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Revives wasteland into flourishing fruit orchard
Plants growth is a natural phenomenon but it needs constant up-gradation of knowledge along with deep interest to attain success in farming. “We human beings cannot term anything as wasteland as no matter what every soil has the immense power to produce food. It is our farming practices that require modification to boost crop production! Therefore I decided to bring in the change and bought farmland that was tagged as wasteland. As since childhood I had a dream to have my own fruit orchard, I opted for growing Black plum or Indian blackberry saplings. It is called jamun in Hindi,” shares Mr. P. Maruthi Prasad, a progressive farmer residing at Uddhal village, Ananthapur district, Andhra Pradesh.
The soil in the wasteland is considered to have excess sodium and soluble salts. "However growing fruit trees is certainly promising and remunerative in this soil than any other crop. Further fruit orchard does not needs reclamation of entire soil in the farmland. As jamun trees are less resistant to insects, pests and diseases, it was the best choice amongst all the available fruits varieties,” he elaborates.
Speaking of preparing the soil for cultivation he says, “First and foremost 3 x 3 feet pits were dug. It was then filled with red soil and cow dung based manure. Water was sprayed to make the soil moist. After 10 days the saplings were transplanted maintaining the distance of 8m * 8m (24 feet).” The pH of soil is maintained at 6.5-7.5.
According to Mr. Maruthi sourcing good variety of saplings is the equally important as soil preparation. “I searched for best variety of jamun saplings in and around Hyderabad. I came in contact with RGT, a Christian NGO. RGT used to donate fruit saplings to farmers and also helped in developing the horticulture farm. As I had already decided to cultivate jamun, they gave me the saplings at Rs.10/piece,” he adds. Three varieties were grown namely local variety Krishnagiri, Arabhavi and Bahodoli. All together 150 jamun plants were transplanted in two acres.
Constant monitoring certainly helps in increasing the fruit yield. The saplings were nourished with complex fertilizer mixture precisely nitrogen, phosphorous and potash. It is applied near the canopy of the tree and mixed in the field soil. Irrigation was done as required especially when the top soil became dry. The saplings started fruiting from the 3rd year onwards! “It was comparatively quite early than the other jamun plants. Reason being the saplings were very good,” adds Mr. Maruthi. The tree flowers in February and starts fruiting. It takes 3-4 months to fully ripen followed by harvesting. “The production varies between 50-100 kg fruits/tree. Depending upon the quantity of fruits, I add 0.5-1.5kg complex fertilizer mix.” Pesticide is sprayed on the need basis. The life span of the tree is 70years.
“The trees in my farm are 9 years old now. There was constant increase in the production. First year 20%, 2nd year 40% and 4th crop gave 90% production. Then there as sharp decline in the production with lowest 15% in the 5th year. The height of the tree was also increased that made harvesting a difficult task. Therefore I decided to go for pruning and cut down to 12-15 feet. It was the right decision taken as it saved the losses. The 6th crop yielded 60-70%. It was almost 6 tons production. The quality was good in terms of big size and relatively sweet taste,” he informs. With pruning the tree became bushy and it was easier to pluck the fruits without much hassle. The harvesting begins in 2nd week of May. It takes 40 days for harvestings. “Till 15th June harvesting is completed for the year.”
Harvesting needs utmost care and look after because the top most layer of jamun fruit is tender. Even a slight damage can spoil the fruits and adversely affects the selling price. “A small nail prick can also damage the fruit and it can be a loss. Therefore it has to be handled very carefully. In order to have best possible sales the fruits are sent to the market soon after harvesting. We do not use the fruits that fall down on the ground. I cannot compromise on quality,” he asserts. Jamun from Mr. Maruthi’s farm are sold at Rs. 100/kg. “60-70 kg fruit is sold from the farm gate at Rs. 120/kg.”
In time to come he wants to expand his jamun cultivation. He concludes, “Farming is the field for only those individuals who are filled with enthusiasm to grow food, big heart to face the losses/adversity and enormous patience to reap the fruits of hard work!”
Contact Details:
Mr. P. Maruthi Prasad
Sarpanch, Uddhal PO, Bommanahal Mandal, Ananthapur District – 515871, Andhra Pradesh
Phone: 9701866028
Email: maruthiprasad1968@gmail.com
Plants growth is a natural phenomenon but it needs constant up-gradation of knowledge along with deep interest to attain success in farming. “We human beings cannot term anything as wasteland as no matter what every soil has the immense power to produce food. It is our farming practices that require modification to boost crop production! Therefore I decided to bring in the change and bought farmland that was tagged as wasteland. As since childhood I had a dream to have my own fruit orchard, I opted for growing Black plum or Indian blackberry saplings. It is called jamun in Hindi,” shares Mr. P. Maruthi Prasad, a progressive farmer residing at Uddhal village, Ananthapur district, Andhra Pradesh.
The soil in the wasteland is considered to have excess sodium and soluble salts. "However growing fruit trees is certainly promising and remunerative in this soil than any other crop. Further fruit orchard does not needs reclamation of entire soil in the farmland. As jamun trees are less resistant to insects, pests and diseases, it was the best choice amongst all the available fruits varieties,” he elaborates.
Speaking of preparing the soil for cultivation he says, “First and foremost 3 x 3 feet pits were dug. It was then filled with red soil and cow dung based manure. Water was sprayed to make the soil moist. After 10 days the saplings were transplanted maintaining the distance of 8m * 8m (24 feet).” The pH of soil is maintained at 6.5-7.5.
According to Mr. Maruthi sourcing good variety of saplings is the equally important as soil preparation. “I searched for best variety of jamun saplings in and around Hyderabad. I came in contact with RGT, a Christian NGO. RGT used to donate fruit saplings to farmers and also helped in developing the horticulture farm. As I had already decided to cultivate jamun, they gave me the saplings at Rs.10/piece,” he adds. Three varieties were grown namely local variety Krishnagiri, Arabhavi and Bahodoli. All together 150 jamun plants were transplanted in two acres.
Constant monitoring certainly helps in increasing the fruit yield. The saplings were nourished with complex fertilizer mixture precisely nitrogen, phosphorous and potash. It is applied near the canopy of the tree and mixed in the field soil. Irrigation was done as required especially when the top soil became dry. The saplings started fruiting from the 3rd year onwards! “It was comparatively quite early than the other jamun plants. Reason being the saplings were very good,” adds Mr. Maruthi. The tree flowers in February and starts fruiting. It takes 3-4 months to fully ripen followed by harvesting. “The production varies between 50-100 kg fruits/tree. Depending upon the quantity of fruits, I add 0.5-1.5kg complex fertilizer mix.” Pesticide is sprayed on the need basis. The life span of the tree is 70years.
“The trees in my farm are 9 years old now. There was constant increase in the production. First year 20%, 2nd year 40% and 4th crop gave 90% production. Then there as sharp decline in the production with lowest 15% in the 5th year. The height of the tree was also increased that made harvesting a difficult task. Therefore I decided to go for pruning and cut down to 12-15 feet. It was the right decision taken as it saved the losses. The 6th crop yielded 60-70%. It was almost 6 tons production. The quality was good in terms of big size and relatively sweet taste,” he informs. With pruning the tree became bushy and it was easier to pluck the fruits without much hassle. The harvesting begins in 2nd week of May. It takes 40 days for harvestings. “Till 15th June harvesting is completed for the year.”
Harvesting needs utmost care and look after because the top most layer of jamun fruit is tender. Even a slight damage can spoil the fruits and adversely affects the selling price. “A small nail prick can also damage the fruit and it can be a loss. Therefore it has to be handled very carefully. In order to have best possible sales the fruits are sent to the market soon after harvesting. We do not use the fruits that fall down on the ground. I cannot compromise on quality,” he asserts. Jamun from Mr. Maruthi’s farm are sold at Rs. 100/kg. “60-70 kg fruit is sold from the farm gate at Rs. 120/kg.”
In time to come he wants to expand his jamun cultivation. He concludes, “Farming is the field for only those individuals who are filled with enthusiasm to grow food, big heart to face the losses/adversity and enormous patience to reap the fruits of hard work!”
Contact Details:
Mr. P. Maruthi Prasad
Sarpanch, Uddhal PO, Bommanahal Mandal, Ananthapur District – 515871, Andhra Pradesh
Phone: 9701866028
Email: maruthiprasad1968@gmail.com