches/growth would
become next year cropping wood.

Benefits of pruning in coffee:

1) Yield regulation : Pruning reduces the risk of overbearing in any of the particular year.
2) Pest and disease incidence : By pruning there will be better entry of sunlight and air in to
the bushes there by minimizing the incidence of pests and diseases.
3) Manageable shape : By proper pruning the tree is maintained in a manageable shape
thereby improving the efficiency of field operations viz., spraying, swabbing, harvesting
etc

Methods of pruning
Light pruning:
1) Medium to severe pruning
1) Light pruning:
In coffee trained on single stem regular light pruning is desirable.
Time of pruning: Starts after the harvest of coffee ( December to February) and continues
till the onset of monsoon. However, it is better to prune after few summer showers.

NOTE: Bushes suffering from exhaustion /die back are to be pruned only when there is
sufficient soil moisture.
It also includes periodical handling i.e., periodical removal of suckers. However, it is better to
prune after few summer showers.

Parts pruned during light pruning in coffee:

1) Old branches
2) Unproductive branches
3) Criss-cross branches
4) Lean and lanky growth
5) Whippy wood
6) Dead and broaken/damaged branches
7) Disease and pest affected parts
8) Suckers
9) Branches touching ground
II) Medium to severe pruning:
Periodicity of medium to severe pruning: It is done once in four years usually to replace
the laterals.
Rejuvenation of coffee bushes:
Stumping / Collar pruning: To rejuvenate badly damaged bushes during shade regulation or
due to irregular pruning.
Height of stumping: 30 cm from ground level.
Angle of cut slope: Cut has to be made at 45 degree sloping angle facing towards East or
North- Eastern direction.
Season of stumping: After the receipt of summer showers i.e., April- May
A vigorous growing sucker from 1 “ below the cut surface is trained on single stem.

Note: Cut surface is pasted with Bordeaux mixture paste to (10 %) prevents rotting and
drying of cut surface.

Manuring in coffee
Nutrition Management
Maintaining optimum pH by liming is essential requirement for nutrition management in coffee. If proper pH is not
maintained, the applied fertilizers will not be utilised by the plants effectively.
Soil testing at least once in 2-3 years should be mandatory for lime and fertilizer applications.
Use agricultural lime analysing 80% calcium carbonate. November is the best period for lime application. Application
of dolomite lime once in a while in rotation is beneficial.
Application of bulky organic manures like FYM or compost @ 5 tonnes/ha once in two years would improve the soil
condition and better utilization of applied fertilizers.
The recommended dose of fertilizers should be applied in three splits (post-blossom, pre-monsoon, post-monsoon) by
adopting drip circle method. In slopy areas, the fertilizers should be applied in the upper half of the drip circle.

Fertilizer recommendation in coffee

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Dose per plant in grams)
Age of plant Pre blossom Post blossom Post Monsoon
(March) (May) (October)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
N P2O5 K2O N P2O5 K2O N P2O5 K2O
I Year 8 5 8 8 5 8 8 5 8
II & III Year 10 8 10 10 8 10 10 8 10
IV Year 13 10 13 13 10 13 13 10 13
V Year & Onwards 24 15 24 24 15 24 24 15 24
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question Bank
1)Write about the spacing in arabica and robusta coffee
2) Write about the beneficial effects of shade trees in coffee plantation ?
3) What do you mean by temporary shade trees in coffee ?
4) Mention the features of ideal shade trees for coffee cultivation ?
5) Narrate about single stem system of training in coffee ?
6) Write a short note on a) pruning and b) fertilizer application in coffee ?
LECTURE 30

PLANT PROTECTION IN COFFEE

Diseases:
In India bacterial and viral diseases have not been recorded on coffee (both arabica
and robusta). However, both arabica and robusta are susceptible to fungal diseases.

Diseases in coffee : Leaf rust, 2) Black rot, 3) Pink disease, 4) Anthracnose

5) Root diseases etc
Non parasitic disorder
1) Kondli ( Copper toxicity)
2) Bean disorder in coffee

1) Leaf rust in coffee and its management

It is an oriental leaf disease. It is considered as one of the seven classic diseases of
the world since,
1) It ruined the economy of Sri Lanka rendering it bankrupt and
2) It changed the social habit of people from coffee drinking to tea drinking.
Cause: Hemelea vastatrix
There are 39 physiological races of Hemelea vastatrix arer reported of which 23
occur in India.
1868: Leaf rust disease first time observed in Sri Lanka
1869: Observed in India.

Arabica coffee is more susceptible than robusta and excelsa.

Season of occurrence : Throughout the year.

Peak period : August to November

Symptoms of coffee leaf rust disease

Defoliation: Initially small pale yellow spots appear on the lower leaf surface ---- turn ----
orange yellow (Due to powdery mass consisting of uredospores) on the entire surface of
leaves due to coalescence of spots -- finally necrotic spots and defoliation.

Barren & dead twig: During favourable year for disease spread the damage is so
devastating that, only barren and dead twigs could be seen devoid of cropping branches for
the succeeding year.

Crop loss: Crop loss due to this disease may go up as high as 70 per cent.

Management or control measures for leaf rust:

 2

1) Replacement with resistant material/tolerant material: Replace the susceptible material

in the plantation.
2) Chemical control: Bordeaux mixture @ 0.50 per cent concentration.
Alternative fungicides: Systemic, curative and eradicant fungicides can also be used
Viz.,
a) Plantvax ( Oxycarboxin) 20 EC @0.03 per cent a.i (1.50 ml per litre of water)
b) Bayleton 25 WP @0.02 % a.i ( 0.80 g per liter of water)

Spray schedule
i) Pre blossom – February – March
ii) Pre monsoon – May – June
iii) Post monsoon – September – October

PESTS in coffee

Major insect pests of coffee are as under

Sl. Pest
No
1 White stem borer
2 Coffee berry borer
3 Shot hole borer
4 Mealy bugs
5 Green scales
6 Brown scale
7 White grub / cockchafers
8 Hairy caterpillars
9 Root lesion nematode
10 Coffee bean beetle
11 Snail
12 Red borer
13 Thrips
14 Termites

(1) White stem borer (Xylosandrus quadripes/Xylotrechus quadripes )

Most serious pest of arabica coffee in India
Robusta coffee is free from this pest

Method of damage: Grubs feed on the corky portion under the bark for about two months.
 3

Symptoms of attack: Spitting of bark === Tunnelling even hard wood in all the directions
== Externally visible ridges are seen around the stem === Yellowing and wilting of leaves
===Less productivity with more of float beans ( floats)

Management of white grub in coffee:

1) Shade management: Maintenance of optimum shade
2) Removal of affected parts /trees prior to flight period: Prior to flight period ( i.e., the
period of emergence of adult beetles and in flight period beetles will escape by flying) Once
in April – May and other in October – December.
3) Minimising the scope for egg laying i.e. , Scrubbling : Eggs are laid on the loose scaly
bark of the main stem and thick primaries. Hence, removing loose scaly bark of main stem
and primaries using coconut husk is suggested. Scrubbling ( rubbing) during flight period
not only prevents egg laying but also kills eggs and grubs.
4) Swabbing /Spraying: During April – May, and October – November
Insecticide recommended: Lindane 20 EC @ 6.50 ml per litre of water. ( i.e., 1300
ml per 200 litres barrel)
Spraying of main stem and thick primaries with neem kernel extract may be
effective. However, as the persistence of neem derivatieves is only for a short period,
repeated applications may become necessary.

Harvesting and yield

Hastening fruit ripening in coffee:
Purpose: Speedy and uniform ripening will give scope for quick and early harvest = reduced
cost of harvesting in coffee.

Harvesting the berries:

In India there is only one cropping season. Arabica coffee harvested from November
to January and Robusta coffee from December to February. The crop will be ready for the
first harvest in about 3 - 4 years but economic yields are obtained from 5 - 12 years onwards
upto 50 years. The berries are harvested when they turn red to deep crimson colour. Season
of harvest is from October to February. Harvesting is done in stages as follows;
Fly picking: Small scale picking of ripe berries from October - November to February.
Main picking: Well formed ripe berries are harvested in December.
Stripping: All left over berries irrespective of ripening are harvested after main
picking.
Gleanings: Collection of fruits that have dropped down during harvesting.
Processing in coffee for parchment and cherry coffee preparation
Coffee is processed by two methods viz.,
1) Wet method – to prepare plantation or parchment coffee.
2) Dry method – to obtain cherry coffee.
 4

Wet Processing in coffee: It is for the preparation of plantation or parchment coffee which
is preferred in the market. Wet processing involves the following steps;

1) Collection of ripe berries : For both types of processing picking of fruits at correct stage
of ripening (just ripe berries – on gentle sqeezing the fruit, beans inside pop up easily and
the colour of berries changes to red or crimson) is essential. Just ripe berries are ideal for
pulping, to prepare parchment coffee.
Over ripe or under ripe berries results in poor cup quality on processing. If
harvesting could not be done in time the over ripe, under ripe and green coffee should be
sorted separately and processed for cherry coffee.
2) Pulping: Removal of outer skin of ripe berries by soaking in water. Pulp the ripe berries
on the same day to avoid fermentation before pulping.

3) Demucillaging and washing : Demucillaging can be done by

a) Natural fermentation : Arabica = 24 to 36 hours
Robust = > 72 hours because of thicker mucillage
Overfermentation = Leads to foxy beans
Under fermentation = Sticky mucilage is left out = Leads to absorption of moisture by beans
= Mistiness.
Proper fermentation = Mucillage come out easily beans when squeezed by hand.
b) Enzymatic fermentation = Pectinolytinc enzymes can be used.

c) Chemical demucillaging : Treatment with Alkaly. Here 10 % solution of Caustic Soda

(Sodium Hydroxide) is used.

d) Removal of mucilage by friction:

4) Washing: Washing in clean water after soaking for 24 hours (overnight) = Improves
quality and appearance.

5) Drying: Seeds spread on the mats in the open for drying.

6) Hulling: Removal of outer coer like epicotyl and parchment along with testa. The brittle,
dry husklike parchment (endocarp) is removed by machines and the sliver skin is removed
by polishing.

7) Polishing: Removal of adhering testa

7) Sorting:
8) Bagging: Coffee beans readily absorb foreign taints (Blemish) and odours and hence,
suitable care should be taken.

2) Dry method – to obtain cherry coffee.

 5

1) Harvesting of ripe berries

2) Drying: Drying of ripe berries for 12 to 15 days in bright sun until rattling sound is heard
when shaken. Drying usually takes 12 to 15 days with intemittant stiring (Hourly in the
beginning)
3) Bagging: The greenish grey seeds are graded and are then usually packed for export
purposes.

Roasting: The coffee beans are roasted at 500 º F or 270 º C for 5 minutes.The roasted
coffee beans have 0.5 to 1.50 per cent caffeine.

Grinding:
Grinding of roasted beans is the last step in the preparation of coffee powder.

Question Bank
1) Mention the major pests and diseases of coffee ?
2) How do you manage leaf rust disease in coffee ?
3) Write about the symptoms of white stem borer damage in coffee.
4) _________ coffee is free from white stem borer incidence (Robusta coffee)
5) Write about the stage of harvesting and two methods of processing in coffee ?
 COCOA (Theobroma cacao L.)
Introduction
Family : Sterculieaceae,
Cocoa is a popular beverage crop after tea and coffee
Theobroma : Name given by Linnaeus meaning “ Food of the Gods
Greek name Theos = Gods and Broma = Food
Cocoa consumption is mainly in temperate countries.
Europe : 50 percent of consumption of cocoa produced in the world
America : 40 percent of consumption of cocoa produced in the world
Cocoa is relatively a new crop in India,
Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L. ) is a native of Amazon region of South America. The bulk of
it is produced in the tropical areas of the African continent. There are over 20 species in the
genus but the cocoa tree Theobroma cacao is the only one cultivated widely.
Cocoa being a tropical crop, India offers considerable scope for the development. Cocoa is
mainly grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Importance:
Though cocoa has been known as the beverage crop even before tea or coffee, it is relatively
a new crop in India. Cocoa being primarily an item of confectionery industries is the produce
of Cacao plant mostly grown as a companion crop interspersed within the irrigated Coconut
and /or Arecanut gardens. Even though Cocoa comes under the definition of plantation crops
pure plantation of cocoa as such is absent in India. The commercial cultivation of cocoa
however commenced from 1960’s only. Various Cocoa products are confectionery in nature
and consumable with palatable ness. Internationally it is an item largely consumed in
developed countries. India has gained a foreign exchange of nearly Rs. 9.00 crores in 1995-
96 and Rs. 6.00 crores in 1996-97 by way of export of cocoa beans and its products from
India. At present the global production and consumption of cocoa is around 27.00 lakh MT,
compared to this, India’s production is meager i.e. 10,000 MT.

Early sixties : Introduced to India for commercial cultivation

> 1965 : Commercial cultivation of cocoa
1970’s : Large scale cultivation of cocoa

Origin and distribution,

Origin : Cocoa is native of Amazon region of South America.
 Under storey crop of rain forest in its natural habitat. Since 2000 years: Cocoa was
under cultivation in Central America. Central American cocoa is Criollo cocoa.
Distribution :
World : About 35 countries in the world are producing and exporting cocoa
Ghana, : African country : 30 per cent of world production.
Nigeria, : African country.
Ivory Coast, : ( In Western Africa by the western side of Ghana) Leads in the world with 40
per cent of world production followed by Ghana ( 30 %)
Brazil : 20 per cent of world production
Cameroon and Malaysia.

Asia : Only 2 % of world cocoa production Central American cocoa : Criollo

Are and production of cocoa in the world
Area
Yield Production
Harvested
(Hg/Ha) (tonnes)
(Ha)
200000
Côte d'Ivoire 6108 1221600
0
100000
Indonesia 8000 800000
0
165600
Ghana 4000 662400
0
137000
Nigeria 2700 370000
0
Cameroon 600000 3766 226000
Brazil 635975 3435 218487
Ecuador 398104 3028 120582
Togo 138160 7599 105000
Papua New Guinea 128000 3984 51000
Dominican Republic 173000 2901 50200
Colombia 127988 3855 49348
Peru 68860 5246 36124
 Mexico 61317 3695 22661
Venezuela (Bolivarian
50000 4000 20000
Republic of)
Malaysia 20561 8828 18152
Uganda 43000 3488 15000
India 34049 3471 11820
873309 24977
Total 4082270
3 2

Earlier cocoa was grown mainly in South America ( Brazil, Ecuador and neighboring
countries). Now two thirds of the world production is from Africa ( Ghana and Nigeria)
India:
Early 1970’s : Commercial cultivation in India started.
80 % of cocoa plantations : As intercrop/mixed crop with arecanut and coconut
plantation
20 % of cocoa plantations: Under crop of partially cleared forest.
Area : 11,000 ha
Production : 7,000 tonnes
Productivity : 605 kg per ha

Marketing of cocoa in India is controlled by few companies like Cadbury’s, Sathe etc and
they import cocoa at lower rates. Now cocoa crop is included under CAMPCO ( Central
Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co- Operated Limited)
State wise Area, Production & Productivity of Cocoa
A - Area in Ha.
PDN - Production in MT.
PDY - Productivity in Kg./Ha.
2008-09 2009-10
STATE
A PDN PDY A PDN PDY
Kerala 10708 6100 685 11044 6344 592
Tamil
8500 230 350 9347 900 443
Nadu
Karnataka 7250 2890 600 8958 7250 3006
A.Pradesh 14061 2600 565 16969 2704 192
TOTAL 40519 11820 550 46318 12954 380
http://dccd.gov.in/stat2.htm#State
Sl No. State Area ( % of total Production ( % of
area) total production)
1 Kerala 79 71
2 Karnataka 18 25
3 Other states viz., AP, TN. Etc
There is scope for expanding area in TN, Goa, Maharastra and North Eastern region,
Andaman and Nicobar islands

Climate and soil

Climate and Microclimatic requirement: Cocoa is a tropical crop. In its natural habitat
cocoa is a small tree in the lower storey\under storey of the evergreen tropical forest of South
America. The tree can not withstand high winds drought and sudden fall in temperature. The
microclimatic environment around the cocoa plants consists of a high humidity at all times. It
prefers high temperature under partially shaded situation.
Latitude : 20º N and 20 º S but maximum concentration is between 10º N and 10 º S
Temperature: Temperature range of 15 to 39º C with a an optimum temperature of 25 º is
considered ideal. Temperature below 10 º C and annuall average temperature is less than 21
ºC. Cocoa responds well to high temperature ( 30 ºC to 32 ºC) than lower temperature.
Rainfall : In the absence of irrigation facilities minimum requirement of rainfall is about
150-200 cm per year. Ideally cocoa requires a minimum of 90-100mm rainfall per month
with an annual precipitation of 150 -200 cm. Rainfall can be supplemented with irrigation
during dry periods.
Altitude : Preferably below 300 M asl. However, it can be grown up to 900m.
Relative Humidity : It prefers hot and humid atmosphere ( > 80 % through out the year) is
essential for optimum development of cocoa trees. Humidity has to be maintained near
saturation
Microclimatic requirement :
Cocoa needs sunlight to be screened to a certain extent particularly during dry weather
period. Cocoa is a under storey crop of Amaon fores of S.America.
It can be profitably cultivated where 50 % of light is available. In India, coconut and arecanut
plantations are best suited for cocoa cultivation.
Under arecanut 30-50 percent of sunlight penetrates through the canopy, which can be
intercepted by cocoa.
Shade can not limit cocoa production when all other environment factors are favorable viz.,
 Optimum temperature : 30-32 º C
 Excellent average RH :
 Optimum rainfall
 Humus rich soil enriched with fertilizer etc.

Soil : Deeper and richer soils are favorable. The best soils are forest soils rich in humus. A
minimum of 3.5 per cent Organic matter in top 15 cm soil is expected for ideal growth.
Deep : (i.e., > 1.5 m)
Well drained :
PH: 6.5 to 7.0 is ideal. However, it thrives on wide range of soil types with PH ranging from
4.5 to 8.0
Note: At lower pH ( <5.0) : Less availability of P and toxic quantity of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn.
And at higher ( > 7.0 P H ) Deficiency of trace elements particularly Zn.

Varieties : Varieties / cultivars

There are three main types of cocoa viz.,
1) Criollo group : Here pods are red before ripening, varying in shape and turn yellow on
ripening. Its fruits have furrows on fruit surface and have rough warty fruit surface.. It is
generally poor yielder with slow growing habit and small leaves. It is susceptible to various
diseases.
Criollo types have very weaker chocolate flavour but may have other flavours and is
highly priced by some buyers.
2) Forestero group : It is the commercially cultivated type of cocoa in major cocoa
growing countries. Here pods are green before ripening and turn yellow on ripening. Pods are
of smooth surface and have shallow furrows on it. Seeds have dark purple cotyledons and
seeds are more or less flat.
When compared to Criollo it is more vigorous and high yielder. It has good plane
chocolate flavour and good for milk chocolates
3) Trinitarios Group of cocoa : It is originally selected from Trinidad. It is heterozenous
type probably resulting from Foretero and Criollo cross. It has botanical features of
intermediate nature between Criollo and Forestero types. The product of this group is also of
intermediate in quality.
The cocoa cultivars in different countries vary with the region from which they were
introduced and the amount of hybridization. Commercial cocoa has two major varieties,
Criollo and Forestero which differ in many aspects as follows.;

Sl. Features Criollo Forestero

No
1. Cotyledons Plumpy & white when fresh Flat and purple when beans
& on fermentation attains are fresh and turn dark
cinnamon colour. chocolate brown on
fermentation.
turn dark chocolate
brown on fermentation
2 Plant vigour Less More vigourous than
Criollo
3 Colour of the pod Dark red Green when immature and
turn yellow on ripening.
and turn yellow on
ripening.
4 Other pod characters Rough surface, ridges Smooth, inconspicuous
prominent, pronounced point ridges, thick walled, melon
and thin walled. shaped with rounded end

5 Beans per pod 20-30 > 30

5 Flavour and aroma and Mild flavour and pleasant Harsh flavour with bitter
quality aroma with superior quality taste
and are priced more than that
of Forestero types.
6 Duration of 3 days 6 days
fermentation
7 Adoptability in India Poor adoptability and low Adoptable with higher yield
and yield level yield and hence discouraged level and hence
for commercial cultivation recommended for
commercial cultivation not
only in India but also in the
entire world.
8 Disease reaction More susceptible for disease Less susceptible
particularly that are caused
by Phytophthora palmivora

Other types of cocoa includes

1) Trinitario: A hybrid between Criollo and Forestero from Trinidad.
2) Amelonado: A Forestero type bean with a melon shaped pod cultivated in west
Africa.
3 Amazon: Vigourous growing and high yielding type collected from Amazon forests.
The accession numbers of I-21, II-11, II-18, II-67, III-5, III-101 from Malaysian
collection were having desirable characters like high yield, bean weight of more than one
gram and are recommended for cultivation in South India.

Propagation in cocoa :
Cocoa can be planted either as
1) Seedling or through
2) Vegetative propagated material

Seed propagation: At present, commercial propagation of cocoa is through seedlings.

Use ripe pods and seeds will lose viability soon after they are taken out of pods. Hence,
fresh beans are used for sowing. Seed viability can however be enhanced for several weeks
when kept mixed with charcoal. Pods as such stored in polythene bags and dry charcoal
powder retained viability upto a period of 30 days.
Vegetative Propagation
Cocoa being a cross pollinated plant seedlings show considerable variability. Vegetative
propagation is through
1)cuttings,
2)budding : i.e., Forket method of budding or 3)soft wood grafting.
3) Grafting ( Soft wood grafting) :The soft wood grafting technique was first standardized at
Vittal Station of CPCRI using four months old seedlings as root stock. Scion collected from
high yielding plants with other desired characters, were grafted on the seedlings which gave
60-80% success

Soft wood grafting in cocoa : Vegetative propagation is important since true to type trees
are produced. Soft wood grafting is a more preferred vegetative method for production of
planting material. The material consists of cleft grafting of scions to 2-3 month old seedlings
root stocks.
http://dccd.gov.in/ctech.htm#about
Age of root stock : 2- 3 months old
Length of scion stick : 12-14 cm
The scion sticks should be 12-14 cm long and secured to root stock cleft by 1.5 cm wide
polythene tape. Graft union takes place within one month . The grafts will be ready after 3
months for planting.

Planting cocoa as mixed crop with arecanut/Coconut plantation.

Pit size : 50 cm x 50cm x 50 cm

Fill pits with top soil and 25 kg FYM an plant seedlings of 6 months old
A) Under Forest areas ( As pure crop) : Forest trees are thinned to the desirable shade
levels if natural partial shade is available. Other wise plants of silver oak or glyciridia may
have to be raised 2-3 years before planting of cocoa.
Spacing : 2.5 m x 2.5 m to 3.0 m x 3.0 m
Cocoa can be successfully cultivated as a mixed crop with both arecanut and coconut. In
India cocoa cultivation is under coconut and arecanut gardens.
B) Cocoa as a mixed crop with arecanut :
Both arecanut and cocoa needs shade during the first two hot weather seasons after
planting. Banana can be grown as a shade crop. During subsequent years shade cast by areca
palms will provide the required shade for cocoa.

Spacing and alignment

Spacing for arecanut (Main crop : 2.7 m x 2.7 m
Spacing for cocoa : 2.7 m x 5.4 m * (* = one row of cocoa for
every two rows of areca)
Plant population of cocoa per ha : 686 plants per ha.
Drainage channels :There will a drainage channel for every two
rows of arecanut ( i.e., at 5.4 m apart)

If arecanut is planted in quincunx method at 4m x 4m spacing : Cocoa occupies the centre of

the square

Spacing in arecanut plantation Population per ha

as a crop
2.7 m x 5.4 m 686

C) Cocoa as a mixed crop with Coconut:

Single hedge system :cocoa at 2.7 m apart between cocoa plants in between two rows of
coconut.
Double hedge system (Paired row system) : cocoa at 2.5 m apart in double rows in between
two row of coconut.

A row of cocoa is planted, between 2 rows of coconut when a spacing of 7.5 m x 7.5
m is provided for cocoa. Here cocoa is planted at a spacing of 3 m with in row ( i.e., 3 m x
7.5 m ) accommodating a population of 444 plants per ha. One more cocoa plant each can
logically come between columns of coconut leading the population to 614 per ha (444 + 170
= 614).
If the spacing is more, it may be possible to accommodate even 3 rows of cocoa between
coconut rows.
 Spacing in coconut Population per ha
plantation as a crop
2.7 m x 2.7 m (single hedge) 1370
2.5 m x 2.5 m (double 1600
hedge)

Manuring and irrigation,

Manuring :
FYM per tree : 25 kg at the time of planting and annually there after
Annual dose for trees of 4 years and above : :100 g N : 40 g P 2O5: 14 g K2O per tree per
year
Dosage of fertilizer application.
Critical stages for fertilizer application in cocoa :
1. Before the main flush
2. Before flowering
3. About 2 months before the main harvest when developing crop has greater demand
for nutrient.
In four equal splits during April-May, Sept-October, November-December and February-
March.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Per plant per year)
Age ------------------------------------------------------------
FYM N P2O5 K2O
(Kg) (g) (g) (g)

i Before planting 25 -- -- --
ii After first year 25 25 10 35
iii After second year 25 50 20 70
iv After third year 25 75 30 105
v After fourth year 25 100 40 140
& onwards
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apply Farm Yard Manure before the onset of monsoon. Fertilizers may be applied in
four equal doses during April-May, Sept-October, November-December and February-
March.

Method of fertilizer application : Ring method

Fertilizers may be applied uniformly around the base of the tree upto a radius of
75cm leaving 0.50 m at the base of the tree and forked and incorporated into the soil, to a
depth of about 15cm (6").
The bands are to be widened with age. However, in mature cocoa ( When canopy is properly
closed) fertilizer should be broadcast on the soil surface through out the field.
Irrigation in cocoa

Cocoa plants are sensitive to drought. Young trees requires more frequent irrigation.
Summer irrigation : Cocoa requires continuous supply of moisture for optimum growth and
yield. If adequate water supply is not ensured during summer yields will be reduced
drastically.
Interval of irrigation in South India during summer : Weekly intervals
When as a mixed crop with arecanut : Irrigate with 175 liters of water as per the schedule
given hereunder;
November – December :Once in a week
January – March : once in 6 days
April – May : Once in 4- 5 days

Drip Irrigation : Cocoa responds well to drip irrigation. @ 20 litres per tree per day

Training and pruning of cocoa

Cocoa shows dimorphic branching ( i.e., Branching in morphologically distinct forms) .
Jorquette: It is the point where in chupon ( i.e., vertical/orthotropic growth of seedlings)
terminates to produce fan branches.
Chupon : It is the main stem coming from the seedlings i.e., vertical / orthotropic shoots. It
is determinate in growth.A chupon or vertical growth of plant terminates at the jorquette
where 4-5 fan branches develop. Further chupon develops just below the jorquette and
continues vertical growth till another jorquette is formed.

Fan branches : It refers to the side branches which are plageotropic in growth and are
almost horizontal, produced at the point of jorquette.
Pruning in Cocoa: Cocoa grows in a series of storeyes. The chupon or vertical growth of the
seedlings terminate at the jorquette, where 4-5 fan branches develop. Further, chupon
develops just below the jorquette and continues its vertical growth till another jorquette
forms and so on.

When first jorquette develops at a height of about 1.50m (5ft) the canopy will form at a
convenient height for harvesting and other operations. It is desirable to limit the height
of the plant at 1.50m (I-jorquette) only by periodical removal of chupon growth. A
second jorquette may be allowed to develop if the first one formed is very close to
ground. Normally 3-5 fan branches are developed at each jorquette and if fan branches
exceeds 5 number remove the weak fan branches.

Pruning of cocoa:

An un pruned trees produces four or more tires attaining a height of about 15 m or

more. Development of branches of the new storey usually leads to degeneration of the lower
storey,
Aim of pruning : To get maximum leaf area to avoid self – shading of leaves. Only the
branches on the outside part of the canopy ( exposed to sun light) of the tree will produce
photosynthates and thus make a real contribution to the carbohydrate reserve of the tree. In a
cocoa planted at 2.7 m x 5.4 m and a canopy area of 15 -20 m2 (is optimum) is found to give
higher bean yield.
Cocoa grows in a series of stories or tiers. Seedlings normally grow unbranched to a
height of 1 to 2 m. The terminal bud then ceases growth and 3 to 5 lateral branches (fan
branches) develop at that point of jorquette. Further increase in height is due to the
development of chupon/sucker ( Vertical growth) just below the jorquette.
First storey : When first jorquette developes at about 1.5 m height, the canopy will be at a
convenient height for harvesting and other operations. Three to five fan branches are
encouraged at each jorquette.

Plant protection in cocoa

Disease: Symptoms of attack and control measures of
I)Black pod disease ii) Charcoal rot diseases.
Diseases
(1)Black pod disease (Phytophthora palmivora). It also causes seedling die back in the
nursery and also canker in the advance age/ stage.
Symptoms: Affected pods turn chocolate brown to black and beans become
discolored.
Congenial conditions :
 Temperature below 21 ºC
 High RH
 Rainy season

Control/ Management
1) Prophylectic spray : A preventive spray with BM 1 per cent can also be given at the onset
of monsoon in heavy rainfall areas.
2)Regular and frequent harvesting : Removal of infected pods at frequent intervals to reduce
loss and
3) Fungicidal Spray :Spraying 1 % Bordeaux Mixture or 0.3 per cent copper oxychloride
during monsoon twice at 45 days interval.
2)Charcoal rot (Botryodiplodia theobromae and Macrophoma Spp):
Season : More during summer, though it is seen through out the year.
Part affected : pods
Symptoms : Pods of all ages are susceptible. The affected pods turn black and remain
hanging down on the tree as mummified fruit. Even beans inside the fruit turns black due to
rotting of internal tissues. Soot (Charcoal/ black) of spore massed is formed.
Control: Spray 1 % Bordeaux Mixture.
Other diseases include cherelle wilt, pink disease, white thread blight, etc.
Question bank
1. Botanical name of cocoa is ------------- (Theobroma cocoa)
2. Large scale cultivation of cocoa in India strated during -------------- (1970’s)
3. Write about microclimatic requirement of cocoa
4. Differentiate Criollo and Forestero types of cocoa
5. Write about the planting of cocoa as a mixed crop with coconut
LECTURE 32

Pests: Symptom of attack and control/management of i) Stem borer and ii) Mealy bugs.

Sl. Name of the pest Season of incidence and Management/ Remarks

No. method of damage/ Control measuers
Symptoms

1 Stem borer Bores into the branches Prune and destroy Caterpillars of
(Zeuzera coffeae and trunks of cocoa trees. the affected this polyphagus
Nietn.) branches and take pest commonly
up prophylactic known as red
spray to the plant borer or coffee
with 1.7ml borer
dimethoate or 2ml
Quinolphos or 4g
Carboryl per litre of
water.

It can also managed

by local application
of carboryl paste
after pruning the
affected portion of
stem.

2 Mealy bugs Adult and young ones :Spot application of Most important
(Planococcus suck tender shoots, 1.25 ml of pest of cocoa in
lilacinus Ckll.) cushions, flowers and monocrotophos or India is mealy
pods, etc. They also cause rogor 1.70 ml per bugs.
cushion abortion and litre of water.
wilting of cherelles.
If there is recurrence
Season : More during of the pest repeat
summer. the application after
30 days

Harvesting, fermentation and yield of cocoa.

Harvesting :

Flowering : 2 nd year after planting

Flowering to pod development : 140 to 160 days

 2

Stage of harvesting : Ripe pods without damaging the flower cushions.

Maturity symptoms :

1) Distinctive Colour : In forestero green pods will become yellow when on

ripening.

2) Rattling sound of beans : Seeds which are 25 to 45 in number rattle on ripening.

Harvesting intervals : 10 -15 days

Harvesting season :

Under South Indian conditions

1) September to January ( Post monsoon)

2) April to June ( Pre monsoon)

Off season crops are seen almost through out the year especially under irrigated conditions.

Note : Care should be taken not to damage flowering cushion at the time of harvesting of cocoa
as it will produce the flowers and fruits of subsequent harvests.

Gap between harvesting and breaking of pods for processing : two days. ( 2-3 days). Break the
pods cross wise and remove placenta along with husk and collect beans.

Pods can be kept upto a week before breaking and extracting the beans for fermentation.

Processing of cocoa :

Harvesting of cocoa consists of picking and breaking of ripe pods, removing the beans
and transporting them for fermentation and drying.

Only ripe pods are harvested ----- Kept for minimum period of 2 days before opening the pods
for fermentation (Should not be kept beyond 4 days). ---------Break the pods -----------collect
beans for fermentation.
What for fermentation is essential in cocoa ?

Purpose of fermentation in cocoa includes;

1) To remove the adhering mucilaginous pulp,

2) To develop chocolate flavor and aroma precursors and to reduce bitterness,. Chocolate flavor
is developed by the process of fermentation and drying at producer level and roasting them by
manufacturer. The correct fermentation of cocoa beans is very important since, no subsequent
process will correct the bad effect created at this stage.
 3

3) To kill the germ ( reproductive cells) of the seed and to loosen the testa.

4) To loosen testa and cause cotyledons to spread out.

Process of fermentation in cocoa:

It involves keeping the mass of cocoa beans immediately after taking out of the pods. Proper
insulation for retention of temperature and adequate facilty for aeration of beans and drainage the
sweat liquor is given.

Process of fermentation lasts for about 6 days ( in Forestero type) during which period
the pulp or mucilage adhering to the beans dis-appear and cotyledons changes its colour. Eg. In
Forestero colour changes from purple or violet to dark chocolate brown.
Methods of fermentation

Fermentation

Fermentation of Cocoa beans is essential to remove the mucilaginous pulp, to develop flavour and aroma
precursors, reduce bitterness, kill the germ of the seed and to loosen the testa. Among the various
methods adopted for fermentation in different cocoa producing countries, Heap, Box Tray and Basket
methods are considered as the standard methods.

TOP

Heap Method

This method involves keeping a mass of not less than 50 kg. of wet beans over a layer of banana leaves.
The banana leaves are spread over a few sticks to keep them a little raised over the ground level to
facilitate the flow of sweating. The leaves are folded and kept over a heap of beans and a few wooden
pieces kept over it to keep the leaves in position. The heaps are dismantled and the beans mixed the
third and fifth days. It needs about six days for the completion of fermentation and the beans can be taken
out for drying on the seventh day.

Even though the minimum quantity of beans required for effective fermentation is 50 kg. a further
increase in quantity of beans in a heap will be beneficial. However, heaps of more than about 500 kg.
may be difficult to handle.

Tray Method

Wooden trays of size 90 cm x 60 cm x 13 cm with battens or reapers fixed at the bottom with gaps in
between, are filled with beans. Each tray can contain about 45 kg. wet beans. Six such trays are stacked
one over the other and an empty tray is kept at the bottom to allow for drainage of sweating. After
stacking, the beans of the top most tray are kept covered with banana leaves.
After 24 hours of setting the stack of trays is kept covered with gunny sacking to conserve the heat that
develops. There is no need for mixing the beans and fermentation will be completed in four days. On the
fifth day the beans can be taken out for drying.

The minimum number of trays required to be stacked is about six but as many as 12 trays can be used
simultaneously.

Box Method

Wooden boxes of 1.2 x 0.95 m x 0.75 m with holes at the bottom and sides of the box are filled with wet
beans. These boxes can hold one M.T. of wet beans. The beans are to be mixed on alternate days. As
the quantity of beans is high, this is best done by changing the beans from one box to another at the time
of mixing. This would necessitate having a minimum of three boxes.

Wet beans taken for fermentation should be sufficiently ripe so as to separate the beans form the
polacuta and husk easily. Minimum quantity of wet beans for a normal fermentation is about 100 kg. The
 4

duration of fermentation is commonly for 3-5 days i.e., 72-120 hrs. Fermentation over 120 hours will
cause loss of chocolate flavour and development of off flavour.

Drying & Storage

The fermented beans can be dried either in the sun or by artificial means. Sun drying can be done in thin
layers of 2 - 3 cm. depth and stirring from time to time. When the beans are dried properly, they produce
a characteristic cracking sound on compressing a fistful of beans in the palm. The more scientific method
is to use moisture meter. The dried beans after cooling maintaining 6 -8% moisture should be cleared
before storage. The fruit broken, shriveled and other extraneous material are removed. The cleared bags
are kept on a raised platform of wooden planks.

However, box and basket methods are recommended.

What ever be the method adopted care must be taken

1) Immediate fermentation : To put the beans for fermentation immediately after taking out
of the pods.
2) Proper insulation : Fermentation mass need to be provided with proper insulation for
retentation of temperature
3) Proper facility for aeration of bean : Adequate facility for aeration beans must be made.
4) Drainage of sweat liquor.

Differences between box method and basket methods of cocoa fermentation;

Sl. Particulars Box method Basket method

No.

1 Minimum Quantity Large estates ( 40 to Small quantity of beans ( 5 to 10 kg)

of beans 100 kg)
required/Suitability

2 Method used Wooden box of 60 Bamboo or cane baskets of suitable

cm x 60 cm x 45 cm size. Banana leaves at the bottom
with reapers at the with provision for drainage of
bottom. sweating.
rd th
3 Mixing process (To While transferring to Mixed thoroughly on 3 and 5
obtain uniform next box after 24 day
fermentation and to hours
maintain
temperature,
moisture and aeration
)

Yield: 20 to 35 kg ripe pods per tree or 100 - 131 pods per plant. Each pod will have 25- 45
beans. Dry beans per plant : around 2 kg In arecanut plantation the population per ha is around
686 plants and it will yield about 6q. dry beans per ha (i,e., about one kg dry beans per tree) High
yielding clonal planting materials which have a production potential= 3 kg dry beans/tree.

Question Bank
 5

1. Mention the major pests of cocoa

2. Mention the stage of harvesting and maturity symptoms in cocoa

3. Write about the purpose of fermentation in cocoa

4. Write a note on methods of fermentation in cocoa

5. Harvesting interval suggested in cocoa is ------------- (10-15 days)

LECTURE 33
TEA
(Camellia sps) Family : Camelliaceae (= Theaceae)
Camellia sinensis L.
(2n =30)
Introduction :
Uses
1) As a beverage: Tea contains alkaloids called thein ( 2 to 5 %) which is a caffeinaceus
alkaloid relieving body fatigue. However, excessive tea drinking is harmful to our
digestive systems.
2) Polyphenols present in tea reduces blood cholesterol and cures hepatitis, hypertension,
stone formation etc. (Heart attack is due to cholesterol + triglycerides which is a
saturated fatty acid)
3) Medicinal properties: Black tea (a fully fermented tea) is anti ulceric and ant carcinogenic
in nature.

Research Stations Board working on tea cultivation and in India

1. UPASI = United Planters Association of Southern India, UPASI Tea Research Institute,
Nirar Dam B.P.O, Velparai – 642 127, Dist: Coimbatore, TN.
2. TES = Tea Experiment Station, Tocklai, Jorhat, Assam
3. Tea Board: Calcutta,

Origin and distribution of tea

Origin:
Chinese people were the first users of tea.
 South East Asia
 South Western China
 North Eastern India (Assam)
 Adjoining areas of Upper Burma (Myanmar) are probable place of origin of origin of
tea.
The region from South East China (Szechwan-Yunnan) to Assam (India) has been reported as
the centre of origin of the tea plant.
 Now tea cultivation is extending from Argentina in the south (27 ºS) to Georgia
(Transcaucasia at 43 ºN) and
From almost sea level upto 2,460 m MSL

Distribution of tea
World: Major tea growing area in the world (Nearly 93 % ) is in developing countries.
Asia = 86 % of area and
Africa =8 % of total area (during 1986 %)
Asia: India, China and Sri Lanka are the main tea producing countries in the world.
India produces nearly 30 % of world tea production followed by
China (22 %) and
Sri Lanka (8%).
Area
Yield Production
tea Harvested
(Hg/Ha) (tonnes)
(Ha)
China 1437873 9568 1375780
India 470000 17021 800000
Kenya 158400 19829 314100
Sri Lanka 221969 13064 290000
Turkey 75851 26183 198601
Viet Nam 111600 16639 185700
Indonesia 107000 14953 160000
Japan 47300 18181 86000
Argentina 39000 18826 73425
Thailand 18635 34186 63707

However China is having maximum area under tea in the world( over 40 % of world
area) but the maximum production is from India mainly because of higher productivity ( 414
kg /ha in China compared to 1570 kg per ha in India during 1986)
Other countries:
Kenya ( 8 %) , Turkey, Indonesia, Japan, Mauritius, Bangla, USSR, Iran, Argentina,
(Argentina at 27º S and Georgia (Southern part of USA) at 43º N

India:
In India 80 % of the area is above 50 ha in size and most of them are in corporate sector
(United body)
North India = Nearly 80 per cent of total area in India,
South India = Nearly 20 % of total area in India
Distribution in India:
Assam = 53 %
West Bengal = 24 %
Tamil Nadu = 13 %
Kerala = 8 %
Other states = 2 % (It is from Karnataka, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, UP, Bihar, Sikkim,
Manipur)
Although Darjeeling produces the finest quality of tea, its productivity is low. The average
yield in Darjeeling (635 kg/ha in 1981) is reported to be less than half of the all India
average.
1) China bush: small leaved china bush,
Camellia sinensis L. var sinensis ( Syn: Thea sinensis ) commonly known as china tea. It is
indigenous to China and cultivated in India, Nepal etc.

Features:
1) It is hardy, multistemmed, slow growing shrub or a small tree (1-6 m height).
2) Branches : Young branches are rather stout, hairy(hairy) to glabrous and older
branches are grey.
3) Leaves : Small i.e., 4 to 10 cm long, erect, shortly stalked, elliptic, leathery, dark
glossy green above and light green below.
4) Economical life : The variety has a economical life of about 100 years. However,
pruning and continuous plucking reduces the life span.
5) Winter hardy : It can with stand severe winters and hot droughts on northern India.
Hence, it is grown at an altitude above, 1050 m. Eg. Darjeeling.
6) Quality : It is highly valued for its flavor

2) Assam tea: Large leaved Assam tea have been recognized. = Camellia sinensis L. var
assamica (Syn:Camellia assamica, and Thea assamica)
It is apparently indigenous to Assam, Mynmar, Thailand, Vietnam and South China.

Features:
1) Quick growing: It is quick growing tender plant of more southern distribution.
2) Stature: It grows into a single stemmed tree about 17 m in height if allowed to grow
unimpeded.
3) Leaves: Larger leaves of 15 – 20 cm long usually thinner drooping leaves more or less
acuminate at the apex, light green, glossy, puberulous chiefly along the mid rib below.
4) Economical life: It has a economical life of about 40 years.
5) Quality : The tea made from China plants have a definite character and flavour, but
lack strength and quality which are marked in Assam teas when grown in certain areas
6) Distribution : Assam tea is used in North East India, South India, Sri Lanka,
Indonesia, Africa and South America
Numerous hybrids between China and Assam types are known around Darjeeling in India. As
tea is largely cross-pollinated and most of the commercial crop is raised from seed, the crop
is very heterogenous.

3) Cambodia tea race

or Southern form of tea is closely related to Camellia assamica and is named Camellia
assamica subsp lasiocalyx

Distribution: It is cultivated in the Nilgiris and in Western ghats near Mangalore ad is

commonly known as Southern form of tea or as the Cambodia race. It is a small tree with
long narrow up-turned leaves. Base of the petiole is pinkish red in colour which is a
distinctive feature of this variety.

Features
1) Stature : 4 to 5 m tall trees
2) Leaves : Hard and small (long narrow upturned leaves)
3) Yield: Poor yielder.

Different features of Assam tea and China tea.

Table: Differentiating features between Assam tea and China tea

Sl. No. Features Assam tea China tea

(Camellia sinensis var (Camellia
assamica) sinensis var
 sinensis)
1 Stature Tree Shrub/bush
2 Branches and growth Few robust branches and Abundant
rate quick growing branches and
slow growing
3 Leaves Large (15 to 20 cm long) Small (4 to 10 cm
and glossy and less long), leathery
serrated and more serrated
4 Quality Medium (better strength) Good (Better
flavor)
5 Yield High yield Low yield
6 Susceptibility to Susceptible Hardy and
drought and frost resistant (Winger
hardy)
7 Distribution Countries near to equator Cold countries
viz., India, Sri Lanka, S.E. and high altitude
Assia, Central Africa etc areas like Japan,
N- Iran, S.
Russia, or China
etc
8 Economic life Less ( 40 years) More (Over 100
years)

Climate and soil requirement for tea

Climate:
Tea is a subtropical species.
In south India tea is grown in hilly areas and in
North India = Plains
Tea prefers a climate which is
1) Moist,
2) Warm and
3) Winter is not too cold
Temperature: Optimum = Mean maximum of 29.5 ºC and mean minimum of 13 ºC
South India vs North India
Tea is cultivated on hilly tract around 1000 m and above, the temperature is relatively low
here where as in North India the temperature is high during summer on the plains, which is
unfavourable for high tea productivity and a good stand of shade trees is therefore grown for
optimizing productivity.

Altitude: It ranges from sea level upto 2460 m above MSL. In North India tea plantations
are located in plains while in South India tea is cultivated in hilly terrain.
China tea is grown on higher altitudes.
Cardamom hills of South India = 2460 m above MSL

Rainfall: Well distributed rainfall ranging between 125 and 750 cm. In North Eastern India
tea receives copious rainfall (150 to 500 cm). However, the distribution is most uneven.
The annual rainfall in South Indian tea growing areas varies between 90 and 800 cm.
Day length:
Critical day length for vegetative growth =10.5 hours. It varies from 9.4 h to 15 h in North
India
Where the tea growing area lies between 24 º N and 28 ºN latitude day length varies from 10
to 13 hours during different season

Winter = November to March = Shorter day length = Vegetative growth almost ceases
However, this is compensated during July to September (Summer) = Long and conducive to
good vegetative growth.

In South India
Day length is = > 11 hours
Here tea growing areas lies below 12.5 ºN latitude and characterized by minimal diurnal
variation = Minimum day length not falling below 11 hours= Leads to uniform vegetative
growth in tea throughout the year, except during the monsoon when productivity falls.

Relative Humidity
North India = High (> 60 %) throughout the year.
South India = Falls as low as 15 % in February to March. This necessitates protecting the
nursery plants against desiccation with polythene cloches.

Frost: Causes adverse effect on tea bush, especially in the ravines.

Soil
Wide range of soils which are acidic in reaction. In North East India, the soils under
tea range from the lightest of sands to the stiffest of clays and include silts and loams and
even peat soils.
It prefers soils rich in organic matter with well drained situation.
It grows not only on hill slopes but also on low-lying flat lands as in some areas of North
India, provided the soil is well drained. Some of the finest plantations in Assam are found on
level ground. In Darjeeling where agroclimatic conditions are similar to those in the hilly
tracts of western ghats and the Nilgiri hills in South India, tea is cultivated on hill slopes.

Calcifuge nature of tea

Tea is a calcifuge and an aluminium accumulator. Performance of tea in soils with
higher Ca is not satisfactory. It grows on soils which are generally rich in iron and
manganese.
Planting material and plant propagation in tea
I. Seed propagation: Seed is convenient to use as planting material in tea. Till today tea is
generally propagated from seed.
But during recent years to use of high yielding clonal material = Hence Vegetative
propagation. Tea is out breeding, and will not produce true seeds because of sterility.
Genetically it is heterogeneous for potential yield, disease resistance and manufacturing
quality.

Vegetative propagation:
Different vegetative propagation methods can be adopted in tea:
1) By budding
2) By grafting on rootstocks
3) By layering
4) By cutting = popular method of vegetative propagation.
Vegetative propagation by budding, grafting or by layering are too labourious to adopt.
Grafting: It is practiced for successful propagation of high yielding drought - susceptible
clone used as scion on to drought - hardy clone used as root stock. In south India nursery
grafts have been made using high yielding clones such as UPASI -3, UPASI – 8 and UPASI
-17 as scions and drought hardy clones UPASI-2, UPASI-6, UPASI-9, UPASI-10 , UPASI-
24,ATK-1, SA-6 and TRI 2025 as root stocks.
In view of the grafting success, survival, graft vigour of the composite plants and
yield the following graft combinations have been recommended for commercial exploitation
in southern India.
Vegetative propagation by cuttings:
Commercial method of propagation is through single node cutting (Semi hard wood cuttings
is preferred method). Elite clone should be selected with desirable characters like yield,
quality, quick recovery etc.,

Features of mother bush

1) Compactness: Number of stems per unit area should be high and should be uniformly
distributed.
2) Individual stem should be thick and uniform.
3) Bushes should have early filling tendency.
4) Bushes should have lateral spreading habit.
5) Main stem and primary branches should have upright growth after pruning.
6) Density of Plucking point/units should be high.
7) Flushes/leaves should have pubescence.
8) Bushes should be resistant to blister blight and free from other pests and it should be
drought tolerant.
9) High yield, Yield per unit area of plucking table should be high.
10) Flowering tendency: Selected bushes should not have flowering tendency.
11) Bushes should not have too many bhanji buds.
12) Secondaries and tertiaries in bush should have upright growth.

Selection of site and establishing tea plantation

New estate establishment: Clearing of forest growth by removing all unwanted plants and
leaving only permanent shade trees. Take appropriate steps to prevent soil erosion. General
burning is not advocated as it
1) Makes the soil alkaline and
2) Reduces the soil fertility
Note: If necessary burning is done away from the planting site.

Tea bushes will be having an economical life of over 40 years. While selecting sites
following precautions should be taken;
1) Slopy land or hilly terrains or jungles: Take adequate soil conservation measures to protect
soil erosion and also moisture conservation.
2) Soil: Acidic soil with adequate depth, good drainage etc.
3) Temporary shade trees: Shade has to be provided for young developing plants

Time of planting:
North India (Assam): Winter season with low rainfall but with plenty of mist is desirable i.e.,
October– November.
South India: Summer season (Rainy season) is most suitable time for planting i.e., May –
June.

Planting operation
a) Pit size: Planting hole or trenches of 45 cm diameter and 60 cm depth.
Or pits of 30cm x 30cm x 45cm (depth) and if land is not good
45cm x 45cm x 45cm (depth) or
60cm x 60cm x 60cm (depth)

Spacing: Plant population of tea bushes vary from 14 to 18 thousands per ha. Higher plant
population showed adverse effect after 4 to 5 years. Spacing varies from region to region and
variety to variety
1.5 m x 1.5 m or
1.5m x 0.75 m = 14000 plants per ha closer spacing gives quick covering
1.2 m x 0.75 m or
1.2 m x 0.60 m = accommodates more than 16,000 plants per ha

Methods of planting
Single Hedge System
In this method, the spacing adopted is 1.20 x 0.75 m accommodating 10,800 plants/ha.
Double Hedge System
In this method, the spacing adopted is 1.35 x 0.75 x 0.75 m accommodating 13,200 plants/ha.

Training and pruning in tea

Normally tea bushes are established within a month after planting. Within a period of
12 to 18 months they reach a height of 60 – 75 cm (Field plucking stage) and after this stage
pruning is taken up.

Pruning operations for bush formation

Framing and shaping = Training
Maintenance pruning = Production pruning
Duration from planting to regular plucking field stage = 18 to 20 months.
Initial operations: Initial post planting operations (Training) are designed

i) Centering : In South India, the leader stem is removed (Centered) at 20 to 25 cm from the
ground level leaving 8 – 10 mature leaves on the plant. It is done to induce secondaries.
When secondaries reach more than 60 cm, they are tipped at 50 to 55 cm height by removing
leaves and bud to induce tertiaries. Further, training /pruning involves regular plucking with
hand. This aims at getting an inverted dome or cone shaped bush.
Height of plucking table = 65 to 90 cm. It depends on the spacing, convenience for plucking
and sustained yield for a considerable period without requirement of height reduction. Plant
population adopted during recent years is about 15,000 per ha due to close spacing. Height of
plucking table varies from 65 cm to 90 cm. The permanent frame should be established at
an initial height of around 45 – 50 cm.
A frame of lower than 45 cm would
 Create plucking problem and
 Inadequate growth in thickness of stem.

Season of pruning: Pruning is carried out during the pre-monsoon or post-monsoon periods
since adequate soil moisture is a pre-requisite for pruning.

Purpose of pruning in tea are:

1) Space utilization: Shaping trees to make the best use of space between trees. (15,000 plants
per ha)
2) To induce vigor in growth/ to maintain plants permanently in vegetative phase: Re
establishment of initial vigour of the shoot system to stimulate growth there by maintaining
the plant permanently in vegetative phase. It stimulates the production of young shoots
3) To maintain the height of the plucking table: To facilitate convenient hand plucking of
young buds with tender leaves and shoots at a cheaper cost. The plucking table continues to
rise as the age from pruning advances and pruning assists in keeping the height of the bush
within the bounds of easy and efficient plucking.
4) To remove interlaced (criss cross) branches, dead, diseased, knots and over aged wood. By
doing this the bush will be rejuvenated.
5) To create congenial microclimate within the plant: Providing an environment with in the
plant which is conducive for maximum crop production but minimizes the spread of pests and
diseases.
6) To maintain a balanced number of branches and sufficient volume of mature foliage to
meet the physiological needs of the plant. There should be optimum balance between actively
growing branches and foliage as to meet the physiological needs of plant. There should be an
optimum amount of wood so that plants remain in a steady state of productivity.
7) Drought tolerance : Pruning helps in overcoming the drought effect; it also exposes the
bark of frames which had been shaded for a few years.
8) Maintaining the quality of tea :by rapid renewal of flush suitable for manufacture of
good quality tea.
9) To minimize pest and disease attack on tea bush.
10) To pluck maximum number of tea shoots/ leaves from convenient height.

Types of pruning: The criterion for determining the height of pruning should be the
thickness of branches.
Generally, a 4-year pruning cycle is followed in the mid elevation areas and 5-year cycle at
high elevations.
1. Skiffing: It is a lightest pruning. Here foliage is leveled off, only green stems are removed.
Here top 5 – 8 cm new growth is removed so as to obtain uniform level of plucking surface.
If the bushes are pruned about 75cm, it is referred to as skiffing. In plains of north-east India,
tea is pruned every year when bushes enter the dormant phase. Though this method is no
longer practiced, bushes are cut very lightly every year and this is called skiffing. Nowadays,
certain estates do not do skiffing every year and leave the bushes unpruned for 2 successive
years. At the end of the pruned year, the bushes may be skiffed deep, medium, light or level.
Skiffing may be repeated for 2-6 years. Deep skiffing is given at a height mid-way between
pruning and tipping levels. In medium skiff, the cut is nearer to the tipping height, say 5cm
below the tipping height/ Bushes which have been light or level skiffed are not tipped. The
introduction of skiffing in place of pruning in north-eastern India has helped to increase the
productivity. However, skiffed bushes are more prone to drought and they get heavily
infested by pests such as ed spider mite and tea mosquito bug.
2. Tipping: It is the first round of harvesting of young shoots. Good frames could be
developed with correct tipping. The first plucking of recovering bushes is called tipping. The
objective of tipping is to establish a level plucking surface, to provide adequate maintenance
foliage for the quick production of secondary branches.
3. Lung pruning or fringe pruning: Here criss cross branches are removed so that bush
maintains a uniform height. Here all the leaves below the pruning level are left including
peripheral branches. In this method dieback and death of plants is minimized.
4) Medium pruning: To check the bush growing to a inconvenient height this type of
pruning is practiced. It stimulates new wood and maintenance foliage at lower level. It is
done occasionally (once in 12 to 18 years). Medium style of pruning refers to pruning
between 45 and 55cm.
5). Rehabitation pruning or collar pruning: 30 to 40 cm height. It is deep/heavy/severe
pruning done to rejuvenate the bush when plants become uneconomical to maintain and
grown out of hand. Here bush is cut off at ground level. Since this type of pruning is more
severe casualties of plants may be high. A pruning height of 30-40cm is termed a hard prune
when primary frames are healthy and if secondary branches have numerous knots and are
cankered, a hard or medium pruning becomes necessary. In such cases, pruning is done into
the secondary wood.

Question Bank
1. Mention about the research stations working on tea
2. Write about distribution of tea in India
3. Differentiate Assam tea and China tea
4. Critical day length for vegetative growth in tea is ------- hours ( 10.5 hours)
5. Write about the soil requirement in tea
6. Write a note on centering in tea
LECTURE 34

Shade maintenance and management in tea plantation

Tea requires filtered light and if it is exposed to direct sun its growth is affected. Tea
bushes with semi – erect leaves don‟t require shade as the leaves are not overheated when
exposed and allow more light penetration into the bush. Hence, the tea bushes with semi-
erect leaves have highest yield potential as against the types with horizontal leaves. Broad
leaved bushes perform better under shade. However, shade in tea has drawbacks like

Purposes of shade regulation in tea are (Beneficial effects of shade trees in tea cultivation)
1) Protection: To protect tea plants from direct sun and hot weather They help to reduce the
injury caused to tea leaves by UV radiation.
2) Fertility improvement: Addition of organic matter in the forms of fallen leaves of shade
trees apart from loppings obtained during shade regulation. About 20 to 25 tonnes of leaf
litter is added per year out of shade trees. Increase the fertility of soil by adding 8 -10 tonnes
of organic matter/ha/year.
Note: 1) Fertility breakdown or degradation at 32º C is three times higher than at 16ºC
2) For each 1 per cent increase in organic matter we have to add 22 t of organic matter
per ha i.e., @ 2.2 kg per square meter.
3) Breaking up of sub soil: Shade trees break up the heavy subsoil layer due to root
penetration.
4) Temperature effect: These trees help to regulate temperature and humidity at bush level
Summer: checks the raising of temperature of plantation during summer up to 5 to 7 ºC
compared to open. Day time they reduce the temperature and during night time increase the
temperature by 5 to 7 ºC compared to open.
5) Wind breaks: Shade trees serve as wind breaks
6) Erosion control: They also help in minimizing soil erosion.
7) Additional income: As timber, fuel, supporting tree for pepper etc
8) Decrease in pest incidence: Mite (Acaris theae )( Under shade 24 mites per leaf compared
to 61 mites under open or unshaded leaves)
9) UV radiation: They help in reducing the injury caused to tea leaves by UV radiation.
Shade trees trap 30-40 per cent of full mid day sun thereby minimizing the harmful effects of
solar radiation.
10) Increased soil fertility: By adding 8-10 tonnes of organic matter per ha per year.
11) Regulation of humidity and minimized evaporation loss : Shade trees help to regulate
temperature and humidity near the bush level apart from minimizing the loss through
evaporation and transpiration.

Types of shade trees

Initial spacing of the shade trees may be about 6m x 6m which can later be thinned out to 12
m x 12m
Initially 6 m x 6m ---- reduced to 6m x 12 m at about 8-10 years age ---- reduced to 12 m
x12m at the age of 12 to 24 years age.
1) Permanent shade trees : Have similar longevity as that of tea and hence are planted
during planting of tea. They are slow growers.
Spacing = 12 m x 12m
Eg : Albizzia spp ( A. odoratissima and A. stipulate, A. procera, A. moluccana and A.
chinensis. Albezzia lebbeck , silver oak etc)
Dalbergia sericea, Dalbergia assamica, Derris robusta etc

2) Temporary shade trees : Are fast growing tress planted to provide shade to tea plants
during their initial growing period. Planting of temporary shade trees should be planned is
such a way that, they will be 18 to 24 months old when the tea is planted.
Spacing: 6 m x 6m
Eg : Indigofera teysmani, Glyricidia sepium, Leucaena glauca, Erythrina spp.(E.
subumbrans and E. lithosperma i. e., dadap for lower elevations is also used for shading
purpose in south India) etc.
In south India (Nilgiri hills) silver oak ( Grevillea robusta) is a shade tree of choice plated at
6 m x 6m and which can later be thinned out as required to 6 m x 12 m or 12 m x 12 m ).
When permanent shade trees attain adequate height the temporary ones are removed
by gradual lopping and uprooting.

Shade regulation in tea plantation: Shade trees should be lopped regularly to maintain the
clear trunk upto the height of about 8 – 10m (singling).
Season of lopping: At the commencement of monsoon. Lopping of shade trees can be
generally done twice a year at the commencement of monsoon. Trees of Acacia spp donot
withstand lopping and hence need very light lopping. Shade trees in the beginning are
planted at 6m x 6m and later be thinned out by removing alternate trees as required to 6 m x
12 m or 12 m x 12 m spacing.
Manuring in tea
Economical part: Tender growing shoots
Hence, the recommendations are for
1) Suppression of reproductive phase and exploiting vegetative growth during growing
season.
2) Balancing the harvest of growing paoings without affecting general health of bushes.
Normal dose of fertilizer for tea is

 Nitrogen = Ten kg of Nitrogen for every 100 kg of crop

 P2O5 = 30 to 40 kg
 K2O = 40 to 50 per cent of amount of Nitrogen applied depending on soil type and
weather conditions.
 Manuring
Manuring should be done 2 months after planting. Phosphorous should be applied at 80 - 100
kg/ha as Rock phosphate once in a year by placement at 15 - 25 cm depth up to the first
pruning and thereafter once in two years. N : K ratio 2 : 3 should be adapted for the first 3
years and a ratio 1 : 1 thereafter.

Total weight
Qty/plant (g)
kg/ha/annum No. of
Year of application
applications Ammonium
N K Urea
Sulphate
I year 180 270 5 13 27
II year 240 360 6 23 15
III year 300 450 6 29 18
IV year onwards 300 300 6 33 19

 Application of fertilizers should be done before the onset of monsoon. Fertilizers should be
broadcast around the drip circle avoiding contact with the collar.

Plant protection in tea

Tea is grown as monoculture under varying agroclimatic conditions, remote from its
natural environment. Hence, they are prone to the attack of many pests and diseases.
Important ones are listed here under
Diseases of tea: Diseases due to fungi, bacteria, virus, animal parasites , physiological
disorder and mechanical damages are observed.
Bacterial and viral diseases are not that problematic in tea when compared to fungal and algal
diseases under Indian conditions

A) Leaf diseaseas
1) Blister blight: Cause : Exobasidium vexans ( a fungal disease) :
2) Black rot:

B) Root diseases:

Blister blight disease of tea and its control

A) Leaf disease
1) Blister blight: Cause : Exobasidium vexans ( a fungal disease) :
It is commonly found fungi in South India, Darjeeling and Assam but moderate in Himachal
Pradesh. This disease is endemic to the growing areas of Asia. It has been reported from
almost all tea growing regions of India. The disease is more severe in South Indian
plantations than that of North East Indian tea plantations
Congenial conditions for disease spread : Cool, Moist an relatively still air favors infection.

Symptoms:
1) Presence of blisters on upper leaf surface & young shoots : Formation of circular or
oval translucent spots. The spots become depressed forming a concave blister on the
infected upper surface of leaves.
2) Convex under surface of leaves : Undersurface of leaves will produce convex surface
and it becomes grey and finally white
3) Death of shoots :

Control measures:
Chemical control:
1) Application of copper fungicides i.e., COC @ 0.25 per cent.
2) Systemic fungicide: Calixin (Tridemorph 50 EC) best control. @ 1 ml per litre of water
(0.1%).
3) Pruning schedule: Pruning operation should be shifted to dry weather period for minimum
infection.

Harvesting (Plucking), Yield and Manufacturing of Tea

(Syllabus : Plucking, processing and yield of tea.)
Types of shoots in tea:
1) Aperiodic shoot / (Primary shoot) : From pruned sticks. Are the ones arising from the
buds on the pruned frame/sticks. It produces large leaves and production of banji buds is only
occasional.
When these aperiodic shoots or primaries grow above a predetermined height, they
are cut or tipped. The branches of primaries are the first order laterals which when plucked
give rise to the second order laterals. These again produce the third order laterals.

2) Periodic shoots / Flush shoots/Crop shoots : Arising from the axils of leaves. It
constitutes the crop shoots. Periodic shoots exhibits cyclic pattern producing 7 -8 leaves (
including scale leaves- fig -24 of Wealth of India book) in a cycle before terminating in a
“Banji” whose growth and expansion ceases temporarly. When the crop shoot is harvested,
generally the bud on the axil of the top most leaf of the stem develops into a new crop shoot.

Janams: The axillary bud, while unfolding, generally produces in succession two scales (first
2 scale leaves (cataphylls)), a small foliar structure in the shape of a thumb called Thumb
leaf (also called Janam).
Fish leaf: A slightly larger but unserrated blunt leaf is designated as fish leaf (bigger thumb
leaf). Above the scale leaves or janams is the smooth „fish leaf‟.
Mother leaf: Fish leaf is followed by a series of three or four normal foliage leaves, first of
which is called the mother leaf after which bahji is exposed.

Plucking in tea:

Plucking in tea :It consists of collecting the newly grown vegetative shoots i.e., Harvesting
in tea involves the regular removal of young shoots comprising an apical bud and 2 or 3
leaves, immediately below it. Tea crop consists of terminal buds and two or three leaves just
below with the stalk. The retention of adequate maintenance foliage for the continued health
and productivity of the bush is necessary.
Stage/Age of plucking: Plucking stage is attained when tea plant is of 3 to 4 yeas old.
However, plucking stage under ideal management conditions is attained in 18 to 20 months
stage.
Young leaves with more of tannins and polyphenols produces better quality tea than old
leaves with less tannin content. Maximum yields (stable/economical stage of yield) are
obtained in 6th or 7th year and there after the yields remains constant.

Type of shoot/ Leaves/Bud Tannin (%)

Bud 25
I leaf 28
II leaf 21
III leaf 14
Stalk between II leaf and bud 12
Stalk between II and IV leaf 6
It is clear that, plucking of the terminal bud only or with terminal bud with I leaf gives
excellent quality tea. Bud is usually plucked with I and II leaves. ( i.e., Best plucking is two
leaves and a bud)

Kinds of plucking depending on the extent of maturity of shoots

Young leaves with more tannin and polyphenol content produces superior quality tea.
1) Two and a bud: plucking of terminal bud and two most recently opened/expanded leaves.
Two leaves and a bud is considered as one plucking unit.
Two and a bud is called fish leaf or Janam flucking.
2) Fine tea: Anything less than two and a bud. It is also known as fish or janam plucking.
Young leaves will produce superor quality tea.
3) Coarse tea: Anything more than two and a bud. Older leaves will produce coarse quality
tea.
4) Light plucking or light pruning: Carried out during initial years to encourage side branches
and to make the bush full with tender branches.
5) Too tender shoot/One leaf and a bud: Produces very good quality tea but yield goes down
drastically.
 Shoots may be plucked above janam, fish leaf or mother leaf. These system of
plucking are known as janam plucking, fish leaf plucking or mother leaf plucking,
respectively.
 In north-eastern India, janam plucking is the most common practice.
 In south India, continuous scale leaf or fish leaf plucking is not adopted.

Time of plucking: Better quality tea is obtained from the shoots plucked in the morning than
in the evening hours.
Morning: More soluble proteins are present and produces good quality tea.
Afternoon: Insoluble proteins will be increased.
Night: Break down of amino acids and formation of amino acids
South India
In south India, plucking differs from that of north-east.
The climatic conditions in south India force growth into 2 impulse periods (High cropping
/Rush cropping) where in 60 per cent of the total crop is harvested at an interval of 7 to 10
days.
i.e.,

1. From April to June and

2. From mid-September-November. About 60% of the total crop is harvested in this
period and availability of workers becomes a serious constraint to invest the crop
completely. Plucking is to Janam or fish leaf.
3. Low cropping /lean cropping: July to September (Rainy season ) and January to
March (Winter) = About 40 % of the crop is harvested at an interval of 12 to 15 days.

Cost of plucking:
Plucking is normally (Most of the tea grown throughout the world) done by hand by woman
or children. Major drawback in mechanizing the harvesting process in tea is the steep and
irregular slopes on which tea is very often grown
Plucking in tea accounts for
15 to 20 % of total production cost and
60 to 70 % of total labour involved in tea estate.
Use of hand held shears: It is now recommended to use handheld shears to harvest the crop
during these high cropping seasons. Use of shears is advised only to the high cropping
periods and that too for fields which are more than 18 months old from pruning. Continual
shear harvesting is proved to depress the crop and adversely affect the bush physiology.

Life span of tea bush:

Stage/Age of plucking: Plucking stage is attained when tea plant is of 3 to 4 yeas old.
However, plucking stage under ideal management conditions is attained in 18 to 20 months
stage.
Maximum yields (stable stage of yield) : are obtained in 6 th or 7 th year and there after
the yields remains constant.

Economical life of bush:

 North East India: 40 to 50 years, though there are individual bushes surviving as
many as 200 years.
 South India : 80 years or even more

Yield
Yield of made tea: 20 to 30 q per ha
20 q /ha = Low yield
20 – 30 q /ha = Medium yield
> 30 q/ha = high yield

Manufacture of tea \ processing of tea

Tea contains 4.5 to 5 % Nitrogen compounds ¾ of which can be attributed to proteins
and amino acids and ¼ to alkaloids. Chief alkaloids are thein , theobromine and
theophyllomine.
* Maximum caffeine content allowed is 3 %

Classification of tea (Based on the method of manufacture in general and the extent of
fermentation i.e., enzymatic oxidation in the true sense)
1) Green tea: produced without fermentation. Green tea is un-withered, unfermented tea
prepared by drying tea leaves either by steaming or passing hot air over leaves. Unlike in
black tea in green tea enzymes are destroyed by steaming or blowing hot air avoiding
fermentation. The final product is green in colour.
2) Black tea: Fully fermented. About 73 per cent of global out put is black tea and
3) Oolong tea: partially fermented
Several types of commercial teas are known such as
 Black,
 Green, these two (Black and green) is processed to a maximum extent in
India.
 oolong,
 brick and
 Let- pet teas.

Each of teas has its own characteristic aroma and taste.

Oolong, brick let-pet and other types of tea are manufactured chiefly for export and on
experimental scale.
Basically there are three types of processing in tea (Based on the method of rolling in
the preparation of black tea).
1) Orthodax method: Rolling operation is done in a series of rollers (i.e., based on the
traditional method)
2) CTC (Crush, Tear and Curl) method: It has a CTC machine consisting of series of a pair of
rollers adjusted to crush and tear leaves.
3) LTP (Laurie Tea Process (LTP): LTP is essentially a pulverizing machine. It carries many
sets of beaters.
In the preparation of black tea, four principal operations are involved viz., (a)
withering, (b) rolling, (c) fermenting, and (d) drying.

Irrespective of the method of manufacturing tea it involves following steps

Manufacture black tea either by the CTC (Crush, Tear and Curl) or the orthodox method
involves steps viz.,
1) Withering: Moisture content of leaves is reduced (to about 55 %) by drying in a
trough receiving artificial air. Duration of drying varies from 12 to 18 hours.
2) Rolling: During rolling cells of leaves are broken to liberate sap containing polyphenol
oxydase ( and enzyme). Rolling takes place for about 30 to 40 minutes.
 3) Fermentation: Rolled tea material is spread on concrete floor or trays under high
humidity and proper temperature to undergo fermentation. Properly fermented tea will
attain golden red colour deciding the quality of tea. Theaflavins: and Thearufigens are
compounds responsible for colour of tea.
4) Drying: Slow reduction in moisture content as to stop fermentation process. Moisture
content is reduced to about 4 per cent. Duration of drying is for about 30 to 40
minutes.
5) Cleaning & grading: Remove stalky fibers and grade the tea by passing through
different sized meshes.

1) Withering: The first step in processing of black tea is withering.

The main objective of withering is
1) Reduce moisture content of tea leaves: It lowers moisture content to about 55 per cent (by
removing 15 to 20 % moisture). During this the leaves undergo physical and chemical
withering. Leaves are withered in troughs for about 12-18 hr.
2) When leaves have been withered correctly, it becomes flaccid and suitable for rolling
during which polyphenols are mixed with enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO).

Judging the end point of withering

 No cracking sound: Well withered leaves will not produce any cracking sound when
squeezed i.e., it must not be too dry.
 Compact ball: Withered leaves when pressed by hand should form compact ball.
 No brittle stalk: The stalk of the withered leaves should not be brittle.
 Feel test: Withered leaves will have silk hand kerchief feel to touch.

Withering may be of
1) Natural or Chung withering: 18 to 20 hours
2) Artificial withering: 3 to 4 hours.

Some chemical changes, besides loss of moisture, also take place during withering.
a) Chemical changes: A slight increase in caffeine and a relatively large increase in some of
the amino acids are the earliest chemical manifestations. The extent of chemical changes in
the tea is more in natural wither, less in artificial wither and least in wither under humid
conditions.

b) Quality: The chemical changes during withering and the degree of wither of tea shoots are
partly responsible for the liquor characteristics, physical appearance and overall quality
of the made tea.

Black tea: Withering is not considered essential for the manufacture of black tea although it
does have an influence upon the appearance and quality of the finished product.

2) Rolling:
Leaf damage: The withered leaf is passed on to rollers where it is twisted so as to cause
sufficient damage to the individual leaf cells and to initiate enzymic oxidation.
1. Duration and extent of rolling : Rolling is usually done for 30 minutes and the rolled
mass is sifted and the finer portions of the leaf are allowed to ferment
2. While the coarser portions are subjected to heavy rolling. Rolled for 3 to 4 times.
3. Sometimes a third rolling may be given; rolling is essentially a batch operation. Due to
rolling the catechins ( Polyphenol ) are thoroughly exposed to the polyphenol oxidase.
(PPO)

Three major manufacturing methods commonly used are

i) Orthodox.: Which employs non-cutting rollers. The orthodox tea has superior flavour but
poor in colour.
ii) Crushing, tearning and curling ( CTC) which employs rotoravanes and cutting rollers.
CTC tea is more economical with red colour and popular in India and

3) Fermenting ( enzymetic oxidation ) – Actually fermentation starts /commences at the time

of rolling and continues till the entry into the driers.
The main operation in the manufacture of black tea is enzymatic oxidation which was
originally termed fermentation and the term is still in vogue today. In tea processing,
fermentation is the term employed to denote enzimatjc oxidation, by which the polyphenols
in the leaf get oxidized with the help of PPO (Polyphenol oxydase).
Method of fermentation : The coarse and fine fractions of the rolled leaf are spread on clean
cement floors or other suitable platforms to a thickness of 2.5- 10.0 cm depending upon the
season and condition of the leaf, and allowed to ferment for 2-4 hours depending upon the
type of roller used.

Two types of compounds are formed during fermentation process.

1) Theaflavins (TF) === Orange red.
2) Thearubigins (TR) === Darker brown.
The quantity of TR and TF formed will be related to the period of fermentation and
the temperature of fermenting leaves.

4. Drying or Firing
Objective of drying is to arrest fermentation.
Moisture of the made tea: The dried product contains 3-4 percent moisture, and can
withstand long storage and transit

5) Sorting and Grading -

The black tea is sold loose or in packets, under different brand names.
Stalk is removed during sorting. There are four main sizes, viz.,
 I. whole leaf,
 II. brokens,
 III. fanning's and
 IV. Dusts.

Packing and grading in tea:

Dried tea is cleaned of stalk fibres (petioles/stalks/fibres) by passing through fiber separating
machines.
Bulk tea is passed through different meshes which aid in separation into different grades;
Question Bank
1. What are the beneficial effects of shade trees in tea?
2. Write a note on blister blight disease in tea
3. Young leaves produces better quality tea – Justify
4. What do you mean by Green tea and Black tea?
5. Mention the various steps involved in manufacture of black tea
6. Partially fermented tea is -------------- (Oolong tea)
7. CTC in tea processing stands for -------------- (Cutting Tearing and Curling)
8. Compounds responsible for colour development in tea are ----------- and -------------
(Theaflavins and thearubigens)