Ever tried Jackfruit? Ok not tried… ever listened about it?
This miraculous fruit with plenty of health beneficial nutrients is often considered as vegetarian substitute of meat. Jackfruit usually grows in tropical areas of Africa, Brazil and South-eastern parts of Asia and one more thing which is good to know that Jackfruit is a native of India. In India, this fruit is popularly known as “Kathal”.
In India, Jackfruit plantation is mostly done in West Bengal, Assam, Orrisa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Cultivation of Jackfruit plant
Climate and Soil requirement
Tedious and warm humid temperature is best suitable for growing Jackfruit plant. Frost and cold weather may damage growth of plant and fruit. Areas near the river beds are preferably suited for growing Jackfruit plants. A deep rich alluvial loamy oil or red laterite soil with acidity of pH value 6.0-6.5 is suitable. Jackfruit plant cannot bear water logging, so well-drained soil is required. And mixing suitable organic fertilizers in soil also promotes growth of this plant.
Land Preparation and Plantation
Land must be properly ploughed so that water will not desist or clot in between and should be weed free.
Vegetative propagation for Jackfruit is recommended instead of direct propagation through seeds, as when propagated through seeds, jack plant exhibit wide variation among its descendants. Pits of one cubic meter should be dug at a distance of 6 m each. And grafts can be planted at the centre of pits and fill back with soil mixed with FYM.
Irrigation and Intercropping
Jack plants are cultivated under rain fed conditions and are very sensitive to drought. So irrigation should be done depending upon season, soil condition, etc. And ring system can be adopted in watering these plants. There should not be too much moisture in soil, it will affect the fruit quality. And Jack plants should be trained to have single stem so early side branches should be removed so that a stable trunk develops up to a height of 2 m and then side stems should be permitted to grow.
During the pre-bearing age of plant, pulses can be grown as intercrop and dry leaves can be spread near the plant which serves as moisture absorber thus making soil suitable for plant.
Care and Pest Protection
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Young plants can be damaged by goats and cattle so care must be taken for this.
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Hand watering during summers at the early stage of plant is necessary for proper growth.
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Time to time weeding and mulching are also necessary.
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75:60:50 g of NPK fertilizer should be given to the plant per year for the period of 8 years.
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Brown weevil pest can destroy plant buds and fruits, so monocrotophos (0.035%) should be sprayed.
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Plant can suffer from fruit rot diseases, so to control that, spray dithane M.45 (0.2%) or Fytolan (0.2%) at 15-days interval during fruit growth.
Jack starts producing fruits from 6th to 7th year onwards. The yield ranges from 20-100 fruits per tree.
Storage and Marketing
Jackfruit has storage life of about 6-7 weeks, and it also depends on initial care of plant. Because of thick peel and long storage life, Jackfruit can be transported to distant places for marketing.
And for online export, here are some links given which may help.
https://connect2india.com/Jackfruit-importers
https://www.exportersindia.com/buyers/jackfruit.htm
https://india.tradeford.com/buyers/fresh-jackfruit
https://www.go4worldbusiness.com/find?searchText=jackfruit&BuyersOrSuppliers=buyers
This is all about how to grow Jackfruits. For more information like this, Stay Connected…!!
Happy Farming…!!
