Fruit Science – Abhinava Krishi

Posted on 5 November, 202115 December, 2021 by

Monkey Jack: The best alternative as a fodder crop

**Pic.1# Ripen Flesh of Monkey Jack Fruit**

Agroforestry systems can be playing an advantageous role over conventional agricultural and forest production methods. They can offer increased productivity; social, economic and environmental benefits, as well as greater diversity in the ecological goods and services provided. Multipurpose trees are also a part of the agroforestry system. In addition to providing fodder, fuel, wood, and other products, trees in agroforestry systems promote soil and water conservation, enhance soil fertility, and act as windbreaks for nearby crops. Multipurpose tree species that is purposefully grown so as to provide two or more than two products and also service function like shelter, shade, land sustainability of the land-use system. Fodder trees are important feed sources for livestock in a wide range of farming systems over the world.

Low quality and quantity of feeds are major constraints limiting livestock productivity among smallholder farmers. In many country’s farmers have fed tree foliage to their livestock for centuries, using wild browse or trees that grow naturally on their farms. New agroforestry systems for feeding livestock have emerged over the last three decades, involving the planting of mostly exotic species, grown most frequently in hedges along field boundaries or along the contours to limit soil erosion.

As mentioned above the Monkey jack (Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb.) is an important agroforestry species. The lakoocha is one such important multipurpose plant species member of the family Moraceae. Lakoocha is a tropical tree species widely distributed in the countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. It is generally found in Sub-Himalayan humid regions of India and grows up to an altitude of 1200 A MSL (Dwivedi et al., 2011).

Lakoocha is a medium to large deciduous or evergreen tree. The deciduous period is very short in Eastern India which generally commences in February and ends in early March. The deciduous period has been reported to be absent in Western Ghats (Krishnamurthy and Sarala., 2013). It can grow up to 15 m in height and makes a handsome ornamental tree. The leaves are oblong, acute, alternate, 10-25 cm, long, glossy green on the upper side whereas old leaves are rough. Lakoocha is a multipurpose tree that provides fruit, fodder, fuel, timber, medicine, dye and thick shade. The large leaves are excellent fodder and contain 16 per cent crude protein (Kharel et al., 2000). A single tree can produce 60 to 200 kg of leaves per year (Orwa et al., 2009). It is considered as one of the best forages for milch animals due to its palatability and nourishing values in Nepal and fodder for goats in Jharkhand (Dhungana et al., 2012).

A single fruit weighing between 250 g and 300 g contains 10-30 seeds that are irregular in shape and vary in size. The seeds containing white sticky latex are highly recalcitrant and are dispersed by birds and monkeys (Orwa et al., 2009 and Islam et al., 2016). Fresh fruits and seeds have high nutritional and medicinal value. The unripe fruit and male flower spike are used as vegetables and also used to make pickles, sauce and chutney. The fruits are sweet-sour in taste. The edible pulp is reported to have hepatoprotective properties due to the presence of antioxidants (Gautam and Patel., 2014) and is considered a liver tonic (Hari et al., 2014). It is used in anti-inflammatory therapy and also as an anti-ageing agent (Mongolsuk et al., 1957). The powdered bark is used as a paste for curing skin ailments like boils, pimples, and sores etc. Lakoocha is reported to be widely used in the ethnomedicinal formulations by the tribal people of Jharkhand (Pandey and Bhatnagar., 2009).

(Photographs taken from forestry farm of College of Horticulture and forestry at Khaggal, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh (one single tree from natural germination)

Artocarpus lakoocha is a potential tree species for nutrition, poverty alleviation, environmental, agricultural and forest ecosystem diversification and is capable of creating new market opportunities for livelihood security. Hence, a number of problems are associated with the regeneration and propagation of lakoocha including, (1) tree population of lakoocha is gradually decreasing due to its extensive exploitation for food, fodder, timber and other uses; (2) seeds, once extracted from the fruit, quickly lose viability within a week, or sometimes even in few days; and (3) vegetative propagation methods such as rooting of hardwood or softwood stem cuttings have not been successful (Napier and Robbins, 1989). Budding has been reported to be successful with only a single report in Western Himalaya (Sharma et al., 2005).

It belongs to family Moraceae other fruit like Jack fruit, Bread fruit belongs from same family. These are sour in test and the edible pulp is reported to have hepatoprotective properties due to the presence of antioxidants (Gautam and Patel., 2014) and is considered as a liver tonic (Hari et al., 2014). Photographs taken from forestry farm of College of Horticulture and forestry at Khaggal, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh (one single tree from natural germination).

Leaves of A. lakoocha containing moisture (61.0%), total ash (8.0%), crude protein (28.6%), crude fat (1.52%), crude fibres (26.3%) and carbohydrates (0.84%) respectively. Due to the high amount of protein content and palatability, it will help to eradicate fodder deficiency in dry months. It’s containing a higher amount of crude protein it will help to enhance milk production in milch animals even though it can help to maintain body weight and reproduction. By considering the importance of this tree it will provide help to provide an ample amount of essential nutrients to livestock in each and every season.

References:

Gupta A K, Rather M A, Kumar Jha A, Shashank A, Singhal S, Sharma M, Pathak U, Sharma D and Mastinu. 2020. A. Artocarpus lakoocha roxb. and Artocarpus heterophyllus lam. flowers: New sources of bioactive compounds. Plants. 9:1329.

Sharma K and Thakur S. 2005. Vegetative Multiplication of Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb. a Hard to Root Species. Indian Forester 131:259-260.

Napier I and Robbins M. 1989. Forest seed and nursery practice in Nepal.” Forest seed and nursery practice in Nepal 412p.

Mongolsuk S, Robertson A and Towers R. 1957. 429. 2: 4: 3′: 5′-Tetrahydroxystilbene from Artocarpus lakoocha. Journal of the Chemical Society 92: 2231-2233.

Kanak A R, Khan M J, Debi M R, Pikar M K and AktarM. 2013. Nutritive value of three fodder species at different stages of maturity. Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science 41: 90- 95.

Islam S M, Hasan F M, Ali M, Robbani M and Hossain T M. 2016. Socioeconomic potential of monkey jack: a promising underutilized fruit in Bangladesh. International Journal of Innovative Research 1:40-44.

Gautam P and Patel R. 2014. Artocarpus Lakoocha Roxb: An Overview. European Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine 1:10-14.

Dwivedi D H, Mishra V, Singh N and Dwivedi S K. 2011. Genetic Variability Studies in Barhal Emile, Jean-Claude. Nutritive value and degradability of leaves from temperate woody resources for feeding ruminants in summer. 3rd European Agroforestry Conference Montpellier pp. 23-25.

Orwa C, Mutua A, Kindt R, Jamnadass R and Simons A. 2009. Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide. Version 4. Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide. Version 4.

Krishnamurthy S R and Sarala P. 2013. Phytochemical studies of Artocarpus gomezianus Wall. ex Trecul. var. lakoocha Roxb. fruits collected from various altitudes of Central Western Ghats. Indian Journal of Natural Product and Resources 4:398-411.

Kharel R, Amatya S M and Basukala R. 2000. Survival and growth of selected fodder species in Dhading, Kabhra and Sindhupalchok districts. Proceedings of the national-level Workshop on Improved Strategies for Identifying and Addressing Fodder Deficits in the Mid-Hills of Nepal (Eds Khare, R, Amataya SM, Kiff L. and Regmi, BN) Department of Forest Research and Survey, Kathmandu. 13p.

Pandey A, Bhatnagar SP. 2009. Antioxidant and Phenolic Content of the Bark of Artocarpus lakoocha. The Pharma Review 1:23-8.

Dhungana S, Tripathee H P, Puri L, Timilsina Y P and Devkota, K P. 2012. Nutritional Analysis of Locally Preferred Fodder Trees of Middle Hills of Nepal: A Case Study from Hemja VDC, Kaski District. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology 13: 39-44.

Hari A, Revikumar K G and Divya D. 2014. Artocarpus: A review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology. Journal of Pharma Search 9: 7-12.

Vaibhav R Jumale

Ph.D Research Scholar

Forestry (Silviculture)

Email@ vaibhav.jumale@gmail.com

mob:7350777626

Posted on 28 April, 202128 April, 2021 by

Future aspects in value addition of Banana Pseudostem

Introduction

Banana (Order: Zingiberales; Family: Musaceae; Genus: Musa) is an important tropical and sub-tropical fruit crop grown all over the world. India is the largest producer and consumer of banana globally, producing about 30.46 million tons in the year of 2019 (FAOSTAT, 2021), contributing about 23% of world production. India is the largest producer of banana and the major producing states are Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Banana is commonly known as Kela in Indian sub-continent and regionally as Vazhappazham in Kerala, Vazhakkai in Tamil Nadu, Aratipandu in Andhra Pradesh, Kola in Bengali and Kol in Assam.

Banana is a large perennial monocotyledonous herbaceous plant having height up to 9 m with a long pseudostem that arises from the underground rhizomes (Ghag & Ganapathi, 2018). The leaves are oval, elongated and dark green in colour with each plant producing a single inflorescence. The fruits are oblong and fleshy with very small black seeds (Imam & Akter, 2011). All parts of plantain plants namely fruits, leaves, pseudostem, rhizomes and inflorescence are useful. Thus, it is known as a ‘Kalpataru’ in India, which is a Sanskrit term meaning ‘wish granting tree’ (Ghag & Ganapathi, 2018).

The plant is traditionally used as a medicinal herb. The leaves serve as a wrap for cooking, wrapping and serving food in certain traditions. Pseudostem and inflorescence are ingredients in many traditional cuisines. Rhizomes and the outer layer of pseudostem are utilized as animal feed. The fruit part is most commonly used either as raw fruit or in desserts, breakfast dishes when it is ripened. Unripe fruits are used commonly in curries, fried chips etc. The banana fruit, peel, and banana pseudo-stem from various species of banana have been reported to be rich in total carbohydrates, fibre and minerals specially potassium.

The cultivation of plantain is mainly carried out for fruits and the other parts such as leaves, inflorescence, pseudostem, peels and rhizomes are practically wasted. However, currently they have gained the status of valuable by-products generated from banana cultivation (Padam et al., 2014). It is estimated that, for each ton of banana fruit harvested, approximately 4 tons of biomass wastes including rotten fruit, leaves, pseudostem, rhizome and fruit bunch stem are produced (Subagyo & Chafidz, 2018). That is, in a hectare, on an average about 60 to 80 tons is of pseudostem alone. Conventionally, there are a few constraints in utilizing them, for instance pseudostem and inflorescence are considered as a vegetable in certain cultures, but the acceptance is very limited when compared to other leafy vegetables due to discoloration and taste. The surface of the banana pseudo-stem is easily subjected to browning after harvest, which will affect the sensory evaluation and economic value of the banana pseudo-stem made products. Other than the medicinal and culinary uses of banana, recent researches identified plantain and its parts as a great source of phytochemicals (Reddy & Hemachandran, 2014). Several applications of the banana pseudo stem in functional food and nutraceutical industries have been explored.

Pic.1#Cross section of Pesudostem.
The part of the plant that looks like a trunk is actually a false stem, called pseudostem. It is formed by the imbrication of the leaf sheaths.

Banana Pseudostem

Banana Pseudo-stem (BPS) constitute a major part of plant biomass, which are wasted usually left in the plantation or incinerated. BPS is a rich source of fiber, total carbohydrate and cellulose (Saravanan et al., 2011). Pseudostem is the part of plantain plant, which is formed by tight overlapping of leaf stalk one over another with a center having tender core in a cylindrical shape. Plantain stem is a low cost agricultural waste, which can be altered into certain value added products in the current scenario.

Banana Pseudostem Applications

At present, the banana pseudo-stem are dumped on road side or burnt which causes environmental pollution. The usage of agricultural wastes contributes to the concept of green technology and hence paves the way towards sustainable development. Moreover it is an additional income for both small scale farmers and processing industries (Padam et al., 2014).

Natural fibre

**Pic.2# Natural fiber extracted from pesudostem of Banana**

Some researchers have successfully demonstrated the use of banana pseudo-stem and leaves for extraction of fibers on a small scale. The pseudostem fiber is used for making several value added products namely rope, cordage, fishing net, mat, packaging material, paper sheets, textile fabrics, bag, table cloth, handicrafts, absorbent, polymer/fibre composites etc. (Subagyo & Chafidz, 2018). The fiber is extracted by using a decorticator machine then retting and degumming processes are done.

Fuel

Bio-ethanol can be produced from banana pseudostem by fermentation process. Similarly, through banana waste methane can also be produced using anaerobic fermentation.

Substrate for edible

Banana pseudo stem can be utilized as a good substrate for edible mushrooms because of its high cellulose content.

Heavy metal and dye

Studies reported that banana pseudostem can be powerful absorbers of mercury and lead. Similarly it is also reported that banana pseudostem adsorbed methyl red in aqueous solution.

Organic manure

Banana pseudostem outer peels are used as organic manure for banana plantations itself.

Organic farming

**Pic.3 #Banana pseudostem used as based for growing veggies.**

Since banana pseudostem is having a good water retention capacity it can be used in organic farming. It can be done through digging small holes in the banana stem with the help of a sharp object like a knife. Add a little soil and feel free to plant as required.

Others

Pseudo-stem can be used in pulp and paper industries due to its cellulosic content. The banana pseudostem fiber can also be used for ropes such as marine rope since this fibre has good resistance to sea water and has buoyancy properties.

Banana pseudostem: Food applications

The banana central core finds use in south Indian cuisine. The tender core in the centre of the banana pseudostem is edible. In southern part of India, pseudo stem is cooked both as gravy and stir fry seasoned with ginger, garlic, chillies, shallots with curry leaves and grated coconut. In Assam, a dish called kolposola is prepared from young banana pseudostem. Some commonly prepared dishes using banana pseudostem and their recipes are Stir fry, curry, soup, stew, thor ghonto, and stem bajji.

Recently, value added innovative products from banana pseudostem are developed from Central Food Technological Research Institute, Karnataka. Apart from this, the high value products viz., mordant from sap, microcrystalline cellulose powder from fiber and edible products like candy from central core can also obtained (Desai et al., 2016). Stem juice can be prepared with or without addition of other juices like lemon or grape and sugar or jaggery (Kumar & Reddy, 2015; Ravi et al., 2011).

Extensive studies are undergone to explore various possibilities of value addition of banana pseudostem. Banana pseudostem can be dried into powder and can be utilized for carbohydrate and mineral fortification in different bakery products like bread, biscuits, cookies and dairy products like shrikhand, paneer and cheese (Thorat & Bobade, 2018).

Health benefits of Banana pseudostem

Banana stem is a rich source of fibre and helps in weight loss (Chandrasekaran, 2012).
Rich in potassium and vitamin B6.
It helps to control obesity.
It is said to be a diuretic and helps detoxify the body.
It can be used as a source of starch, pectin, cellulose, natural dye, bio generation of flavours and nutrients like dietary fibre, carbohydrates and minerals (Padam et al., 2014).
It has less glycemic index and high dietary fibre and antioxidant content which is good for diabetes (Bhaskar et al., 2011).
In southern India, it is consumed as fresh juice to prevent kidney stones (Dawn et al., 2016).
Banana pseudo-stem powder is a well-known remedy for urinary disorders, stomach troubles like diarrhoea, dysentery and flatulence.
The food products which are fortified by banana pseudo-stem powder served as nutraceutical food and these show nutritional improvement as well as prove as medicine.
It is known to be nutritionally superior and associated with several health benefits.

Recently researchers are more focused on identification, quantification and isolation of different bioactive components present in the pseudostem which have potential nutraceutical applications. Few are listed in Table 1.

Variety/Species	Study/ Bioactivity	REFERENCES
Musa spp. (8 cultivars)	Invitro Anti-oxidant activity	Saravanan & Aradhya, 2011
Musa sapientum Linn.	Invivo Anti-diabetic and Anti-lipedemic activity	*Dikshit et al.,* 2012**
Musa parasidiaca Linn.	Invitro Anti-oxidant activity	Joyetal., 2016
Musa acuminata	Invitro Anticancer activity	Nindiaetal., 2019
Musa spp. (10 cultivars)	Antimicrobial activity	*Jouneghani et al.,* 2020**

Table 1: Studies showing potential nutraceutical activities of banana pseudostem

Banana stem extracts

Banana stem extracts having potential hypoglycemic properties are traditionally used as anti-diabetic agents. A comparative study among various plant parts of plantain plant for hypoglycemic effect showed that the banana stem juice extract exhibited highest anti-diabetic activity than other plant parts as fruit, rhizome and peels (Reddy & Hemachandran, 2014).

Conclusion

Banana pseudo-stem is a by-product of banana plant which has a potential for providing profitable products. Banana pseudostem is an agro waste in plantain cultivation. So there is a great possibility of utilizing banana pseudo-stem in the food processing and other industries thereby providing an additional income for both small scale and large scale farmers. In India, the fibers are being used for preparing handicrafts, ropes etc., which otherwise can be used for making fabrics, home furnishings and good quality papers. The presence of various bioactive components in the pseudostem enhances the nutritional quality but also the therapeutic values of the products. So it will be a great opportunity for researchers in future. At the same time, the problem of waste management can also be solved and provides a new scope for the efficient utilization of banana pseudostem. And the farmers will get benefitted directly and it will contribute to our national economy.

References

Dikshit, P., Shukla, K., Tyagi, M. K., Garg, P., Gambhir, J. K., & Shukla, R. (2012). Antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effects of the stem of Musa sapientum Linn. in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Journal of Diabetes, 4(4), 378–385. https:// doi.org/10.1111/j.17530407.2012.00198.x

Dong, N., Alena, N., Klára, S., Jiří, H., Huong, P., Jitka, V., Milena, S., Jana, H., & Tomáš, R. (2017). Antidiabetic compounds in stem juice from babana grown in natural and greenhouse. Czech Journal of Food Sciences, 35(No. 5), 407–413. https://doi. org/10.17221/172/2017-cjfs FAO (2021). http://www.fao. org/3/t0308e/T0308E03.htm, Accessed on March 10, 2021 FAOSTAT. (2019). http://www. fao.org/faostat/en/, Accessed on March 10, 2021.

Thorat, R.L. and Bobade, H.P. (2018). Utilization of banana pseudo-stem in food applications. Internat. J. Agric. Engg., 11(Sp. Issue):86-89, DOI: 10.15740/HAS/IJAE/ 11.Sp. Issue/86-89.

Ravi et al., “A review on composition and properties of banana fibers” Cellulose 60: 65, 2015.

Subagyo, A., Chafidz, A. (2018). Banana pseudo-stem fiber: preparation, characteristics and applications. IntechOpen.

Author Details:

Gadha Sreekumar

Ph. D Research Scholar, Department of Vegetable Science,

Horticulture College and Research Institute,

Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

Email@gadharajee@gmail.com

The part of the plant that looks like a trunk is actually a false stem, called pseudostem. It is formed by the imbrication of the leaf sheaths.

Posted on 8 April, 20218 April, 2021 by

Scope of fruit and vegetable carving : An innovative pathway towards generating employment in urban horticulture sector

**Pic.1# Original carving on different fruits and vegetables done by Mr. Sai Teja on a horticulture exhibition in the year 2015.**

Fruit carving is the art of sculpting fruit, a very common technique in Europe and Asian countries, and particularly popular in Thailand, China and Japan. Carving art on the fruits and vegetables has become the sign of attraction for the guests attending the parties. There are many fruits that can be used in this process; the most popular one that artists use are watermelons, papayas, muskmelons, pineapples etc.

Regardless of its origins, vegetable carving is flaunted in many different Asian restaurants, cruises, hotels, and other various places. In the mid-20th century, the art of vegetable carving began to grow outside Asia. Since then, other cultures have slowly come to appreciate the beauty and culture associated with the practice. Today, one can marvel at vegetable carving throughout the world.

Pic.2#Carving on different fruits and vegetable done by Mr.Sai Teja.

Irrespective of the occasion and place, fruit and vegetable carvings find a prominence. They are not easy to make and are a testimony to the skills and talents of the artisans carving it. In most cases, these specialized artisans have taken formal training from culinary institutes and this gives them a hold on the basic techniques. The rest is up to their imagination and practice.

Artisans carve fruits and vegetables about three hours before the event starts and they leave it in cold water for the carvings to set. The tools they need to carve include cutting board, small and medium sized knives with sharp edges, a sharp peeler with preferably an oval edge, bells pins, tooth picks and dry sticks used to represent the stem of flowers. With these tools, the artisan is all set to run his or her imagination wild and come up with a variety of flowers, baskets, insects, birds, animals, toys and just about anything that is appropriate for the occasion.

Pic.3# A typical art of a boat carved out of a single piece of Pumpkin by Mr. Sai Teja

Other than restaurants, one can see carvings done by artisans in all major food festivals today. In some cultures, fruit and vegetable carvings are displayed in formal gatherings and in private parties. In India, for example, one can see fruit and vegetable carvings displayed in many wedding halls just before guests enter the dining area. The idea behind such display is not only to show the skills of the artisans, but also to entice guests to enter the dining hall. Some chefs believe that a visual display of food triggers taste buds and helps guests to better relish their food. For these reasons, it is common to find different carvings on the entrance of dining halls in Indian weddings.

Present scope and future prospects of carving fruits and vegetables

The demand for fruit and vegetable carving is increasing day by day as the people are looking towards alternatives that are livelier and more attractive to decorate in the functions. The abundance of fruits and vegetables throughout the year even in the off-season has been achieved due to advanced horticultural techniques which overcome the problem of non-availability of raw materials for carving. There are very less artisans who are experienced in this art and there is lot of scope in training through workshops and symposiums.

pic.4# A beautiful design of Rose flowers in a Pot carved out from a single piece of Watermelon by Mr. Sai Teja

Once fruit carvers have mastered the techniques past the intermediate stage and become professionals, they can price their services to restaurants, professional caterers, hotels and resorts. On a smaller scale, fruit carvers can present a dish with decorative garnishing to add an aesthetically pleasing experience to their viewers. Rural women, self-help groups, FPO(Farmer Producer Organizations) can be trained with the art of fruit and vegetable carvings to propagate the skill in this field which helps them to generate income as an association. Several food carving competitions are being held across the world which brings the artists great reputation and opportunities to work with some of the biggest events, restaurants and ceremonies. The art of carving fruits and vegetables is eternal and has a never-ending demand. In short, when you see a carved fruit or vegetables the next time, spend a few minutes to admire its beauty and intricacy. It will not only give you a glimpse into the culture, but will also make the artisan happy.

pic.5# A beautiful peacock design carved out of a single piece of watermelon by Mr.Sai Teja

Limitations

The major obstacles of fruits and vegetable carvings include the lack of quality raw materials, pattern designers, transmission of knowledge and creating added value. Quality fresh fruits and vegetables are needed so that the finished carvings can be kept and displayed longer which also depends on the atmosphere and time period where the carvings will be displayed. Fruits and vegetable engravers lack experience and consistency in their art forms where there must be a consistent balance in the lines, patterns, shapes, weight, color and texture. The lack of understanding these factors result in underdeveloped carvings and development of patterns. The limited time available to prepare the carvings has limited the designs and patterns for each venue. The transmission of knowledge between artisans is still limited due to the closure and unwilling transfer of knowledge from senior artisans. The limited transfer of knowledge and skills due to competing attitudes of modern society has led to in-efficient development of fruit and vegetable carvings and lack of apprentices.

References:

https://asian-recipe.com/methods/fruit-vegetable-carving

Panprom, S., Somtrakool, K., & Tidpad, P. (2013). Fruits and Vegetable Carving: Development of Carving Patterns for Banquets. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 3(9), 697.

https://howandwhat.net/a-brief-introduction-to-fruit-and-vegetable-carving/

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japanese-thai-food-carving-instagram/index.html

For more information about fruit and vegetable carvings you can contact our author.

Author Details:

Sai Teja

M.Sc (Agronomy)

ASSAM AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY,ASSAM,INDIA

Email@kandapu.saiteja.amj19@aau.ac.in

Mob:91-7032865674

Posted on 20 November, 202022 November, 2020 by

Different Processed Food Products from Palmyrah Palm :A fruit tree with high genetic diversity

***Pic.1# A view of Palmyrah Palm Tree***

Palmyrah (Borassus flavallifer) palm is perhaps the most under-utilized and backline fruit among those belonging to the ‘Palm family’. The fruit is abundantly available in the country side areas but couldn’t sustain in the regular fruit markets, unlike the other fruits of the family palmae such as the coconut, arecanut, date palm, etc. Palmyrah palm, popularly known as “Toddy palm” is a drupe containing 2n =36 number of chromosome. The toddy palm fruits are formed in regular clusters developed into big roundish balls, weighing about an average weight of 2 kg. The trees are exceptionally taller which creates hindrance to the manual harvesters and also blemishes the senescent fruits dropped from the plants. Usually the people dwelling in tribal localities or semi-urban areas exploit great privileges out from the palm products frequently throughout the year for domestic consumption as well as small sales.

The palm fruit has a fascinating characteristic of having acquired multiple edible forms of the fruit with correspondence to its developing stages. All of them are uniquely palatable and differ in both physical forms and textures from one another. Apart from the raw consumption, Palmyrah fruit is a huge contributor of extensively prepared sugar-based products such as Neera (a delicious drink), palm jaggery, palm sugar, palm candy, etc., which are exceptionally sweet in taste with distinct flavors.

***Pic.2# (A fully Mature and Ripened Fruit of Palmyrah Palm,Deogarh,Odisha)***

At tender stage, toddy palm fruits are light green in color and shiny from the periphery. The fruit exocarp gradually turns black as it ripens with its stalk end covered with yellowish green caps of about 5 to 8 in numbers. The unripe matured fruits, if cut into halves, the translucent jelly-like lobes filled inside sockets, usually three in number in a single fruit is revealed. These are nothing but the developed embryo and endosperms of the fruit which is composed of nearly 80% water along with sugar and some vital mineral compounds. This is perhaps the reason behind the fruit acquired the name of “Ice- apple” in many regions. The succulent locules are covered with a thin layer of white testa that should be removed off while consuming or else it imparts a bitter taste to the fruit. In course of development of the fruit, the icy succulent locules acquire a milky white cork-like spongy texture. However, the size of the locules is retained even after the development. A hard woody endocarp is formed at this stage that surrounds the succulent parts that are consumed at the last stage.

Moreover, the mesocarp of the fruit gets filled with thick juicy golden yellow sap having distinct flavor and aroma, thus rendering the fruit to have attained its utmost maturity. There is a simultaneous conversion of the epicarp or rind from light green to orange and eventually into dark brown or black colour. This is the significant stage where toddy palm encounters the highest exploitation and preferably it is so called as well. Most often, the ripen fruits are not harvested and left for senescence. The villagers believe that the fruit imparts better taste when drops naturally. The statement being a myth is refuted by the fact that the fruit must have obtained cent percent assured maturity along with highest sugar and pulp with maximum softness after its natural falling.

***Pic.3# Palm Batter prepared from Ripened Fruit Pulp mix with Rice.***

Unfortunately, the fully ripened fruits generally get ruptured on striking the ground from a larger height. However, these are later on picked up randomly by the local people and carried to their homes for pulp extraction. In fact, this is actually the material that the consumers awaited for. Irrespective of its demand in the urban markets, the toddy pulp seems to be no less worthy than a gold fluid to the local regular exploiters. Therefore, the golden pulp from toddy, after extraction from its bulky fibres is probably utilized in various ways. A large portion of the pulp is cooked for the manufacture of jaggery and sugar crystals and the rest is used in preparation of home-made stuffs like buns, cakes and sweets along with rice-flour or corn-flour as supplements. Due to high sugar content in the fruit pulp itself, usually lesser amounts of the same is involved from external source during the process of preparation. Popular food recipes of cakes, locally called as “Pitha” are prepared out of toddy palm pulp, made into a batter along with the use of grated coconut stuffing followed by steaming or deep frying.

**Pic.4# Different kinds of Pitha prepared from Pulp of Palmyrah Palm (Ripened Fruit Pulp)**

Right after extraction of the pulp, the hard kernels i.e. the woody endocarps with a blanket of ciliary fibers is left out which is usually washed and sun-dried for about 15 to 25 days rather than being disposed of. Interestingly, this kernel holds in the soft endosperm which is prominently observed when the hard kernel is spitted into halves after the excessive moisture is lost out. This again turns out to be another edible matter which can be assumed as the non-emerged sprouts of the seed and is also considered as the store house of large number of vital nutrients. The soft corky texture, along with milky white color and sweet pleasant taste makes it a perfect choice for fruit lovers. This palm endosperm is an essential component of fruit salads and custards.

*Pic.4#Edible soft endosperm inside hard Kernels*(Jajpur, Odisha)

Palmyrah palm is perhaps the only fruit having more number of processed food recipes made out of it in comparision to its direct consumption. Existence of the strong flavor and aroma makes the fruit inelegant for direct consumption. However, sweet lovers can resist with few slices of it. Although, facts pertaining to the stages and forms of consumption of the fruit are usually observed to be non-descriptive in texts and encyclopedias, it is as significant as other aspects of it, for the reason being it carries vast comprehensive touches on the peculiar stages of development, their broad utility and consumers’ acceptance of the fruit.

Bimal Prabhat Dash

Master in Horticulture, Fruit Science

bimaldash.ar@gmail.com

Posted on 29 October, 202014 November, 2020 by — Leave a comment

Strawberry cultivation for the farmers of Odisha and Chattishgarh

**pic.#1 Strawberry cultivation using black polythene mulching.**

Strawberry (Fragaria annanasa Dutch) is an important temperate as well as sub-tropical fruit crop and can be commercially grown in states like Odisha and Chhattisgarh with subtropical climatic condition. The fresh ripe fruits of strawberry with 98% edible portion are rich source of Vitamin C and iron making it a very nutritious fruit. Apart from fresh consumption, these fruits can also be processed into various value-added products like canned strawberry, jam, jelly, ice-cream, wine and other soft drinks. Due to its increasing demand in urban India, its potential area of cultivation is on a hike in plains and southern hills of India. In India it is mostly grown in Haryana, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar. As per NHB data 2016-17, Haryana is having highest area and production of strawberry cultivation in India followed by Mizoram and Meghalaya. But Odisha and Chhattisgarh are the states having great potential for growing such an export oriented and high value fruit crop provided by proper scientific package and practices which are given below. All parts of these two states mostly hilly areas of Odisha (Kandhamal, Koraput, Eastern ghats and other hills) and Chhattisgarh (Ambikapur, Bastar) are very much suitable for cultivation of strawberry.

PACKAGE AND PRACTICES

Climate and Soil:

A temperate to sub-tropical climate is suitable for strawberry cultivation, requiring a temperature range of 15-25^oC for better growth of the plants. Although strawberry grows well under temperate climate but some cultivars are also suitable for growing under sub-tropical climate. Daylight period of 12 hr or less and moderate temperature are important for flower-bud formation. Sandy loam soil with a pH range of 5.7-6.5 is suitable for this cultivation.

Suitable varieties:

Winter Down and Cheema Rosa is the most suitable cultivar of strawberry under the agroclimatic conditions of Odisha and Chattisgarh where as other varieties such as Fortuna, Florida Beauty, Festival, , Sweet Charlie, Sweet Sensation, R-1, R-2, Nabila are some of the suitable varieties can be grown in Odisha and Chhattisgarh under both open field as well as protected cultivation.

Planting material:

Strawberry is commercially propagated by runner plants. For large scale cultivation tissue culture plants can be used. Planting material requirement of strawberry is 20-25 thousands per acre.

Land preparation and Planting:

Soil is ploughed repeatedly during summer to make soil friable followed by removal of weeds and stubbles. Soil fumigation with a mixture of methyl bromide and chloropicrin helps to increase root system, reduce fertilizer requirement and control the weeds. In the climate of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, its commercial cultivation is done in the month of September to March in the open field condition, whereas inside the protected structure it can be grown round the year except from April to July. Within this period, crop can be harvested 5-6 times.

A spacing of 30 cm x 60 cm or 30 cm x 30 cm with a population of 20,000 to 22,000 plants per acre can be adopted. Planting can be done in two rows or three rows on a 1 m wide, 30-35cm raised bed with 90-120 cm spacing between beds. The raised beds are fitted with drip lines for irrigation and covered with polythene or straw mulch. Mulching is very much essential as it conserves the soil moisture, prevents any weed growth ultimately reducing labour cost for weeding and prevents the fruits from touching the ground and getting damaged.

Irrigation and Fertiliser dose:

Strawberry being a shallow-rooted plant requires more frequent but less amount of water in irrigation. Excessive irrigation can lead to growth of leaves and stolon at the expense of fruits & flowers and also increases the incidence of Botrytis rot.

A fertilizer dose of 25-50 tonnes farmyard manure, 75-100 kg N, 40-120 kg P₂O₅ and 40-80 kg K₂O per ha can be applied according to soil type and variety planted.

Flowering and Fruiting:

Flowering occurs at 40-60 days after planting. Gibberellic acid (GA) @ 30-50 mgL^-1 is sprayed 4 days after flowering along with Malic hydrazide@ 0.01-0.03% during flowering for better fruit growth and increase in yield by 31-41%. Morphactin@ 50 mgL^-1 increases the fruit size. Fruiting comes after 60-70 days of planting and takes about 20-22 days for physiological maturity. Albinism (lack of fruit colour during ripening) is a physiological disorder in strawberry where fruits remain irregularly pink or even totally white and sometimes swollen, less firm having acid taste. This is very rare in this climatic condition.

Harvesting and Yield:

Strawberries are generally harvested at a stage of >75% skin colour change (for distant market) and 90% colour change (for local market) from apex to the base of the fruit. Picking is done along with the stalk 1-2 inches from the calyx and collected in small trays or baskets usually in the early morning hours on every second or third day. Fruits should be kept in a shady place to avoid damage due to excessive heat in the open field and pre-cooled at 4^oC within 2 hr of harvesting. After pre-cooling they can be shipped in refrigerated vans for storage or to distant market. Fresh fruits can be stored in cold storage at 0-2^oC and up to 7 days. 90-95% optimum humidity is maintained to prevent water loss and avoid shrivelling. Don’t wash the berries until just before eating or preserving. Average fruit yield is 700-1000 g per plant.

Marketing:

The fruits can be sold in local as well as national and international market in a profitable price. Fruits are washed properly and graded as per their weight, size and colour. For long distance markets fruits are packed in small plastic packets of 200-300g capacity. These fruits generally fetch a market price of Rs. 150-200 per kg in Indian markets.

We offer support in providing planting materials and marketing of the produce except any logistic supports. This is prepared after thorough analysis of research data from different research scholars of India.

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