Horticulture Crop Production Guide 2020 PDF

CROP PRODUCTION GUIDE HORTICULTURE CROPS 2020 Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops Chepauk, Chennai - 600 005 & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore - 641 003  CONTENTS...

CROP PRODUCTION GUIDE HORTICULTURE CROPS 2020 Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops Chepauk, Chennai - 600 005 & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore - 641 003  CONTENTS Page S.No. Crop No. Part I - Fruits 1. Chapter A - Tropical and Sub Tropical Fruits 1 1. Mango 1 2. Banana 7 3. Acid Lime 14 4. Sweet Orange 17 5. Mandarin Orange 18 6. Grapes 20 7. Guava 28 8. Pineapple 30 9. Sapota 31 10. Papaya 33 11. Pomegranate 36 12. Jack 39 13. Ber 40 14. Amla 41 2. Chapter B - Temperate Fruits 43 1. Apple 43 2. Pear 45 3. Plum 46 4. Peach 47 Part II – Vegetables 3. Chapeter A – Fruit Vegetables 59 1. Tomato 59 2. Brinjal 65 3. Bhendi 71 4. Chilli 75 5. Capsicum 80 6. Paprika 83 7. Pumpkin 84 8. Snake Gourd 86 9. Ribbed Gourd 88 10. Bottle Gourd 91 11. Bitter Gourd 94 12. Ash Gourd 97 S.No. Crop Page No. 13. Cucumber 100 14. Gherkin 102 15. Watermelon 103 16. Muskmelon 105 17. Tinda 107 18. Chow Chow 108 19. Cluster Bean 109 20. Vegetable Cowpea 110 21. Lab lab or Dolichos Bean 111 22. French Bean 113 23. Broad Bean 115 24. Peas 116 25. Annual Moringa 117 26. Baby Corn 119 4. Chapter B – Cole Vegetables 121 1. Cabbage 121 2. Cauliflower 126 5. Chapter C – Root and Tuber Vegetables 1. Carrot 130 2. Radish 132 3. Beetroot 134 4. Potato 136 5. Sweetpotato 140 6. Tapioca 141 7. Elephant Foot Yam 145 8. Taro 147 9. Dioscorea 148 10. Chinease Potato 149 6. Chapter D – Bulb Vegetables 151 1. Multiplier Onion – Small Onion 151 2. Bellary Onion – Big Onion 153 7. Chapter E – Leafy Vegetables 158 1. Amaranthus 158 2. Curry Leaf 160 S.No. Crop Page No. 8. Chapeter F – Minor Vegetable Crops 162 Part III – Spices and Condiments 9. Chapter A – Major Spices 167 1. Pepper 167 2. Cardamom 170 3. Turmeric 173 4. Ginger 176 10. Chapter B – Tree Spices 176 1. Clove 176 2. Nutmeg 180 3. Cinnamon 182 4. Tamarind 184 5. Allspice 186 11. Chapter C – Seed Spices 187 1. Coriander 187 2. Fenugreek 189 3. Fennel 190 12. Chapter D – Other Spices 192 1. Vanilla 192 13. Part IV – Plantation Crops 194 1. Tea 194 2. Coffee 198 3. Cashew 203 4. Cocoa 205 5. Rubber 209 6. Coconut 214 7. Arecanut 225 8. Oil Palm 227 9. Palmyrah 230 10. Betelvine 232 Part V – Medicinal and Aromatic Plants S.No. Crop Page No. 14. Chapter A – Medicinal Plants 235 1. Glory Lilly 235 2. Coleus 237 3. Senna 238 4. Periwinkle 239 5. Medicinal Solanum 240 15. Chapter B – Aromatic Plants 241 1. Lemongrass 241 2. Citronella 242 3. Palmarosa 243 4. Geranium 244 5. Patchouli 245 6. Mint 246 16. Chapter C – Production Techniques for other important 248 Medicinal Plants Part VI – Floriculture 17. Chapter A – Loost Flowers 250 1. Rose 250 2. Malligai (Gundumalli) 252 3. Mullai 254 4. Jathi Malli (Pitchi) 255 5. Crossandra 256 6. Chrysanthemum 258 7. Marigold (African Marigold) 260 8. Tuberose 261 9. Nerium 263 10. Golden Rod 264 18. Chapter B – Cut Flowers 265 1. Cut Roses 265 2. Cut Chrysanthemum 268 3. Carnation 270 4. Anthurium 272 5. Dendrobium Orchid 274 6. Lilium 275 7. Gladiolus 276 8. Gerbera 278 9. China Aster 280 S.No. Crop Page No. 19. Part VII – Particulars on Improved varieties of 281 Horticultural Crops 20. Part VIII – Drip Irrigation for Fruit Crops 299 21. Part IX – Organic Cultural Practices 300 22. Part X – Protected Cultivation of Vegetables 302 (for information) 23. Part XI – Seed Production Technology of Horticultural Crops 303 24. Part XII – Important Plant Nutrients, their Deficiency 327 symptoms and Remedial Measures 25. Part XIII – Mushroom Cultivation 336 26. Part XIV – Season of Flowering and Fruting of Fruit Crops 344 27. Part XV – Chemical and Commerical Names of Insecticides 346 and Nematicides 29. Part XVII – Weed Management and Herbicides usage in 358 Horticultural Crops 30. Part XVIII – Cultural Tips for F1 Hybrid Vegetables 364 31. Part XIX – Farm Implements for Horticultural Crops 371 32. Part XX – Food Processing Technologies 392 33. Part XXI – Soil Test Crop Response based Integrated Plant Nutrition System for Horticultural Crops 398 (STCR-IPNS) 34. Part XXII – Appendicies 405  jpU. ,uh. Jiuf;fz;q khz;g[kpF ntshz;ikj;Jiw mikr;rh; kw;Wk; ,iz nte;jh; jkpH;ehL ntshz;ikg; gy;fiyf;fHfk;/ brd;id – 600 002 Kft[iu njhl;lf;fiy gaph;fspd; gaphpLk; gug;g[ Fiwe;J tUk; ,f;fhyj;jpy; gaphpd; cw;gj;jpia bgUf;fp cHthpd; ,yhgj;ij mjpfhpg;gJ vd;gJ kj;jpa kw;Wk; khepy muRfspd; Kf;fpakhd nehf;fkhf cs;sJ. ,jid mila g[jpa bjhHpy; El;g';fs; Kf;fpa g';F tfpf;fpd;wd. ,j;jifa bjhHpy; El;g';fis cHth;fSf;F bfhz;L bry;tJ xU Kf;fpakhd tsh;r;rpg; ghijahFk;. ,t;tifapy; gaph; cw;gj;jpf; ifnaL – njhl;lf;fiy 2020 xU cldo jPh;t[ff ; hz ghh;itf; ifnalhf cs;sJ. ,jpy; bjhFf;fg;gl;Ls;s jkpH;ehL ntshz;ikg; gy;fiyf;fHf njhl;lf;fiy gaph;fspd; Muha;r;rp Kot[fs; filg;gpof;fg;gLk; nghJ gy;ntW gaph;fspd; cw;gj;jpj;jpwd; mjpfhpf;Fk; vd;gJ jpz;zkhFk;. 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Jiuf;fz;q)  Shri Gagandeep Singh Bedi, IAS Agricultural Production Commissioner & Principal Secretary Government of Tamil Nadu Secretariat, Agricultural Department, Chennai - 600 009 PREFACE The Indian Horticulture has grown exponentially over the years and the fruits and vegetable production has surpassed the food grain production of the country and reached the all time high of 315 million tonnes during 2018-19 which is the second largest next to China. Such a phenomenal achievement is made possible amidst a bundle of constraints such as declining per capita arable land availability, occurrence of regular droughts, low soil organic carbon, multi-nutrient deficiencies besides people quitting farming. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, plays a role in developing improved crop varieties and hybrids in fruits, vegetables, spices & plantation crops, medicinal crops besides flowers, technologies and farm mechanization. The varieties and technologies are well received by farmers across the country and TNAU serves as the torch bearer of cutting edge technologies like nanotechnologies for the preservation of fruits and vegetables. The technology package deserves continued revision and update to ensure recent technologies are infused for adoption. In this context, the TNAU under the dynamic leadership of the Vice Chancellor, Director of Research and other technical directors, the “Crop Production Guide (CPG) – Horticulture 2020” was updated and ready for adoption by the farmers of the State of Tamil Nadu. The CPG - Horticulture 2020 carries complete package of practices of crops including varieties / hybrids, management techniques & technologies, protected cultivation of crops, drip fertigation, nematode management, integrated weed management practices, technology capsule for pests and diseases management, labour saving farm machineries and post-harvest management practices. I take this opportunity to thank the Vice Chancellor, Director of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Director of Research, Dean (Horticulture) other Technical Directors and Department officials for their tireless efforts to bring out the document that serve as the base for the growth and development of horticulture and allied sectors in the State of Tamil Nadu. (Gagandeep Singh Bedi)  Dr. N. Kumar, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore 641 003 PREFACE The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, is known for its innovation to develop crop varieties, technologies and farm implements to enhance farm productivity and profitability. The TNAU has a well articulated and structured research framework to develop varieties and technologies to enable adoption by the farmers of the State. The growth of Horticulture in the State and the country has grown phenomenally increased that ensured nutritional security. The Research Council, Annual Crop Scientists Meets and Scientific Workers Conference rigorously review and scout for the varieties or technologies to be recommended for adoption by the farmers of the State. Such a meticulous planning and execution help us in assembling basket of varieties and technologies that are packaged as the Crop Production Guide - Horticulture 2020. This covers the standard operational protocols for fruits, vegetables, spices & plantation crops, medicinal crops besides flowers with reference to varieties / hybrids, production technologies and farm mechanization. The “Crop Production Guide (CPG) – Horticulture 2020” was revised and updated involving the Directors and Deans in the university besides Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops and Department officials. The Department and University is working very closely to resolve the unresolved field problems. Such network helped us to improve the CPG as a technology package suitable for the farmers of the Tamil Nadu State. I take this opportunity to thank the Agricultural Production Commissioner & Principal Secretary to the Government, Director of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Director of Research, Dean (Horticulture), other Technical Directors, and Department officials for their contribution towards the publication of the CPG - Horticulture 2020. (N. KUMAR)  Part I Fruits Chapter A 1. Tropical and Sub Tropical Fruits 1. Mango (Mangifera indica L.); Anacardiaceae Varieties Neelum, Bangalora, Alphonso, Rumani, Banganapalli, Kalepad, Peter, PKM 1, PKM 2, Sendura, Jahangir, Mulgoa, Himayuddin, Paiyur 1, Mallika, Amrapali and Salem Bangalora, Arka Anmol, Arka Aruna, Arka Neelkiran, Arka Puneeth. Processing varieties : Alphonso, Banganapalli, Totapuri Export varieties : Alphonso, Banganapalli, Sendura Soil and Climate Red loamy soil with good drainage is preferable. pH range 6.5 to 8. Season of planting July to December. Planting material Use plantable size grafts propagated through approach, soft wood or epicotyl grafting. Field preparation Dig pits of 1 m x 1 m x 1 m in size. Fill in with topsoil mixed with 10 kg of FYM. Planting Plant the grafts at the centre of the pits with ball of earth intact and keep the graft union 15 cm above the ground level. Stake and water the plants immediately after planting. Spacing Adopt any one of the following spacings depending on requirements. 1. Under conventional system of planting: 7x7m or 10x10 m 2. High Density Planting : 5 m x 5 m (400 plants / ha) 3. Ultra High Density Planting: 3 x 2 m 4. Double hedge row system : Adopt a spacing of 5 m x 5 m within double rows and 10 m between sucessive double rows (266 plants / ha) Irrigation Regular watering till establishment. For cultivation under irrigated conditions, adopt drip system of irrigation. Intercropping Short duration crops like legumes, vegetables, groundnut etc. can be raised during pre- bearing age. 1 Manures and Fertilizers (kg per tree) Manures and 1st Year Annual 6th year onwards Fertilizers increase FYM 10.00 10.00 50 N 0.20 0.20 1.0 P 0.20 0.20 1.0 K 0.30 0.30 1.5 Manures and fertilizers may be applied during September – October, 45 – 90 cm away from the trunk upto the peripheral leaf tip and incorporated. Fertigation Schedule for mango. Minimum number of Fertigation dose for all stages are Nutrient After Pre Flowering Fruiting Total Harvest flowering to Fruit set (June- Aug) (Sept-Oct ) (Dec-Jan) N 25 % 40% 20% 15% 100% P 40% 30% 20% 10% 100% K 25% 20% 25% 30% 100% Fertigation technology under HDP Apply 1.0:0.5:1.0 kg of NPK / bearing tree / year under HDP through drip fertigation adopting the following schedule: Stage of application * Immediately Pre- Flowering to Fruit Nutrient after harvest flowering fruit set development Total (2 months) (2 months) (2 months) (4 months) N 25 % 40 % 20 % 15 % 100 % P 50 % 30 % 20 % - 100 % K 25 % 20 % 25 % 30 % 100 % * At each stage, the above schedule has to be split into six or more doses and applied at weekly intervals * Avoid irrigation and fertigation for 30 days for induction of stress before flowering season; resume as soon as flowering commences. Fertilizer recommendation for UHDP Mango planted in normal soil Age Fertilizer g tree- FYM 1 kg tree-1 N P K 1st year 35 15 25 5 2nd year 45 25 50 5 3rd year 75 50 75 10 4th year onwards 120 75 100 15 2 Fertigation schedule for UHDP Mango (to be applied at weekly interval) Fertigation Schedule and Quantity (kg-1 dose-1 acre-1) Age (Year) Month No. of Urea H3 PO4 MOP MgSO4 Doses 1 July-Sep 12 1.4 0.5 0.8 0.000 Jan-May 20 1.7 0.6 0.9 0.000 2 July-Sep 12 2.7 1.2 2.3 0.278 Jan-May 20 1.6 0.7 1.4 0.167 15 June- 12 4.5 2.3 3.5 0.555 Aug 3 Sept 4 1.4 1.2 3.1 0.000 Jan-May 20 3.2 1.2 1.5 0.333 15 June- 12 7.2 3.5 4.6 0.833 Aug 4 Sept 4 2.2 1.7 4.2 0.000 Jan-March 12 5.1 1.7 3.2 0.833 (Source: Jain irrigation systems, Udumalpet) Canopy management Remove rootstock sprouts and low lying branches nearer to ground to facilitate easy cultural operations. Remove overlapping, intercrossing, diseased, dried and weak branches in old trees to get good sunlight and aeration. Carry out judicious pruning of the internal branches during August – September, once in three years. Do not allow flowering upto three years by removing the inflorescences as and when they appear. Retain two healthy shoots by trimming away the weak shoots among the crowded terminal shoots during August- September annually. Prune back 20 cm of annual growth of the terminals immediately after harvest. Top working of senile orchards for rejuvenation Use scions of choice varieties like Alphonso and Banganapalli for top working. Behead the trees to be top worked during July- August leaving the main trunk at a convenient height and allow for new shoots to develop. Adopt cleft method of grafting or softwood grafting on the emerging shoots from the cut end of the main stem during September- October. Growth regulators Spray NAA @ 20 ppm at flowering to increase the fruit set and retention. During February 0.5% Urea (5 g / lit.) or 1% Potassium nitrate (10 g / lit.) may be sprayed to induce flowering, if trees do not flower by that time. Spray 2% KNO3 at mustard size to increase fruit size and retention of fruits. Spray 2 % sulphate of potash at pea stage and 15 days after to improve yield and quality. During off year Paclobutrazol @ 0.75 g a.i. per metre of canopy radius in full bearing tree during first fortnight of September to get maximum number of fruits and yield. Off-season crop induction This technology is recommended only for irrigated conditions to shift production from on- season to off- season. To induce off-season flowering, heading back of 10 cm terminal growth after the emergence of new growth (vegetative and floral growth) during December - January along with soil application of Paclobutrazol @ 0.75g a.i. per tree during March - April is recommended for mango cv.Neelum. Keeping good soil moisture conditions and nutrient health status of the plant are very important when Pacloburazol application is resorted. 3 Plant Protection 1. Pests Hoppers  Remove criss-cross branches, infested shoots and dense branches.  Apply Metarrhizium anisopliae or Beauveria bassiana @ 108 cfu /ml on tree trunk once during off season and twice at 7 days interval during flowering season.  Spray any of the following insecticides first at the time of inflorescence emergence and the second two weeks after first spray. Insecticide Dose Buprofezin 25SC 1.0 ml/l. Dimethoate 30EC 1.5 ml/l. Imidacloprid 17.8 SL 2.0 ml/10 l. Thiamethoxam 25WG 1.0 g/10 l. Malathion 50 EC 1.5 ml/l. Methyl demeton 25 EC 1.0 ml/l.  Neem oil @ 5 ml/l of water can be mixed with any insecticides for the control of hopper. Sooty mould  Spray Maida 5% (1 kg Maida or starch) boiled with 1 l of water and diluted to 20 litres.  Avoid spraying during cloudy weather. Mealy bug  Spray Fish oil rosin soap @ 125g / 5l./tree  Release Australian ladybird beetle, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri @ 10 beetles/tree  Band the trees with 20 cm wide degradable polythene sheets (150 gauge)  Spray any one of the following insecticides: Insecticide Dose Dimethoate 30 EC 1.6 ml/l. Malathion 50 EC 1.5 ml/l. Flower webber  Spray phosalone 35 EC 2ml/l. Stem borer  Mechanically remove and kill the grub by introducing a needle or wire.  Apply carbofuran 3CG @ 5g per bore hole and plug with mud. Fruit fly  Plough the inter spaces to expose pupae.  Collect and destroy the fallen fruits.  Spray Neem oil @ 30ml/l. during initial stage of fruit maturation.  Prepare bait with methyl eugenol 1% solution mixed with malathion @ 2.0 ml/l. Take 10 ml of this mixture per trap and keep them in 25 different places in one hectare between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. or keep methyl eugenol traps @25/ha. 4 Diseases Powdery mildew  Spray wettable sulphur @ 0.2% CIB recommendation  Spray carbendazim 46.27% SC @ 1 ml/l or hexaconazole 5% EC @ 1 ml/l or hexaconazole 5% SC @ 2 ml/l Anthracnose and Stalk end-rot  Spray mancozeb @ 2 g/l or carbendazim @ 1 g/l or thiophanate methyl @ 1 g/l or chlorothalonil @ 2 g/l as pre-harvest spray, three times at 15 days interval or spray Pseudomonas fluorescens immediately after flowering @ 5 g/ l five times at 21 days interval CIB recommendation for anthracnose  Spray copper oxychloride 50% WG @ 2.4 g/l CIB recommendation for combined infection of anthracnose and powdery mildew  Spray azoxystrobin 23% SC @ 1ml/l or carbendazim1.92%+mancozeb10.08%GR @1.5g/l or tebuconazole 50% + trifloxystrobin 25% WG @ 0.75-1 g/l Sooty mould  Spray maida 5% (1 kg maida or starch) boiled with 1 l of water and diluted to 20 l. Avoid spraying during cloudy weather Harvest Season: March to June. Harvest Yield varies with varieties and spacing adopted. 8 -10 t / ha upto 15 years; 15-20 t / ha from 15-20 years. Post harvest treatment o Dip the fruits in 52 ± 1oC hot water immediately after harvest for 5 minutes followed by 8% plant wax (Fruitox or Waxol) to reduce anthracnose disease in mango during storage.Two pre-harvest sprays of 0.2% Mancozeb (2.0 g / lit) will also reduce the incidence. Waiting Period Methyl demeton 0.05% - 14 days Fenthion 0.05% - 14 days Quinalphos 0.05 - 12 days Enhanced Preservation of Fruits using Nanotechnology a. Enhanced freshness formulation for pre-harvest spray and post-harvest dip b. Hexanal loaded nano stickers c. Hexanal loaded nano pellets Pre-harvest spray for mango and other fruits Dilute 20 ml of fruity fresh formulation in one litre of water or 200 ml of fruity fresh in 10 litre of water Spray over fruits and leaves when the fruits are at 60 – 70% maturity stage. For better results give one more spray after 10 days 5 The spray solution should be used on the same day and ensure that the entire tree foliage and fruits are soaked Post-harvest dip for mango and other fruits Dilute 20 ml of fruity fresh formulation in one litre of water or 200 ml fruity fresh in 10 litre of water Dip fruits for five minutes in the diluted solution and dry the fruits before packing Benefits of the fruity fresh TNAU fruity fresh spray can delay the harvest for two weeks in case of preharvest spray Post-harvest dip in 2% TNAU fruity fresh extends the shelf life of fruits by two weeks in ambient storage condition and upto 4 weeks under cold storage Market Information Growing Districts Krishnagiri, Vellore, Dindigul, Thiruvallur, Dharmapuri, Theni Major Markets in Tamil Nadu Theni, Dharmapuri, Salem, Tirunelveli. Preferred Varieties and Hybrids Banganapalli, Bangalora, Neelum, Rumani, Mulgoa, Alphonso, Totapuri Grade Specification Firmness, lack of decay / defects, uniformity of size and shape, skin color, flesh color and flavor Small - Less than 200 g Medium - 201- 400 g Large -401- 600 g Extra-large - 601 - 800 g Export Market UAE, Kuwait and other Middle East countries. 6 2. Banana (Musa sp); Musaceae Varieties Dessert Grand Naine, Robusta, Dwarf Cavendish, Rasthali, Vayal vazhai, Poovan, Nendran, Red Banana, Karpooravalli, Udhayam, CO 1, Matti, Sannachenkadali and Ney poovan. Cavendish groups are generally preferred for export. Culinary Monthan, Nendran, Vayal vazhai, Ash Monthan and Chakkia. Hill areas Virupakshi, Sirumalai, Namarai, Red Banana, Manoranjitham (Santhana vazhai) and Ladan. Soil and Climate Well drained loamy soils are suitable. Alkaline and saline soils should be avoided. Season of planting Wet lands: Feb – April: Poovan, Rasthali, Monthan, Karpooravalli and Ney poovan April – May: Nendran and Robusta Garden lands January – February and November – December. Padugai lands January – February and August – September. Hill Banana April – May (lower Palani hills); June – August (Sirumalai) Selection and pre-treatment of suckers Select sword suckers of 1.5 to 2.0 kg weight, free from diseases and nematodes. Trim the roots and decayed portion of the corm, cut the pseudostem leaving 20 cm from the corm and grade the suckers to size. To avoid wilt disease, infected portions of the corm may be pared, dipped for 5 minutes in carbendazim 0.1% (1 g in 1 lit of water) for Rasthali, Monthan, Neyvannan, Virupakshi and other wilt susceptible varieties. Pralinage with 40 g of carbofuran 3CG granules per sucker (Dip the corm in slurry solution of 4 parts clay plus 5 parts water and sprinkle carbofuran to control nematodes). Sow sunhemp on 45th day; incorporate it after about a month. This operation reduces nematode build up. Use well hardened tissue cultured banana plants with 5-6 leaves. At the time of planting, apply 25 g Pseudomonas fluorescens / plant. Field preparation Wet lands No preparatory cultivation is necessary. Garden land 2 – 4 ploughings. Padugai One deep mammutti digging. 7 Hill Banana Remove scrub jungle and construct contour stone walls. Wet lands Place the suckers at ground level and earth up. Digging pits Garden land, Padugai and Hill Banana: Dig pits of 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm in size. The pits are refilled with topsoil, mixed with 10 kg of FYM, 250 g of Neem cake. Spacing (Conventional method) Variety Spacing No. of plants / ha Robusta, Nendran, 1.8 x 1.8 m 3086 Garden land Dwarf Cavendish 1.5 x 1.5 m 4444 Poovan, Monthan, Wet land Rasthali, 2.1 x 2.1 m 2267 Neyvannan, Ney poovan 750 Virupakshi (Sirumalai), Hills 3.6 x 3.6 m (When mixed Namarai and Ladan with coffee) High density planting system (HDP) Adopt high density planting for higher productivity - Plant 3 suckers / pit at a spacing of 1.8 x 3.6 m (4600 plants / ha) for Cavendish varieties and 2 m x 3 m for Nendran (5000 plants / ha). Irrigation Irrigate immediately after planting. Give life irrigation after 4 days. Subsequent irrigations are to be given once in a week for irrigated plantations of garden lands and once in 10 – 15 days for wet lands. Irrigate the fields copiously after every manuring. Use drip irrigation @ 15 litres / plant / day from planting to 4th month, 20 litres / plant /day from 5th month to shooting and 25 litres / plant / day from shooting till 15 days prior to harvest. Application of fertilizers Details N P K (g / plant / year) Garden land Varieties other than Nendran 110* 35* 330* Nendran 150 90 300 Wet land 210 35 450 Nendran, Rasthali 210 50 390 Poovan,Robusta 160 50 390 8 Hill bananas After forming semi circular basins on uphill side, apply 375 g of 40:30:40 NPK mixture, plus 130 g muriate of potash per clump per application during October, January and April. Apply Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria 20 g each at planting and 5th month after planting preceding chemical fertilizer application. Apply N as neem-coated urea. Apply N and K in 3 splits on 3rd, 5th and 7th month, Phosphorus at 3rd month of planting. Apply Arbuscular mycorrhiza (250 g/plant), phosphate solubilising bacteria (50 g/plant), Azospirillum (50 g/plant) and Trichoderma harzianum (50 g/plant) at the time of planting. Apply 20 g in each of Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria again five months after planting (This should be applied prior to chemical fertilizer application). For HDP with three suckers, apply 2.25 times of recommended dose per clump For Tissue culture banana, apply 50% extra fertilizers at 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th month after planting. Fertigation For maximizing productivity follow fertigation technique - Apply 25 litres of water / day + 200:30:300 g N: P2O5: K2O / plant using water soluble fertilizers. For economizing the cost of fertilizers, fertigate using normal fertilizers (Urea and Muriate of potash) with 50% of the recommended dose along with recommended dose of phosphorus as basal at 2nd month after planting. Fertigate at weekly intervals as per the following schedule: Fertigation schedule Weeks after planting N (% ) P2O5 (% ) K2O (% ) 9-18 (10 weeks) 30 100 20 19-30 (12 weeks) 50 -- 40 31-42 (12 weeks) 20 -- 32 43-45 (3 weeks) -- -- 8 Total 100 100 100 Organic nutrient schedule for banana cv. Grand Naine Application of FYM @ 10 kg + Neem cake @ 1.25 kg + Vermicompost @ 5 kg and Wood ash @ 1.75 kg / plant + Triple green manuring with sunnhemp (one time) and Cowpea (two times) + biofertilizers viz., AM @ 25g, Azospirillum @ 50 g, PSB @ 50 g and Trichoderma harzianum @ 50 g/ plant is recommended for organic cultivation of banana cv. Grand Naine. The schedule for application of different components is as detailed below: 1. Basal: FYM and neem cake. 2. After 3months of planting: vermicompost 3. After 5 months of planting: Potassium as wood ash 4. Triple green manuring: Each manuring is done at 10 days interval, first with sunhemp for 45 days from planting and then twice with cowpea for 30days Aftercultivation Garden Land Give spade digging at bi-monthly intervals and earth up. Prune the suckers at monthly intervals. The dry and diseased leaves are removed and burnt to control the spread of leaf 9 spot diseases. Male flowers may be removed a week after opening of last hand. The plants at flowering may be propped. Cover the peduncle with flag leaf to prevent stalk end rot. Cover the bunches with banana leaves to avoid sun scald. Wet land Form trenches in between alternate rows and cross trenches at every 5th row. The trenches are periodically deepened and the soil is spread over the bed. Surface diggings may be given at bi-monthly intervals and desuckering at monthly intervals. Remove the male flower a week after opening of last hand. Prop plants at or prior to flowering. Cover the peduncle with flag leaf and the bunch with leaves to avoid sun scald. For ratoon crops, in respect of Poovan, Monthan and Rasthali, allow the follower at flowering of the mother plant and remove the other suckers at harvest. Perennial banana Give surface digging with spade once in two months. Give one deep digging with spade during January – February. Other operations as in garden land. Hill banana Give four forkings in January, April, July and October. Remove outer sheaths to keep the corm inside the soil and ward-off borer. Maintain two bearing plants and two followers per clump along the contour. Growth regulators To improve the grade of bunches, 2,4-D at 25 ppm (25 mg / l.) may be sprayed in Poovan and CO 1 banana after the last hand has opened. This will also help to remove seediness in Poovan variety. Spray CCC 1000 ppm at 4th and 6th month after planting. Spray Plantozyme @ 2ml / l at 6th and 8th month after planting to get higher yield. Micronutrients Spray micronutrients viz., ZnSO4 (0.5%), FeSO4 (1.0%), CuSO4 (0.2%) and H3BO3 (0.2%) at 3rd, 5th and 7th MAP to increase yield and quality of banana. Apply 25 kg ZnSO4 basally. Bunch cover Use transparent recyclable polyethylene sleeves with 2% (during cool season) and 4% (during summer season) ventilation to cover the bunches immediately after opening of the last hand Intercropping Leguminous vegetables, beetroot, elephant foot yam and sunnhemp. Avoid growing cucurbitaceous vegetables. Special Practices  Mulching with 100µm degradable polythene sheet immediately after planting conserves soil moisture and also suppresses weed growth. Surface digging and earthing up of soil at bi-monthly intervals facilitates better root system. Desuckering should be done at monthly intervals. Removal of dried leaves at periodical intervals reduces the disease spread. At the time of bunch emergence, prop the plants using bamboo or casuarina poles. After the completion of female phase, remove the male bud for better fruit development. After opening of the last hand, withered styles and perianth to be removed to avoid finger tip disease.  Bunch thinning i.e., removal of one to two small bottom hands from the bunch (keeping only 7 to 8 hands) facilitates uniform bunch development and this practice is recommended for export purpose. Cover the peduncle with flag leaf to prevent main stalk end rot. Cover the bunch with degradable polythene sleeves (2 - 4 % ventilation) or with white colour non-woven UV stabilized 10  polypropylene sleeves to avoid sunscald and to produce quality bunch. After harvesting, the pseudostem should be cut leaving a stump of about 0.6m height to nourish the developing daughter sucker. (Source: Banana Expert System, TNAU Agritech portal) Plant protection Pests Rhizome weevil  Apply or sprinkle carbofuran 3G 33g/sucker at the time of planting. Pseudostem borer  Remove dried leaves periodically and keep the plantation clean.  Remove the side suckers up to eighth month and destroy.  Do not dump infested materials in the manure pit. Infested trees should be uprooted, chopped into pieces and burnt.  Trap and kill adult weevils by chopping pseudostem chopped into small pieces. Banana aphid Apply any one of the following insecticides  Carbofuran 3G @166g /plant  Dimethoate 30EC 1.0 ml/l.  Methyl demeton 25 EC 2.0ml/l. Bunchy-top  The Banana Aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa is the vector of Bunchy-top virus disease.  The spray may be directed towards the crown and pseudostem base upto ground level at 21 days interval at least thrice. To prevent the disease, i) Use virus-free suckers ii) Paring and pralinage: Pare the corm and sprinkle 40 g of carbofuran 3 G over the corm (Before sprinkling, corm should be dipped in mud slurry). iii) Destroy virus affected plants. Thrips  Spray dimethoate 30 EC 1.0ml/l. Lace wing bugs: Spray any of the following insecticides  Dimethoate 30 EC 1.0ml/l.  Methyl demeton 25 EC 1.0ml/l.  Quinalphos 25EC 4.0ml/l. Nematode Pre-treat the suckers with 40 g of carbofuran 3G. If pre-treatment is not done, apply 40 g of carbofuran around each plant one month after planting (refer selection and pretreatment for alternative technology). Then grow sunnhemp after 45th day and incorporate one month later. Press mud application @ 15 t per ha one month after planting and neem cake 1.5 t per ha one month after planting. Intercrop with marigold @ 4:1 ratio. Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf1) liquid formulation @ 4 lit/ha @ 2nd , 4th and 6th month after planting through drip system to manage panama wilt and nematode complex. 11 Diseases Selection and pre-treatment of suckers  Select sword suckers of 1.5 to 2.0 kg weight, free from diseases and nematodes. Trim the roots and decayed portion of the corm, cut the pseudostem leaving 20 cm from the corm and grade the suckers to size. To avoid wilt disease, infected portions of the corm may be pared, dipped for 5 minutes in carbendazim 0.1% solution (1 g in 1 l of water) solution for Rasthali, Monthan, Neyvannan, Virupakshi and other wilt susceptible varieties.  Pralinage with 40 g of carbofuran 3 CG granules per sucker (dip the corm in slurry solution of 4 parts clay plus 5 parts water and sprinkle carbofuran to control nematodes).  Sow sunnhemp on 45th day; incorporate it after about a month. This operation reduces nematode build up. Sigatoka leaf spot  Remove affected leaves and burn  Spray carbendazim @ 1 g/l or benomyl @ 1 g/l or mancozeb @ 2 g/l or copper oxychloride @ 2.5 g/l or ziram @ 2 ml/l or chlorothalonil @ 2 g/l at monthly interval from November onwards  Alternatively spray propiconazole @ 1 ml/l or 0.5 ml/l along with petroleum based mineral oil @ 10 ml/l or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 0.5% three times at 15 days interval to control sigatoka leaf spot incidence. Always add 5 ml of wetting agent like Sandovit, Triton AE, Teepol etc. per 10 l of spray fluid. CIB recommendation  Spray pyraclostrobin 133 g/l + epoxiconazole e 50g/l SE @ 3 g/l or tebuconazole 50% + trifloxystrobin 25% WG @ 300 g/ha Panama Disease (Fusarium wilt)  Uproot and destroy severely affected plants  Apply lime at 1 – 2 kg in the pits after removal of the affected plants  Corm injection: Remove a small portion of soil to expose the upper portion of the corm. Make an oblique hole at 45° angle to a depth of 10 cm. Immediately insert a gelatin capsule containing 60 mg of carbendazim or of 50 mg of Pseudomonas fluorescens or inject 3 ml of 2 % carbendazim solution into the hole with the help of ‗corm injector‘ on 2nd, 4th and 6th months after planting  Apply press mud at 5 kg per plant to reduce the wilt incidence or apply Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf1) liquid formulation @ 4 l/ha at 2nd, 4th and 6th months after planting through drip system to manage panama wilt and nematode complex. Cigar end rot  CIB recommendation: Spray mancozeb 75% WP @1.5-2.0 kg/ha Bunchy-top  Use virus-free suckers for planting  The banana aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa is the vector of bunchy-top virus disease  Destroy virus affected plants by inserting a gelatin capsule containing 200 mg 2,4 - D into the corm 7 cm deep using capsule applicator or inject 5 ml 2,4 - D solution (125 gm/lit of water) into the pseudostem by using the injection gun. The plant collapses and topples in 3 – 5 days  Apply carbofuran 3G @ 166 g /plant or spray dimethoate 30EC @ 1 ml/l or methyl demeton 25 EC @ 2 ml/l to control vector  The spray may be directed towards crown and pseudostem base upto ground level at 21 days interval at least thrice. 12 Kottaivazhai in Poovan: Spray 2,4 – D @ 25 ppm within 20 days after opening of last hand (1g / 40 lit / 200 bunches) or 1.2 g of sodium salt of 2,4 – D dissolved in 40 lit of water for 200 bunches. Crop duration: The bunches will be ready for harvest after 12 to 15 months of planting. Harvest: Bunches attain maturity from 100 to 150 days after flowering depending on variety, soil, weather condition and altitude. Yield (t / ha / year): Poovan & Rasthali : 40 – 50 t / ha Monthan : 30 – 40 t / ha Ney Poovan : 30 – 35 t / ha Robusta : 50 – 60 t / ha Grand Naine : 70 – 80 t / ha Grand Naine uner HDP : 115-130 t / ha Market information Growing Districts Coimbatore, Erode, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Trichy, Vellore, Kanyakumari and Karur districts Major Markets in Tamil Nadu Trichy, Coimbatore, Theni Preferred Varieties and Grand Naine, Dwarf Cavendish, Robusta, Rasthali, Poovan, Hybrids Nendran, Red Banana, Ney Poovan, Pachanadan, Monthan, Karpuravalli, Neyrannan. Grade Specification The hands are graded based on the number and size of fingers in each hand. Over ripe and injured fruits are discarded. Banana is sent to the local market as bunches. 13 3. Acid Lime: Citrus aurantifolia (Christm) Swingle; Rutaceae Varieties: PKM 1, VRM 1 Tahithi lime, Balaji (Tenali), Vikram, Rasraj, NRCC -7, NRCC -8 , Phule Sharbathi Soil and Climate: Areas with dry climate and moderate rainfall ( 20 days) 26.6 35.5 26.6 Total 266.6 355.2 266.6 Muscat Hamburg (Panneer) Immediately after harvesting, the vines are allowed for short term rest for a period of 15 days. During this period, irrigation and fertilizer application should be followed for recouping the vines. A trench of 3 to 4 inch depth with 2 feet width between two vines should be opened and 500 g single superphosphate and 25 kg FYM should be applied in the trenches. The trench should be covered with the soil and earthing up is done for the formation of more white absorbent roots. Recommended nutrient dose for grapes var. Muscat Hamburg (Panneer) through soil application Variety Year I II III I II III I II III I II III I II III FYM (kg) Green Nitrogen (kg) Phosphorus Potash (kg) leaves (kg) (kg) Muscat 10 Hamburg 50 50 50 50 100 0.10 0.20 0.20 0.08 0.16 0.16 0.30 0.40 0.60 0 The manures should be applied twice after pruning. Apply half the dose of potash immediately after pruning and the other half after 60 days of pruning. Foliar spray of 0.1% 23 boric acid + 0.2% ZnSO4 + 1.0% urea twice before flowering and 10 days after first spray to overcome nutrient deficiency in Muscat Hamburg.  Apply 25 kg ZnSO4, 10kg borax, 50 kg FeSO4 + FYM, if the soil is deficient in respective nutrients.  Foliar spraying of 0.2% ZnSO4 +0.1% boric acid + 0.5 % FeSO4 + 0.1 % citric acid twice during blooming and after 10 days Special viticultural practices Shoot thinning There will be lot of new shoots of more than 100 at faster rate after pruning from the buds of vines. More number of shoots will result in overcrowding which compete for nutrients and water and prone for pest and disease incidence with poor productivity. For growing the seedless varieties for export, less than 0.75 shoot, domestic market purpose 1 shoot and for Muscat Hamburg (Panneer) 2 shoots per square feet area should be retained. Shoot thinning should be practised at 4-5 leaf stage. Sub cane development Commercial seedless grapes varieties with high vigour require sub cane development to achieve high degree of fruitfulness. The vines supplied with high nitrogenous fertilizers and more irrigation also result into vigorous vegetative growth. To avoid the faster vegetative growth, the shoots are pinched at particular node position. Then the lateral is allowed to take lead with slow growth with short internodes at base. This practice is known as sub cane development. Training the shoots To ensure proper micro climate inside the canopy the growing shoots are trained at proper distance in the ‗‘Y‘‘ trellis or pandal. Training the shoots will be helpful for light penetration and proper aeration to trigger the uniform cane maturity and also to avoid the pest and disease incidence. Tipping Tipping is practised by the retention of 9-11 leaves above the last cluster and tying of clusters in the pandal after the fruit set for berry development and maturity in the bunches. Further tendrils are also removed. Nipping Nipping is practised by removing the emerged shoots from axillary buds and terminal growth at 12th to 15th bud position from the base. Cluster and berry thinning Thinning of excess number of clusters prior to anthesis and thinning the compact bunches by removing 20 - 30 per cent of the berries at pea stage (3-4 mm size berries) using hand scissors should be followed. Dip the clusters in solution containing Brassinosteroid 0.5 ppm and GA3 25 ppm at 10-12 days after fruit set to maintain vigour, yield and quality parameters. 24 Plant protection Pests Flea beetles  Remove loose bark at the time of pruning to prevent egg laying.  Spray any one of the following  Imidacloprid 17.8% SL 4ml/10 l.  Cyantraniliprole 10.26% OD 7ml/10 l.  Malathion 50EC 1.0 ml/l. Thrips Spray any one of the following  Cyantraniliprole 10.26 OD 7ml/10l.  Emamectin benzoate 5 SG 4g/10l.  Fipronil 80WG 1.5g/10l. Mealybug  Release coccinellid beetle, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri @ 10 per vine.  Spray Buprofezin 25 % SC @ 1.0 ml/l. or Methomyl 40 SP 1.25g/l. Mite  Spray Abamectin 1.9 EC 0.75 ml/l of water Nematodes Apply 60 g of carbofuran 3G or 20g of per vine a week before pruning and the plots are irrigated profusely. The soil should not be disturbed for at least 15 days. Thereafter normal manuring may be done. Application of neem cake @ 200g/vine also can be administered to control nematodes. Alternatively, application of Pseudomonas fluorescens formulation in talc containing 15 x 108 colony forming units/g @ 100g/vine 30 cm away from base of the vine at least 15cm depth at the time of pruning. Diseases Powdery mildew  Spray wettable sulphur @ 0.3% or dust sulphur @ 6 -12 kg/ha in the morning or azoxystrobin @ 150 a.i./ha (600 ml/ha) at 30 days after pruning five times at 10 days interval CIB recommendation  Spray carbendazim 46.27 SC @ 1 ml/l or hexaconazole 2% SC @ 1.5-3 l/ha or hexaconazole 5% EC @ 1 ml/l or hexaconazole 5% SC @ 1ml/lit or lime sulphur 22% @ 1% or myclobutanil 10% WP @ 4 ml/10 l or penconazole 10% EC @ 5 ml/10 l or sulphur 40% WP @ 3 kg/ha or sulphur 55.16% SC @ 3 ml/l or sulphur 80% WP @ 2.5-5 kg/ha or sulphur 80% WG @ 1.8-2.5 kg/ha or metrafenone 500g/l SC @ 2.5 g/7.5 l of water or tetraconazole 3.8% w/w EW @ 7.5 ml/10 l or triadimefon 25% WP @1 g/10l or fluxapyroxad 250 g/l + pyraclostrobin 250 g/l SC @ 2 g/10 l Downy mildew  Spray Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 20 g/l on 25th and 45th days after pruning followed by spraying of azoxystrobin @ 1 ml/l on 35 and 55 days after pruning  Remove infected tendrils and spray Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 20 g/l at 65 days after pruning  Apply FYM @ 20 kg + Pf1 100 g/vine after pruning followed by spray with Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf 1) on 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65 days after pruning to check the downy mildew 25 CIB recommendation  Spray metalaxyl M 4% + mancozeb 64% WP @ 2.5 g/l or metalaxyl 18% + mancozeb 64% WP @ 5 g/l or copper oxychloride 50% WG @ 2.4g/l or copper hydroxide 53.8% DF @ 3 g/l or cymoxanil 50% WP @ 2.4 g/l or mandipropamid 23.4% SC @ 0.8 ml/l or zineb 75% WP @ 1.5-2 kg/ha or ziram 80% WP @ 1.5-2 kg/ha or dimethomorph 50% WP @ 10 g/7.5l or dimethomorph 12%+ pyraclostrobin 6.7% WG @ 1.5 g/10 l or fosetyl-AL 80% WP @ 2 g/l or amectotradin + dimethomorph 20.27% W/W SC @ 1 ml/7.5 l or oxathiapiprolin 10.1% W/W OD @ 4 g/l or propineb 70% WP @ 3 g/l or famoxadone 16.6% + cymoxanil 22.1 % SC @ 5 ml/l or fenamidone 4.44% + fosetyl Al 66.7 % WG @ 3 g/l or fenamidone 10% + mancozeb 50% WG @ 3 g/l or metiram 55% + pyraclostrobin 5% WG @3 g/1.5 l Anthracnose  Spray 1 % Bordeaux mixture or copper fungicide @ 0.25 % or fluopicolide and forestyl aluminium formulation (profiler-fluopicolide 4.44% + fosetyl aluminium 66.7% - 71.14% WG) @ 0.2 % three times [First spray 15 days after pruning at 4-5 leaf stage) and the second and third spray at 10 days interval depending upon disease severity]  Depending upon the weather conditions the sprays have to be increased CIB recommendation  Spray carbendazim 50% WP @ 0.5 g/l or iprodione 50% WP @ 1-2 kg/ha or kitazin 48% EC @ 2 ml/l CIB recommendation for combined infections Downy mildew, powdery mildew and anthracnose  Spray carbendazim 12% + mancozeb 63 % WP @ 1.5 g/l or dust iprodione 50% WP @ 1-2 kg/ha or copper sulphate 47.15% + mancozeb 30 WDG 5 g/l or mancozeb 75% WP @1.5-2 kg/ha Powdery mildew and downy mildew  Spray azoxystrobin 23% SC @ 1 ml/l of water or kresoxim –methyl 44.3% SC 600-700 ml in 500 l/ha or picoxystrobin 22.52% W/W SC @ 4ml in 10l of water or boscalid 25.2% + pyraclostrobin 12.8 % @ 5 g/10 l Downy mildew and anthracnose  Spray mancozeb 75% WP @ 1.5 -2 kg/ha or ziram 80% WP @ 1.5-2.0 kg/ha Powdery mildew and anthracnose  Spray difenoconazole 25% EC @ 3 ml/10 l or benomyl 50% WP @ 300 g/750 l/ha or dimethomorph 50% @ 1000 g/750 l/ha or fluopicolide 4.44% + fosetyl aluminium 66.67% WG @ 0.5 g/l Powdery mildew,anthracnose and rust  Spray thiophanate methyl 70% WP @ 7.15 g/10 l or azoxystrobin 8.3% + mancozeb 66.7% WG @ 3 g/l Anthracnose and bacterial leaf spot  Spray kasugamycin 5% + copper oxychloride 45% WP @ 7.5 g /10 l Preparation of 1% Bordeaux mixture A quantity of 500 g of copper sulphate should be dissolved in 25 l of water and 500 g of lime in another 25 lit of water separately. The copper sulphate solution should be added to the lime solution constantly stirring the mixture. Earthern or wooden vessels and plastic containers alone should be used and metallic containers should not be used. To find out whether the mixture is in correct proportion, a polished knife should be dipped in the mixture for one minute 26 and taken out. If there is reddish brown deposit of copper, additional quantity of lime should be added till there is no deposit in the knife. Quality improvement in Muscat Hamburg To get uniform ripening in Muscat, spray the bunches with 0.2% Potassium chloride (2 g /l) at 20th day after berry set, followed by another spray on 40th day. Dip the clusters of Thompson seedless and other seedless varieties at calyptra fall stage with 25 ppm GA (25 mg / l) and repeat again at pepper stage to increase the size of berries. Retention of 9 leaves above the last cluster with the foliar application of 10 ppm GA 3 when the berries at parrot green stage and 0.5 ppm of homobrassinolide was found to be the best for high yield and quality. Foliar application of chelated EDTA calcium @ 0.2 % combined with boric acid @ 0.1 % during early berry development was highly effective for getting high yield and for reducing berry cracking. Quality improvement in seedless grapes varieties Extensive use of various plant growth hormones in seedless commercial grapes varieties is very common for enhancing the yield land quality. But one should be very careful about the stage of use and the concentration of these hormones. Gibberellic acid (GA 3) application reduces number of flowers and also results in elongation of berries and bunches. Plant growth regulators like Brassinolide, Benzyl Amino Purine (6-BAP) and CPPU increase the size of berries. The schedule and the concentration of different hormones for balanced crop, quality bunches and berries in seedless grape varieties Days after pruning Stage of bunch Hormone Concentration (ppm) 28 - 30 Pre-bloom GA3 10 32 - 35 Full bloom GA3 20 - 25 40 - 42 Post set GA3 30 - 40 45 - 50 1 week later GA3 + Brassinolide 25 + 1 (Berry size of 3-4 mm) 50 - 55 1 week later GA3 + Brassinolide 25 + 1 (Berry size of 6-8 or Benzyl Amino 5 - 10 mm) Purine Use of GA3 during cloudy weather should be avoided. This results in excess flower dropping and reduces the fruit set. Likewise GA3 should not be used during full bloom stage to fruit set period. To ensure better results for GA3 on berry size and elongation, may be applied by spraying or dipping bunches. Yield Thompson Seedless and its clones : 25 t / ha/ year Muscat Hamburg (Panneer) : 30 t / ha / year Red Globe : 20 t / ha / year Crimson Seedless : 15 t / ha / year Anab-e-Shahi and Arka hybrids : 20 t / ha / year 27 7. Guava (Psidium guajava L.); Myrtaceae Varieties Allahabad Safeda, Lucknow 49, Arka Amulya, Arka Mirdula, Banarasi, TRY (G) 1, Arka Kiran, Lucknow 46, Arka Reshmi, Lalit Soil and Climate Guava grows well both in wet and dry regions but it does better under irrigation in the dry tracts. It can be grown upto 1000 m altitude. Well drained soils are the best. Tolerates salinity and alkalinity. In saline soils, add 3 kg gypsum/plant during planting and once in three years after planting. Propagation materials/ Planting material Layers and grafts Season of planting June - December. Spacing 5 – 6 m either way. Planting Plant the layers/grafts with the ball of earth in the center of pit of 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm size filled with FYM 10 Kg Irrigation Irrigate copiously immediately after planting, again on third day and afterwards once in 10 days or as and when necessary. Manures and Fertilizers FYM 50 kg and one kg in each of N, P and K per tree in two split doses during March and October. To increase the yield, spray Urea 1 % + Zinc sulphate 0.5% twice a year during March and October. To correct the boron deficiency (reduction in size of leaves and fruit cracking and hardening), spray 0.3% borax (3 g / l) during flowering and fruit set stages. Micronutrients spray for controlling bronzing of leaves Spraying a combination of micro nutrients viz., ZnSO4, MgSO4 and MnSO4 @ 0.5 % and CuSO4 and FeSO4 @ 0.25% plus Teepol @ 1ml per 5 lit of solution at following growth stages: 1. During new flush 2. One month after first spray 3. During flowering 4. During fruit set Intercropping Legumes and short duration vegetable crops may be raised during pre-bearing stage. After cultivation Pruning of past season‘s terminal growth to a length of 10-15 cm is to be done during September – October and February – March to encourage more laterals. The erect growing branches are to be bent by tying on to pegs driven on the ground. Old unproductive but healthy trees may be either pollarded or cut the trunks at 75 cm from ground level or dehorned by cutting the secondary branches at a distance of 75 cm from their origin. 28 Crop Regulation - Bahar Treatment  There are three distinct flowering seasons with corresponding harvesting periods-rainy, winter and spring. It is desirable to take only one crop in a year.  In South India the rainy season crop is preferred even though it is of poor quality, since the price is high at this time.  Guava is a current season bearer. Inducing flowering or bahar treatment in guava includes management practices like withholding of water, irrigation, fertilization and use of growth regulators in association with pruning technique. Bahar Months Water stress Flowering Fruiting Ambe bahar December-January February-March July-August (February) Hasta bahar(October) August-September October-November March-April Mrig bahar (June) 3rd week of April June-July November - December (Source: NHB) Plant protection Pests Tea Mosquito Bug  Spray malathion 50 EC 2ml/l. or neem oil 3 %.  Spraying should be done in early mornings or late evenings, at least four times at 21 days interval during fruiting season Aphid  Spray dimethoate 30EC 2ml/l Mealy bug  Release Cryptolaemous predatory beetles @10/tree Fruit fly  Collect and destroy fallen fruits.  Set up methyl eugenol 0.1% solution mixed with malathion 50 EC @ 1 ml/lit between 6 a.m. and 8a.m.  Install methyl eugenol trap @ 4/acre  Neem oil 3 % Diseases Red rust  Spray copper oxy chloride @ 2.5 g/l or 0.5 % Bordeaux mixture or wettable sulphur @ 2 g/l CIB recommendation for fruit rots  Spray mancozeb 75% WP @ 2 g/l or zineb 75% WP @ 2 g/l or metiram 55% + pyraclostrobin 5% WG @ 3 g/l Nematodes The propagating materials such as ground layers, grafts, rootstocks used for grafting, clones and rooted cuttings infested with root knot nematode, M.enterolobii in guava act as sources for dissemination into main field. Use of air layers and sterilized soil media or adopting soil less media (vermiculite and coir pith) can keep the nematodes from entering the root system at nursery stage. Intercropping with marigold around the basin of the tree.Apply Purpureocillium lilacinum @ 60 g mixed with FYM 5 kg and neem cake @250 g per tree once in three months. Harvest: Grafts/ layers come to bearing within 2-3 years after planting First crop : February – July. Second crop : September – January. Yield: 25 t / ha. 29 Market information Growing Districts Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar,Villupuram, Vellore,Tirunelveli Major Markets in Tamil Nadu Palani, Madurai, Koyambedu, wholesale market, Chennai 8. Pineapple (Ananas sativus); Bromeliaceae Varieties Kew, Mauritius, Queen, Amritha and MD 2 Soil and Climate Mild tropical climate as found in the humid hill slopes is best suited.It can be grown in plains under shade. Elevation from 500 m to 700 m is ideal. A light well drained soil with pH of 5.5 to 7.0 is preferable. Heavy soils can also be used if drainage facilities are available. Spacing Plant in double rows either in beds or in trenches with the plants into the second rows set in the middle of the plants in the first row. The spacing between two trenches will be 90 cm. Row to row spacing in the same bed per trench will be 60 cm and plant spacing within the row is 30 cm. Planting Use suckers (500 – 750 g) and slips (350 – 450 g) for planting. Pineapple suckers are allowed to dry at least for 30- 35 days before planting. To facilitate better rooting, it is necessary to strip off the scale leaves from the basal portions of the planting materials. Give a slanting cut to the suckers before planting and dip in Mancozeb 0.3 % or Carbendazim 0.1%. Season: July – September Manures and Fertilizers FYM 40-50 t / ha. N 16 g, P 4 g and K 12 g / plant in two equal splits at 6th and 12th month after planting. Apply as foliar spray 0.5% - 1.0 % Zinc sulphate and Ferrous sulphate at 15 days interval to overcome the deficiencies in the early crop phase. After cultivation To have uniform flowering, apply the following when the crop attains 35 – 40 leaf stage. NAA 10 ppm + 2 % urea (20 g in 1 lit of water) @ 50 ml / plant poured into crown or 2 % urea + 0.04 % Sodium carbonate + 20 ppm Ethephon (ethrel) @ 50 ml / plant poured into the crown. To increase the size of the fruit, 200 – 300 ppm NAA should be sprayed after fruit formation. To avoid calcium induced Iron chlorosis, provide adequate shade. Mulching of pineapple field with black polythene, followed by thatch grass/saw-dust gives better yield and quality and suppresses the weed growth. Plant protection Pest Mealy bug  Spray Methyl demeton 2 ml / lit Crop duration: 18 – 24 months. 30 Harvest: Fruits can be harvested from 18 to 24 months. Slight colour change at the base of the fruit indicates maturity. Yield: 50 t / ha. A plant crop and two ratoon crops are normally taken. In Mauritius variety, upto five crops can be taken. 9. Sapota (Manilkhara achras); Sapotaceae Varieties Oval, Cricket Ball, Kirtibarti, Guthi, CO 1, CO 2, CO 3, P K M 1, PKM 2, PKM 3, PKM 4, PKM (Sa) 5 and Kalipatti. Soil and Climate It is a tropical crop and can be grown up to an altitude of 1000 m. It can be grown in all types of soils. Planting materials Grafted on Manilkhara hexandra (Pala) rootstock. Season of planting June – December Spacing 8 x 8 m (156 plants / ha) for conventional planting. Adopt high density planting at 8 x 4 m (312 plants / ha) for high productivity Planting Dig pits of 1 m x 1 m x 1 m in size. Fill up with top soil mixed with 10 kg of FYM, 1 kg of neem cake and 100 g. Plant the grafts in the center of the pit with ball of earth intact. The graft joint must be atleast 15 cm above the ground level. Stake the plants properly to avoid bending or damage to graft joint. Irrigation Irrigate copiously immediately after planting and on the third day and once in 10 days afterwards till the graft establishes. Manures and Fertilizers (kg / tree) Manures and one year Annual increase 6th year onwards Fertilizers old FYM 10.00 10.00 50.00 N 0.20 0.20 1.00 P 0.20 0.20 1.00 K 0.30 0.30 1.50 Manures and fertilizers may be applied in September - October, 45 cm away from the trunk upto the leaf tip and incorporated. After cultivation Remove the rootstock sprouts, water shoots, criss-cross and lower branches. 31 Intercropping Legumes and short duration vegetable crops may be raised as intercrop during pre- bearing stage. Plant protection Pests Leaf webber  Spray phosalone 35 EC 2 ml / lit. Hairy caterpillars  Spray Phosalone 35 EC 2 ml / lit of water Bud worm  Spray neem seed kernel extract 5 %. Diseases Sooty mould  Boil 1 kg of maida or starch with 5 l of water, cool, dilute to 20 l (5 %) and spray on leaves. Avoid spraying during cloudy weather Harvest A mature fruit is dull brown in colour and the colour immediately below the skin when scratched is of lighter shade, while in the immature fruits it is green. The mature fruits are harvested by hand picking. Season February – June and September – October. Ripen the fruits in air tight room by keeping a beaker containing 5000 ppm Ethrel + 10 g NaOH pellets in an air tight chamber (5 ml Ethrel in one lit of water is 5000 ppm). Alternatively, fruits can be exposed to ethylene gas at 100 – 200 ppm for 18 – 20 hrs to induce ripening. Yield 20-25 t / ha / year. Market information Growing Districts Dindigul, Coimbatore, Virudhunagar, Theni, Namakkal Major Markets in Tamil Nadu Dindigul, Coimbatore, Anna Fruit Market, Koyambedu, Chennai Preferred Varieties and hybrids Cricket Ball, PKM 1, Kalipatti, PKM 4 Grade Specification Based on size and shape, large, medium and small 32 10. Papaya (Carica papaya L.); Caricaceae Varieties CO 2, CO 3, CO 4, CO 5, CO 6, CO 7 and TNAU Papaya CO 8. The papaya varieties CO 3 and CO 7 are gynodioecious (bisexual + female) types highly suitable for table purpose and CO 2, CO 5, CO 6 and CO 8 are dual-purpose varieties for table and papain production. ‗Red Lady‘ is also being grown for commercial purposes. Soil and Climate It is a tropical fruit and grows well in regions where summer temperature ranges from 35o C – 38o C. Tolerates frost and comes up to an elevation of 1200 m. Well drained soils of uniform texture are preferable. If drainage is not adequate, collar - rot disease may occur. Sowing 500 g of seeds are required for planting one ha. Seed rate Gynodioecious and Dioecious variety : 500 grams per ha (200g /acre) Sowing should be taken in the poly bags 4-6 seeds per bag is recommended dioecious variety 2-4 seeds per bag for gynodioecious varieties June - September is the best season for planting. Avoid planting during rainy season. Nursery Treat the seeds with Captan @ 2 g / kg of seeds. Dibble 5-6 seeds for dioecious varieties and 3-4 seeds for gynodioecious varieties in polythene bags at a depth not exceeding one cm. Raise the seedlings in a protected structure to avoid Papaya Ring Spot Virus incidence. Provide partial shade. Water the bags with rose can. Seedlings will be ready in about 60 days. Planting Plant the seedlings at 1.8 m either ways in pits of 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm size. Avoid planting in severe summer as well as in peak rainy season. Avoid water stagnation in the basin. Irrigation Irrigate copiously after planting. Irrigate the field once in a week. Application of fertilizers Apply FYM 10 kg / plant as basal. Apply 50 g in each of N, P and K per plant at bi- monthly intervals from the third month of planting after removing unwanted sex forms. Apply Arbuscular mycorrhizae (50 g/plant), phosphate solubilising bacteria (25 g/plant), Azospirillum (50 g/plant) and Trichoderma harzianum (50 g/plant) at the time of planting. Apply 20 g in each of Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria again six months after planting. Fertigation technique Apply 10 litres of water per day + 13.5 g urea and 10.5 g muriate of potash / week through drip irrigation and soil application of super phosphate 300 g per plant at bimonthly intervals starting from 3-4 months after planting immediately after thinning of plants is recommended. After cultivation Male plants should be removed after the emergence of inflorescence maintaining one male plant for every 20 female plants for proper fruit-set. In each pit, only one vigorously 33 growing female / hermaphrodite plants should be retained and other plants should be removed.In gynodioecious types like CO 3 and CO 7, keep one hermophrodite type / pit and remove female plants. Micronutrients Spray 0.5% Zinc sulphate and 0.1% Boric acid at 4th and 8th MAP to improve growth and yield. Plant protection Nematodes  To control nematodes in the nursery, apply carbofuran 3G @ 1 g/polythene bag after germination.  Apply neem cake @250 g /plant or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 4 g /plant to minimize reniform and root knot nematode population in the main field Diseases Root rot and wilt  In water stagnated areas root-rot may appear and good drainage is vital  It is advisable to drench the soil with 1% Bordeaux mixture or metalaxyl @ 0.2% at fortnightly intervals 2 to 4 times Papaya ringspot disease  Raise papaya seedlings in insect proof net house  Spray with a systemic insecticide 3 days before transplanting  Grow two rows of border crop with maize at one month before transplanting of seedlings  Apply FYM @10 kg/pit  For vector management, spray dimethoate @1.5 ml / l at monthly intervals up to 5 months after planting followed by zinc sulphate @ 0.5% + boron @0.1% at 4 th and 7th month after planting Crop duration: 24 – 30 months. Harvest: Fruits should be picked at colour break stage. Yield: The average yield is as follows CO 2 : 200 - 250 t / ha CO 3 : 100 - 120 t / ha CO 5 : 200 - 250 t / ha CO 6 : 120 - 160 t / ha CO 7: 200 - 225 t / ha CO 8: 220 - 230 t / ha Papain extraction Papain has several industrial uses, the important one being in brewing industries. It is used as ―meat tenderiser‖ and in textile and leather ―sanforization‖ processes and drugs.The method of extraction of papain from papaya fruits is simple. The latex should be tapped from immature papaya fruits. Select 75 to 90 days old fruits. On the selected fruit, give incisions (cut) with a razor blade or stainless steel knife. The cuts should be given from stalk to tip of the fruit. The depth of the cut should not be more than 0.3 cm. Four such cuts are given spaced equally on the fruit surface. Tap the latex early in the morning and complete the tapping before 10.00 A.M. Repeat the tapping four times on the same fruit at an interval of three days. The cut should be given on the fruit surface in places not covered by previous cuts. The latex collected from all the plants in a day should be pooled, shade dried in an aluminium pan or tray and passed through a 50 mesh sieve to remove all foreign matter. In large 34 plantations, vacuum driers can be adopted with advantage. Papain produced by artificial heating will have better colour and high quality. Add Potassium meta-bi-sulphite (KMS) at 0.5 % for better colour and keeping quality. The latex should be dried very rapidly at temperatures of 50 to 55oC. Stop drying when the dried product comes off as flakes having a porous texture. Powder the dried papain by means of wooden mallets or in electrically operated granulators and sieve the powder through 10 mesh sieve. Pack the powder in polythene bags in convenient quantities and seal them. Put the sealed bags in a tin container and seal it after evacuating air. Exposure to air deteriorates the quality of papain and vacuum sealing is therefore necessary. For large scale manufacture of papain, vacuum sealing machine and a granulator will be useful.The green papaya fruits after extraction of papain can be used for pectin manufacture and ―tuity fruity‖ or they can be allowed to ripen and made into other products. The CO 2, CO 5 and CO 8 varieties of papaya released by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore are ideal for papain production. Yield The yield of crude papain is as follows: CO 2: 600 kg / ha, CO 5 & CO 8: 800 kg / ha. Seed Technology Germination improvement Store the seeds in airtight containers. Soak t h e seeds in 100 ppm GA3 for 16 hours or in 2% fresh leaf extract of arappu or 1% pungam leaf extract or pellet the seeds with arappu leaf powder. Optimum depth of sowing Sow seeds at 1 cm depth for better germination and seedling growth. Grading BSS 6 wire mesh sieve. Storage Dry seeds to 8-10% moisture and treat with halogen mixture containing CaOCl2, CaCO3 and arappu leaf powder (at 5:4:1 ratio) @ 3 g / kg and pack in cloth bag to maintain viability upto 5 months. Invigoration of old seeds Stored seeds can be invigorated by soaking them in dilute solution of disodium phosphate (10-4 M) adopting 1:8 seed to solution ratio for 4 hours, followed by drying back to original moisture content. 35 11. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.); Punicaceae Varieties Jyothi, Ganesh, Arakta, Rudhra, Mridhula, Bhagwa, Ruby, YCD-1, G 137, Solapur Lal and Solapur Anardana, Bacterial blight tolerant varieties: Nayana, Kalpitiya, Nana and Daru. Soil and Climate It is grown in a wide range of soils; drought resistant and tolerant to salinity and alkalinity. Cool winter and dry summer are necessary for p r o d u c t i o n of high quality fruits.It performs well up to1800m elevation. Planting Rooted cuttings or layers of 12 to18 months age can be planted during June to December in pits of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm at 2.5 to 3 m spacing either way. Propagation Hardwood cutting of 15 cm length and 6 mm thickness. Pre-treat with Carbendazim (0.1%) + Bactronol (2 –Bromo, 2- Nitropropane, 1-3 diol) @ 0.05% for 10 minutes, followed by one washing with tap water and dipping the lower half of the cuttings for 5 minutes in 2000 ppm IBA. Maintain 85% relative humidity Flower regulation NAA 10 mg/l as foliar spray during September when new flush initiation occurs. Irrigation Copious irrigation is essential during fruiting season. Application of fertilizers (kg / plant) ManuresandFertilizers 1st year 2nd to 5th year 6thyear on wards (kg) (kg) (kg) FYM 10.00 20.00 30.00 N 0.20 0.40 0.60 P 0.10 0.25 0.50 K 0.40 0.80 1.200 Training and pruning Fruits are borne terminally on shoots emerging from mature wood. To promote new shoots on all sides, annual pruning is done after harvest is completed during December by shortening of past season shoot by removing one third of the shoot. Besides, dried, disease affected, criss-cross branches and root suckers/ water sprouts are removed. The plant is trained to get a single stem up to 60 cm with 3 or 4 scaffold branches. Other practices  Thinning of flower clusters ensures better size of the fruit.  Spraying liquid paraffin at 1%concentration at 15days interval twice during June reduces fruit cracking. Crop Regulation - Bahar Treatment Pomegranate flowers continuously when watered regularly. The plants under such conditions may continue bearing flowers and bear small crop irregularly at different period of 36 the year, which may not be desirable commercially. To avoid this trees are given bahar treatment. In this treatment, the irrigation is withheld two months prior to the bahar followed by light earthing up in the basin. This facilitates the shedding of leaves. The trees are then medium pruned 40-45 days after withholding irrigation. The recommended doses of fertilizers are applied immediately after pruning and irrigation is resumed. This leads to profuse flowering and fruiting. The fruits are ready for harvest 4-5 months after flowering. In tropical condition, there are three flowering seasons, viz., January-February (ambia bahar) June -July (mrig bahar) and September-October (hasta bahar). The choice of flowering/fruiting is regulated taking into consideration the availability of irrigation water, market demand and pest/disease incidence in a given locality. Bahar Flower initiation Harvesting month Remarks month Ambe January-February June to September More flowering and high yield Mrig September- December to More prone to diseases and insect October February pests. Fruit Quality is not very good. It should be avoided increases receiving high rainfall during July - September Hasta June -July March to April Flowering good. Fruit colour and quality best as fruits mature in cold season, fetches higher market price. Preferred for export (Source: NHB) The avoid can be taken depending on water availability, peat and disease incidence and market demand. Ambe Bahar is most commonly preferred by the growers because of high yield as compared to other flowering season. Process of bahar treatment  Irrigation is withheld two months prior to the bahar. In case of light sandy and shallow soils, withhold water for 4–5 weeks. Such results in water stress, leaves show wilting and fall on the ground  Application of ethrel spray at 2 to 2.5 ml/l mixed with 5 g/l of DAP  The trees medium pruned 40-45 days after withholding irrigation  Cover the roots with a mixture of soil and FYM and give light irrigation Plant protection Pests Aphids  Release first instar larvae of green lace wing predator Chrysoperla carnea @ 50 grubs/ flowering branch four times at 10 days interval starting from flower initiation during April. Fruit Borer  Remove calyx to discourage egg laying wherever possible  Cover fruits with neem oil dipped cloth bags during flowering period to prevent egg-laying.  Spray neem oil 3 % or NSKE 5% or spinosad @ 0.4 ml/lit at the time of butterfly activity.  When the fruits are in marble stage, release Trichogramma chilonis @ 1 lakh/acre 37 Scales  Spray quinalphos 25 EC 4ml/ l. Thrips  Spray cyantraniliprole 10.26 OD 7.5 ml/10l. Whitefly  Spray cyantraniliprole 10.26 OD 9.0 ml/10l. Aphids  Spray cyantraniliprole 10.26 OD 9.0 ml/10l. Nematode management The propagating materials such as ground layers, grafts, rootstocks used for grafting, clones and rooted cuttings infested with root knot nematode, M.incognita in pomegranate act as sources for dissemination of these nematodes into main field. Use of air layers and sterilized soil media or adopting soil less media (vermiculite and coir pith) can keep the nematodes from entering the root system at nursery stage. Diseases CIB recommendation for fruit rot:  Spray difenaconazole 25% EC @ 1 ml/l or pyraclostrobin 133g/l+epoxiconazole 50g/l SE @ 3 g/l CIB recommendation for Anthracnose  Spray kitazin 48% EC @ 0.2% Yield 20-25 t /ha/year Storage The fruits can be stored up to 6 months at 0 to 4.5°C and 80% RH. Market information Growing Districts Dindigul, Erode, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli Major Markets in Tamil Nadu Coimbatore, Chennai Preferred Varieties and Hybrids Bhagwa, Ruby (IIHR) Grade Specification Size, Shape , Colour, Softness of seeds 38 12. Jack (Artocarpus heterophyllus); Moraceae Varieties Velipala, Singapore, Hybrid jack, Panruti selection, Thanjavur jack, Burliar 1, PLR 1 and PLR (J) 2 and PPI 1. Soil and Climate Deep well drained soil is necessary. Soil pH around 5.5 at the time of planting is desirable. Otherwise treat the soil with 1% Aluminium sulphate in the pit to reduce the pH. Comes up well in the plains and upto an elevation of 1200 m. Propagation Softwood grafting approach grafting method: Large scale propagation of jack can be done by cleft grafting during July - August on 4 month old seedling rootstock Preparation of field and planting Dig pits of 1 m x 1 m x 1 m in size. Fill up the pits with top soil mixed with 10 kg of FYM and 1 kg of neem cake per pit. Plant preferably grafts during June – December at 8 x 8 m spacing. Irrigation : Once in a week till the plant is established. Thereafter irrigate as and when necessary. Manures and Fertilizers To be applied in two splits during May - June and September - October. Manures & 1 year old Annual Increase 6th year and Fertilizers (kg) (kg) above (kg) FYM 10.00 10.00 50.00 N.000 0.15 0.15 0.75 P 0 0.08 0.08 0.40 K 0 0.10 0.10 0.50 0 Plant protection - Pest Spittle bug  Spread yellow sticky sheets to trap bugs (3ftx2ft)  Methyl demeton 25 EC 2 ml / lit.  Quinalphos 1.5 % D Diseases Rhizopus rot  Spray 1 % Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride @ 2.5 g/l three times at 15 days interval Harvest Yield commences from 5th year in grafts and 8th year in seedling trees. Harvest during March-July. Yield 30-40 t / ha. Market information Growing Districts Cuddalore, Kanyakumari, Dindigul, Pudukottai, Namakkal, Tirunelveli, Nilgiris Major Markets in Tamil Nadu Panruti, Coimbatore Preferred Varieties and Hybrids PLR 1 and Local 39 13. Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana Lam); Rhamnaceae Varieties Goma Kirti, Thar Sevika, Thar Bhubhraj, Kaithali, Umran, Gola and Banarasi. Soil and climate The ber plant comes under arid and semi-arid situation. Tolerates salinity and alkalinity. Planting material ‗T‘ budding and patch budding Planting Plant during July - August with a spacing of 7 x 7 m in pits of 1m x 1m x 1m. Irrigation Irrigate the plants initially for establishment. Provide 5 % slope towards the base of the tree for in situ water harvesting. Manures and fertilizers (kg / plant / year) Manures and Fertilizers 1st year (kg) 2nd year onwards (kg) FYM 20.00 50.00 N 0.20 0.50 P 0.10 0.20 K 0.20 0.50 Manuring should be given immediately after pruning. Spray 2% KNO3 thrice at monthly intervals in January, February and March. Training and Pruning Remove the rootstock sprouts and have a straight stem upto 75 cm from the ground level. During February - March almost unproductive upper part of the past seasons main shoot and its secondary branches as well as undesirable, weak, crisscrossing, diseased and broken branches are removed so that the most healthy and vigorous growth is induced at the most productive nodes Plant protection - Pest Fruit fly  Collect and destroy fallen and infested fruits by dumping in a pit and covering with a thick layer of soil.  Plough interspaces to expose pupae.  Use methyl eugenol lure trap @ 25/ha to monitor and kill adults of fruit flies.  Destroy infested fruits.  Neem oil 30 ml/l. Scale insects  Prune all the affected materials and burn.  Spray quinalphos 25 EC 2.5 ml /l. Leaf hopper  Spray chlorpyriphos 20 EC 1.5ml/l. 40 Diseases Black leaf spot (Isariopsis indica)  Spray carbendazim @ 1 g/l or chlorothalonil @ 2 g/l or propiconazole or difenoconazole @ 1 g/l twice at 15 days interval from the initial appearance of the symptom CIB recommendation for Powdery mildew  Spray carbendazim 50% WP @ 10 g/10 l per tree Yield: 70 - 80 kg of fruits / tree / year Seed Technology Seeds of b er attain physiological maturity 13 weeks after anthesis. It is indicated by yellowish red colour of fruit pericarp. Stones can be size graded using 22 / 64" round perforated metal sieve. Ber stones can be stored upto 30 months without any treatment under ambient conditions. 14. Amla/ Aonla (Phyllanthus emblica); Euphorbiaceae Varieties BSR 1, Goma Aiswarya, Banarasi, NA 7, Krishna, Kanchan, Chakaiya, Soil and Climate Amla is a sub tropical plant and prefers dry climate. Hardy plant, it can be grown in varied soil conditions. Tolerates salinity and alkalinity. Planting material Softwood grafting and patch budding Planting Plant during July - August with a spacing of 6 m x 6 m in pits of 1 m x 1 m x 1 m or 1.25 m x 1.25 m x 1.25 m. Irrigation Irrigate the plants initially for establishment. No irrigation is required during rainy and winter season. Drip irrigation is appropriate with water saving of 40-45%. Manures and fertilizers (kg / plant / year) Manures and Fertilizers Bearing tree (kg) FYM 10.00 N 0.20 P 0.50 K 0.20 Manuring to be given immediately after pruning. Training and Pruning The main branches should be allowed to appear at a height of 0.75-1 m above the ground level. Plants should be trained to modified central leader system. Two to four branches with wide crotch angle, appearing in the opposite directions should be encouraged in early years. During March – April, prune and thin the crowded branches to provide maximum fruit bearing area in the tree. 41 Plant protection Pests Gall caterpillar  Cut the infected apices Bark eating caterpillar  Clear the affected