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.

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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

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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.

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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.
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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.
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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 (<750 mm) are best suited.
Deep well drained medium black, loamy or alluvial soils rich in organic matter and devoid of
calcium carbonate are good. The optimum pH is 6.5 -7.0

Season: December – February and June – September.

Propagation: Budded plants on Rough lemon or Rangpur lime rootstocks are good. Since
seeds are highly polyembryonic and seedlings are true to type, propagation by seeds is also
recommended. Layering is adopted for VRM 1 Tahithi lime.

Planting: Healthy seedlings are planted during June to December at 6 x 6 m spacing in 75

cm x 75 cm x 75 cm pits.

Irrigation: Young plants need regular watering during post-monsoon period at an interval of
8-10 days and at 5-7 days during summer months. Water is applied around the periphery of
the tree in a ring and basin system (double ring) so that tree trunk should not come in direct
contact with water. Avoid water stagnation. Adopt drip system for new plantations.

Manures and Fertilizers per plant: ‘N‘ to be applied in two doses during March and
October.FYM, P2O5 and K2O are to be applied in October. Pseudomonas @ 20 g and VAM
@ 200 g per plant may be added along with FYM application.
Manures and Fertilizers (per plant)
Ist year Annual increase From 6th year
FYM 10 kg 5 kg 30 kg
N 200 g 100 g 600 g
P 100 g 25 g 200 g
K 100 g 40 g 300 g
After cultivation: Remove branches of main stem up to 45 cm from ground level. Periodical
removal of dried twigs along with one inch length of basal green wood and destroying them
by
burning should be done. Spray Zinc sulphate @ 0.5% (500 g /100 lit of water) thrice in a
year (March, July and October) after the emergence of new flushes.
The basins should be mulched with dry leaf waste or paddy husk with about 10 cm thickness
so as to arrest weed growth and also to conserve soil moisture, thereby improving the fruit
quality.

Intercropping: Legumes and vegetable crops can be raised during pre-bearing age.

Growth regulator: To increase fruit set, spray 2, 4 – D @ 20 ppm (200 mg / 10 l) during

flowering. For fruit retention, spray 2, 4 – D @ 20 ppm or NAA 30 ppm (300 mg / l) after fruit
set (marble size).

Harvest: Starts bearing from 3 - 4 years after planting. The tree flowers and produces fruits
almost all the year round, but there are three major flushes in June-July (Mrig Bahar),
September-October (Hast Bahar) and January – February (Ambi Bahar). Fruits of
September-October flowering (Hast Bahar) harvested during summer months are most
remunerative. The fruits mature in 5-6 months after flowering and are harvested when the

14
 colour just starts changing. Peak harvesting period is July-September and November-
January.
Post harvest handling
Harvested fruits are graded according to size and colour and packed in bamboo baskets or
wooden crates lined with green foliage. Treating the fruits with 4% wax emulsion followed by
pre-packing in 200 gauge polythene bags with 1 % ventilation improves the shelf life for
more than 10 days.
Yield: .25 t /ha /year.
Market information
Growing Districts Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Trichy,
Perambalur
Major Markets in Tamil Nadu Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Trichy,
Perambalur
Preferred Varieties and Hybrids PKM 1, Balaji, Vikram
Grade Specification Good size with golden yellow colour
Pests
Leaf miner Apply/spray any one of the following
 Carbofuran 3 G @ 50 kg /ha
 Neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) 5 %
 Neem cake extract 5%
 Neem oil 3 %
 Imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 5.0 ml/10 l.
 Thiodicarb 75 WP @ 1g /l.
Aphids Spray any one of the following
 Dimethoate 30 EC 1.0ml/l.
 Fish oil rosin soap 25 g/l.
 Neem oil @ 3 ml/l
Rust mite Spray any one of the following
 Diafenthiuron 50 WP @ 2 g/l.
Fruit sucking moth  Destroy Tinospora weed host of larva.
 Bait with fermented molasses with malathion 50 EC 1 ml/l.
 Bag the fruits with degradable polythene bags (150 gauge)
punctured at the bottom.
 Apply smoke and set up light traps or food lures (pieces of
citrus fruits).
Shoot borer  Prune the withered shoots 4 cm below the dried portions.
 Plug the fresh holes on the shoots with cotton soaked in
kerosene.
Citrus Butterfly Spray two rounds of any of the following during new flush formation
 Bacillus thuringiensis @ 1g/l.
 Neem oil 30 ml/l.
 Quinalphos 25 EC 3.0 ml/l.
Citrus Psyllid Spray any one of the following
 Thiamethoxam 25 WG @1gm/10 l.
 Imidacloprid 17.8 SL 5.0ml/10 l.
Fruit fly  Set up bait with methyl eugenol 0.1% solution mixed with
malathion 50 EC 1 ml/lit between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.
15
  Use degradable polythene bag (150 gauge) fish meal trap
with 5 gm of wet fish meal + 1 ml malathion in cotton. 50
traps are required/ha, fish meal + malathion soaked cotton
are to be renewed once in 20 and 7 days respectively.
 Neem oil 30 ml
Mealy bugs  Debark the branches
 Use sticky trap on the shoot bearing the fruits at a length of 5
cm.
 Use fish oil rosin soap (25g/l) as spray or for dipping the fruits for
two minutes.
 Dissolve Fish oil rosin soap @ 25g /l, initially in luke warm water,
then in required quantity of spray fluid in the sprayer.
 Verticillium lecanii 1.15 WP 5g/l.
Citrus root nematode:
 Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 20g per tree at a depth of 15 cm and 50 cm away
from the trunk for the management of slow decline due to the citrus root nematode,
Tylenchulus semipenetrans. Soil application of carbofuran 10G @ 2g followed by
drenching with metalaxyl plus mancozeb 72 WP @ 0.1% 50 ml/ cutting/ poly bag/ kg of
nursery soil for citrus decline.
Diseases
Twig blight
 Prune dried twigs and spray copper oxychloride@ 0.3% or carbendazim @ 0.1% at
monthly intervals to reduce the spread of disease
Scab : Spray 1% Bordeaux mixture
Canker
 Immediately after pruning one spray with copper oxychloride @ 0.3% followed by 4
sprayings with streptocyclin @ 100 ppm + copper oxychloride @ 0.3% at monthly
intervals
CIB recommendation
 Spray streptocycline @ 50 to 100 ppm repeatedly at an interval of 15-20 days after
appearance of new growth. Cover young foliage and fruits fully
CIB recommendation for combined infection of leaf spot and canker
 Spray with copper oxychloride 50% WP @ 2.5 gm/l

Tristeza virus
 Use pre-immunized acid lime seedlings for planting
 Remove the infected trees and destroy
 Spray dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/l or fish oil rosin soap @ 25 g/l or monocrotophos 36SL
@ 1 ml/l or neem oil @ 3 ml/l to control the aphids which spread the disease
Nematode management
 Application of Carbofuran 3G @ 75 g/tree to control citrus nematodes in severe
infestations.
 Application of 20 g Pseudomonas fluorescens formulation per tree at a depth of 15 cm
and 50 cm away from the trunk once in four months. Soil application of carbofuran 10G
@ 2 g followed by drenching with metalaxyl plus mancozeb 72 WP @ 1% 50 ml/
cutting/ poly bag/ kg of nursery soil for citrus decline.

16
4. Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis (L) Osbeck) ; Rutaceae
Varieties : Sathugudi, Batavian, Mosambi, Malta blood red, Cutter Valencia.

Soil and Climate

Deep well drained loamy soils are the best for the cultivation of Citrus. pH of soil
should be 6.5 to 7.5 and EC of water less than 1.0. A dry climate with about 50 – 75 cm of
rainfall from June – September and with well defined summer and winter season is ideal.

Season : July to September.

Planting material
Budded plants (Rootstock: Rangpur lime is the best, now rough lemon is also
preferred).

Preparation of field
Dig pits at 75 cm x 75 cm x 75 cm in size at 7 x 7 m spacing. Fill up the pits with top
soil and 10 kg of FYM. Plant the budded plants in the centre of the pits and stake it. Plants
should be trained during first 3 years to have a well distributed frame work at 45 cm height
on a single trunk.

Irrigation
Immediately after planting, irrigate copiously and continued once in 10 days. Irrigations
should be regular during fruit development. Avoid water stagnation near the plant. Water
should never come in direct contact with the trunk of the tree; for this reason, double ring or
check bund method is best suited for this crop. Drip irrigation is advisable in saving of
irrigation water. Stopping irrigation 1 or 2 months prior to flowering is beneficial

Manures and Fertilizers per plant

N to be applied in two doses during March and October.FYM, P2O5 and K2O are to be
applied in October.
Ist year Annual increase From 6th year
FYM 10 kg 5 kg 30 kg
N 200 g 100 g 600 g
P 100 g 20 g 200 g
K 100 g 40 g 300 g
Manures are applied in the basin 70 cm away from the trunk and incorporated in the soil.
Spray solution containing Zinc Sulphate (0.5%), Manganese (0.05%), Iron (0.25%),
Magnesium (0.5%), Boron (0.1%) and Molybdenum (0.003%) once in 3 months at the time
of new flush production. In addition to that, apply 50 g in each of Zinc Sulphate, Manganese
and Iron per tree per year.

After cultivation
No regular pruning except removing dead, diseased and over crowding branches after
harvesting of the fruit. The basins should be mulched with dry leaf waste or paddy husk with
about 10 cm thickness so as to arrest weed growth and also to conserve soil moisture,
thereby improving the fruit quality.

Intercropping: Legumes and vegetable crops can be raised during pre-bearing age.

Harvest: Starts bearing from 5th year after planting. Sweet orange takes 9-12 months for
maturity. Being non-climacteric fruits should be harvested only after full maturity.

Yield: 30 t / ha.

17
Pest : Sweet Orange

Leaf miner  Spray Dimethoate 30 EC 2 ml / lit

 5% of Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE)
 Neem oil 3%.

Citrus root nematode:

 Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 20g per tree at a depth of 15 cm and 50 cm away
from the trunk for the management of slow decline due to the citrus root nematode,
Tylenchulus semipenetrans. Soil application of 10G @ 2g followed by drenching with
metalaxyl plus mancozeb 72 WP @ 0.1% 50 ml/ cutting/ poly bag/ kg of nursery soil for
citrus decline.

5. Mandarin Orange (Citrus reticulata Blanco); Rutaceae

Varieties : Coorg Orange and Kodai Orange.

Soil and Climate

Sub tropical climate with an elevation of 500– 1500 m above MSL. A rainfall of about 150
cm to 250 cm is required. The winter should be mild and there should be no strong, hot winds
during summer. Deep well drained loamy soils are the best. Soil pH should be between 5.5
and 6.5.

Season : November – December.

Planting : Seedlings and budded plants.

Spacing : 6x6m, pit size 75x75x75 cm. Planting during May – June and Sep – Oct.

Manures and Fertilizers: Apply twice in a year during June and October.
For Palani Hills

Manures & 6th year

st nd rd th th
Fertilizers 1 year 2 year 3 year 4 year 5 year onwards
kg / plant / year

FYM 10.000 15.000 20.000 25.000 25.000 30.000

N 0.100 0.200 0.300 0.400 0.500 0.600

P 0.040 0.080 0.120 0.160 0.160 0.200

K 0.050 0.100 0.200 0.300 0.300 0.400

For Shervaroyan hills (for trees above 6 years old):

Apply 700:375:600 g / tree NPK along with AM fungi (Glomus fasiculatus) @ 1 kg / tree.
Manures are to be applied in the basin 70 cm away from the trunk and incorporated. Apply
micronutrients as suggested for sweet orange. Apply agricultural lime or Dolomite at 4 kg /
tree during January – February once in 2 – 3 years. This should not be combined with other
chemical fertilizers.

18
After cultivation: Remove water shoots, rootstock sprouts, dead and diseased shoots.
Remove laterals of the main stem up to 45 cm from ground level. Basins should be provided for
each tree with gradient slope.

Plant protection

Pests
Leaf miner  Neem seed kernel extract 5% (NSKE)
 Neem oil 3%
Aphids  Neem oil 3%
 Fish oil rosin soap @ 25 g/l.
Fruit sucking moth  Destroy Tinospora weed host. Bait with fermented molasses
plus malathion 50 EC @ 1 ml/l.
 Bag the fruits with degradable polythene bags (150 gauge)
punctured at the bottom.
 Apply smoke and set up light traps or food lures (pieces of
citrus fruits).
Shoot borer  Prune the withered shoots 4 cm below the dried portions
Stem borer  Prune the branches containing grubs.
Fruit fly  Collect and destroy fallen fruits.
 Set up methyl eugenol trap 0.1% solution mixed with
malathion 50 EC @ 1 ml/lit between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.
 Use degradable polythene bag (150 gauge) fish meal trap
with 5 gm of wet fish meal + 1 ml. malathion in cotton. 50
traps are required/ha, fish meal + malathion soaked cotton
are to be renewed once in 20 and 7 days respectively
 Neem oil @ 3 % as foliar spray as need based
Green scale  Apply carbofuran 3 G 15 g/plant
 Spray quinalphos 25 EC 4.0ml/l.
Sooty mould  Boil 1 kg maida or starch with 5 l of water, cool, dilute to 20 lit
and spray. Avoid spraying during cloudy weather.
Diseases
Powdery mildew
 Apply sulphur dust @ 25 – 30 kg (350 mesh) in the early morning hours to protect new
flush or spray wettable Sulphur @ 0.3% or triademefon @ 0.1% three times at 15 days
interval
Sooty mould
 Boil 1 kg maida or starch with 5 l of water, cool, dilute to 20 l and spray
 Avoid spraying during cloudy weather

Growth regulators: To increase the fruit retention spray the trees at flowering and again at
marble stage with 2, 4 - D at 20 ppm or NAA 30 ppm.

Harvest: Budded plants start bearing from 3 – 5 years after planting while seedlings take 5-7
years.

Yield: 15 – 20 t / ha / year.

19
6. Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.); Vitaceae
Varieties
Muscat Hamburg (Panneer) is the major variety grown in Tamil Nadu.
Table varieties
Muscat Hamburg (Panneer / Gulabi), Pachadraksha, Anab-e-Shahi, Dil Kush,
Thompson Seedless, Red Globe, Tas-A-Ganesh, Manik Chaman, Sonaka, Sharad Seedless,
Nana Saheb Purple, Crimson Seedless, Fantasy Seedless, Italia, Flame Seedless and Clone
A-18/3.
Juice varieties
Manjari Medika, Punjab MACS Purple (H-516), Bangalore Blue, Concord, Arka
Shyam,
Raisin varieties
Thompson Seedless, Tas-A-Ganesh, Manik Chaman, Merbein Seedless, Kishmish
Rozavis White (KR White), 2A Clone, Kishmish Bailey, Black Monukka
Wine varieties
Red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir
White wine: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Temperanillo
Soil and Climate
Grapes prefer dry humid condition for better growth and yield. Areas within the
temperature range of 15 to 40oC and rainfall lies between 500 and 900 mm are suitable for
this crop. Rain should not coincide with vine growth after pruning and bunch ripening phase.
Cloudy weather with high relative humidity, fog and low temperature are not suitable for
flowering and fruit set. This results in build up of fungal diseases which ultimately leads to
loss in yield.
Well-drained rich loamy soil with a pH of 6.5 - 7.0 with low water table with EC less than
1.0 is congenial for its cultivation. The soil depth should be atleast 1 m for proper root
development and vine establishment. The rootstocks viz., Dogridge and 110 R can be used to
overcome the high soil pH, drought and salinity in irrigation water with EC upto 8 m.mhos
cm2. The day time temperature ranging from 20oC to 35oC is optimum for proper vine growth
and establishment.

Field preparation and Planting

The grapevine can be trained over pandal system or improved ‗‘Y‘‘ trellis training
system. ‗‘Y‘‘ trellis system facilitates mechanization inside the grape vineyard for ploughing,
bed formation, interploughing and tractor mounted spray of plant protection chemicals, foliar
nutrients and plant growth regulators.
The dogridge rootstocks or own rooted cutting of varieties are used as planting
materials for the establishment of grape vineyards. Trenches of 2.5 ft depth and 2.5 ft width
has to be opened in North-South direction based on the field length to get proper root zone
development. This helps in harvest of maximum sunlight for photosynthesis and fruit bud
differentiation. Fill the trenches with top soil, FYM, sheep manure, green manure, super
phosphate etc., and irrigate copiously. This should be done one month prior to the planting of
rootstocks or rooted cuttings. The best time for planting rootstocks in the field is during

20
January - February. The rootstock after planting in the soil requires regular irrigation at
periodical interval in its field capacity. In light textured soils, the rootstocks should be irrigated
daily. There is no fertilizer requirement upto one month after planting since the roots are not
active and require some time for settling. The rootstock plant once settled in the soil should
be allowed to grow as such till 50 days from the planting time. The number of shoots sprouted
from each plant helps in increasing the root density. These plants are cut back from the base.
One month after sprouting, the plants should be retained with 2-3 healthy disease free and
vigorous shoots. These shoots are tied with bamboo or casuarina poles with the help of korai
fibre or jute thread. On 5-6 months old grown up rootstocks, in situ grafting is done with the
scion sticks with 2-3 healthy buds of 15-25 cm length. The in situ grafting can be performed
during June to September. The rootstocks are decapitated at 1.5 feet height from the ground
level before grafting. At the time of grafting, temperature of 32-35OC and high relative
humidity of 80 per cent in the atmosphere and rootstocks with high sap flow are preferred for
getting high graft take. Simple wedge grating is the best method for in situ grating for getting
maximum success for the establishment of grapes vines. Whereas the best time for planting
the own rooted cuttings is June-July.
Spacing
Spacing interval of 4 x 2 m for commercial grape varieties and 3 x 2 m for Muscat
Hamburg.
Irrigation

Irrigate immediately after planting and on the 3rd day and then once in a week. Withheld
irrigation 15 days before pruning and also 15 days before harvest.
Irrigation water requirement for grapes through drip irrigation for table grapes varieties
Growth stage Duration Water requirement
(Days after pruning) (lpd/hectare)
Shoot growth 1- 40 33,600 - 50,400
Fruit bud differentiation 41 - 60 11,200 -14,000
Cane maturity and Fruit bud 61 - 120 0 - 8,400
development*
121days - fruit pruning * 0 - 8,400
Shoot growth 1 - 40 33,200 - 42,000
Bloom to shatter 41 - 55 5,600 - 8,400
Berry growth and development 56 -105 12,600 - 25200
Ripening to harvest 106 - harvest 33,600 - 42,000
Rest period Harvest to foundation -
pruning
Training
Once new shoots are started from the scion portion after grafting or from the own
rooted cuttings, train the shoots straight by tying them to bamboo sticks or casuarina poles.
The girth of the graft union tend to increase during the graft growth, during this time the
polythene strips have to be removed to avoid the girdling damage or constriction over the main
stem. For getting uniformity in growth of grapevines by giving recut at 3rd node position above
the graft joint. Immediately after the recut, faster sprouting will be noticed and this needs
proper management for the cordon development by adopting ‗‘Halt and Go‘‘ method. The
growth is nipped of one feet below the level of pandal or ‗‘Y‘‘ trellis and then trained to form
trunk, primary and secondary arm (cordon) of the grapevine. In this method, the newly growing
shoots are cut at 6-7 leaf stage when the growth attains 8-9 leaf. The vines are trained with
single stem upto pandal with a stalk on tipping at 2 m height. The main arms are developed and
trained on opposite directions. On further tipping, secondary and tertiary arms are developed
for spreading all over pandal.

21
Pruning
In general, four bud level of pruning for Pachadraksha, Bangalore Blue, Anab- e-Shahi,
Dil Kush and Arka hybrids, five bud level for Red Globe, five to seven bud level for Muscat
Hamburg and two bud level for Sharad Seedless, Thompson Seedless and its clones (After
sub cane formation at 7 t h node) may be adopted. Before pruning, the pruning severity
and bud level can be determined by bud forecasting technique. Canes of weak and immature
nature should be pruned back to one or two buds to induce vegetative growth.

Pruning Season
Summer crop: Pruning in December - January and harvesting during April - May.
Winter crop: Pruning in May-June and harvesting during August - September
Double pruning for double cropping in Muscat Hamburg (Panneer)
For getting high yield with quality fruits, adoption of double pruning and double
cropping system is the best for Muscat Hamburg (Panneer). The first pruning for getting
summer crop can be practiced during December - January and harvesting is made during in
April - May. The second pruning can be practised during May-June and harvesting during
August - September. The vines are allowed for 2-3 months period of rest after harvesting till
December. Apart from Muscat Hamburg, the varieties like Anab-e-Shahi, Clone A-18/3,
Manjari Medika and H-516 are also highly suitable for adoption of double pruning for double
cropping.

Double pruning for single cropping in commercial grapes varieties

For commercial grapes varieties viz., Red Globe, Thompson Seedless and its clones,
Crimson Seedless, Flame Seedless, Fantasy Seedless and Sharad Seedless, adoption of
double pruning for single cropping is the best practice for harvesting good quality fruits with
high yield. The first pruning (Back pruning) is done at one to two bud level during August -
September and allowed for vegetative growth. The second pruning is done on grown up vines
(Forward or fruit pruning) during January-March and harvesting is made from May-August
depending on the duration of varieties for attaining maturity. For example, the grapes variety
Sharad Seedless matures in 100 to 110 days, whereas the Crimson Seedless takes 150 days
for maturity.

Manures and Fertilizers (kg per vine)

Seedless grapes varieties
Requirement of nutrients for the grapevine is influenced by variety, age of the
grapevine, soil, climatic behaviour and irrigation water quality. Nutrient application based on
soil, water and petiole analysis will be appropriate and reduces unwanted / excess use of
fertilizers. Excess nitrogen is responsible for vegetative growth and restricts the flower bud
formation, number of bunches and yield. High phosphorus is directly useful for flower bud
initiation and differentiation. The cane maturity is hastened by the application of potash which
in turns responsible for flowering and bunch quality.
Recommended nutrient dose of fertilizers for grapes varieties viz., Thompson Seedless
and its clones and Sharad Seedless should be applied 2 feet away from the main trunk base
in trenches or in rings of 3-4 inch depth for better absorption.
22
 Recommended nutrient dose for table grapes varieties 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)
Thompson 50 50 100 50 50 100 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.08 0.16 0.24 0.40 0.80 1.20
Seedless
Sonaka,
Manik
Chaman

Recommended nutrient dose for table grapes varieties through fertigation

Growth stage (Days after pruning Nitrogen Phosphorus Potash (kg/ha)
(kg/ha) (kg/ha)
Back pruning for vegetative growth
Pre-bud differentiation (1-30 days) 80 - -
Bud differentiation (31-60 days) - 213.3 -
Post bud differentiation (61-120 days) - - 80
Forward pruning for fruiting
Pre-bloom (1-40 days) 80 - -
Bloom set and shatter (41-70 days) - 106.6 -
Berry growth upto veraison (71-105 80 - 80
days)
Veraison to harvest (106-130 days) - - 80
After harvest (Rest period > 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

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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

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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

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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

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