Download the queen of fruits agro-techniques

THE QUEEN OF FRUITS
Mangosteen is one of the most adorable fruits, regarded as the
Queen of Fruits, with exquisite, incomparable, appealing taste and
flavor. Presence of sugar in readily available form makes mangosteen
very dear to hypoglycemic patients. Mangosteen is believed to have
originated in the Moluccas or the Sunda Islands of
the Malay Archipelago. Thailand and Burma
were the earliest to have domesticated
mangosteen trees. They were introduced
in India in 1881.
Legend has it that, Queen Victoria of
Britain once told about a divinely
delicious purple fruit, which grew in far
away Southeast Asia. The Queen made
a promise to bestow knighthood on
anyone who would bring it to her, but all
efforts failed. The reason was that in the 19th
century, the journey from Southeast Asia took
months and the delicate fruit would invariably go
bad before reaching Britain. Durian and mangosteen shares the
same fruiting season. While the 'King of fruits' is considered by the
Chinese to be 'heaty' due to its rich and heavy flavor, the mangosteen
possesses just the opposite, 'cooling' properties, and has the most
exquisite juicy snow-white flesh - sweet yet slightly acid. All these
are the reasons why the mangosteen is honored as the Queen
among all the fruits.
Mangosteen cultivation is now common in
Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
Burma, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hawaii and
Trinidad.
In
India,
mangosteen
cultivation is successful in limited parts
of Nilgiris and Kanyakumari districts of
Tamil Nadu, Dakshina Kannada and
Kodagu districts of Karnataka and
many parts of Kerala. Botanically,
mangosteen is a very interesting
plant because the fruits develop
through parthenocarpy. Parthenocarpy
literally means ‘virgin fruit.’ Thus, seeds
develop without the effect of fertilization.
The
resulting seedlings are ‘true to
type.’
Mangosteen is a medium-sized evergreen tree, 6 to
25 m tall with a straight trunk and evenly spaced
branches, which form a conical crown. The dark green
shiny leaves are oblong to elliptical. Flowers are female,
produced at the ends of the branchlets. They have three
persistent sepals that form the crown of the fruit, and four
petals, which are peach colored with red margins. The fruit is
round and dark purple when ripe. Each fruit weighs up to 120 g.
The rind or pericarp, almost 1 cm thick, encloses the edible part
or the aril, which consists of 5 or 7 snowy white segments. The
pulp is very light and soft with an exquisite flavor and is best
eaten fresh, preferably after chilling the fruit in the refrigerator.
The aril is a nutritious food containing high amounts of energy,
vitamins and anti-oxidants. High amounts of flavones and
xanthones make it a rich source of anti-bacterial agents. It can be
processed into food preparations such as canned segments,
candies, jam, pulp preserve, toppings and flavoring for ice
cream, sherbet and wine.
Mangosteen is a crop of humid tropical
environment. It thrives in high
temperature (up to 36º C) and high
humidity (up to 90 %) conditions.
An annual rainfall of at least
200 cm is necessary for good
Ground level
growth. The trees grow well up
Top soil
Planting Hole
+
to an altitude of 1500 m.
Decomposed cowdung
+
Super
Phosphate
Mangosteen can grow on a
+
Neem cake
wide range of soils as long as
3 x 3 feet Planting Pit
they are not alkaline. Well
drained, deep clay loam, rich in
organic matter, is ideal for its
cultivation. Slightly acidic soil with a
PH of 5.5 to 6.5 is ideal. Mangosteen is a
shade-loving tree, and both leaves and fruits are susceptible to
sunburn. Shade is critical during early vegetative growth.
The seed of mangosteen is an asexual propagule, so the
seedlings are true to type. Although mangosteen can be
propagated by grafting, trees obtained from seeds are
found to be more vigorous and yielding.
AGRO-TECHNIQUES
Large sized seedlings of 100-170 cm or taller, marks
rapid growth when planted and hence such seedlings
are preferred as planting material. Before moving
plants from the nursery for field planting, shade
material is used for acclimatizing the plants to the
field environment. This reduces mortality in the field.
For backyard or small-scale planting, 30 ft spacing is
recommended between plants. A well drained soil ensures
deep and extensive root development, provides good
aeration, and prevents water logging and disease occurrence
such as root rot. The pits should be 3x3x3 ft. Fill 3/4th of the pit
with 1:1 mixture of top soil, FYM or compost. Digging and filling
with undecayed organic matter may be done a month before
planting
to
promote
decomposition of organic
matter and weathering of soil
around the hole. When
planting out, remove the
ball of soil containing the
plant from the polybag and
position it in the hole with
minimum disturbance. Fill
the remaining space with
topsoil or FYM or compost up
to the ground level. Support the
seedling with a stake.
Mangosteen needs an abundant supply of water. Soil moisture
maintained at field capacity at all times gives optimum plant
growth. Young plants may require 2 or 3 liters of water every day
during dry months and this may be increased from 7 to 10 liters
three times a week during the immature stage. During initial
fruiting stage, 50 to 60 l per application is needed. During
prolonged dry periods, trees may require 100 to 200 l per plant
every three days.
Mangosteen is responsive to fertilizer applications. Soil
nutrient sampling or leaf sampling to determine fertilizer
requirement is highly recommended. The slow growth of
mangosteen can be overcome by the application of granular
fertilizer every two months to the soil around the base of the
plants and monthly foliar fertilizer application. A high
fertilizer rate during the immature stage in the field can
shorten the juvenile period from six to four years.
During fruiting, foliar fertilizer may be applied to
supplement inorganic fertilizers, to increase the size of
the fruits and the total yield. Please refer to the chart for
fertilizer management.
Mangosteen requires partial shading to reduce sunlight by 40 to
60% within the first three years of establishment, which is then
gradually reduced to full exposure to obtain optimum
growth. In areas with a pronounced dry season, it is a
good practice always to grow mangosteen under
partial shade. Shade with mixed stand of banana
or Red Lady variety of papaya is recommended.
Banana planted at a density of 1200 per ha can
readily provide 40 to 60% shade within four to
six months after planting. Ideally banana is
planted four to six months ahead of
mangosteen. Similarly papaya can also be grown
to provide shade. Temporary shade can be
provided with coconut fronds while waiting for
bananas to grow.
Foliar Spray
1 g/l micronutrients every month
Pala
Ponkunnam
Manimala
Ranni
KVMS Jn.
Mannamplackal Jn.
Direct Depot - Cheppumpara
Govt. Hospital Jn.
Kanjirapally
Kurishinkal Jn.
Mannarkayam Jn.
Kanjirapally Petta Jn.
Vayal Jn.
Anchilippa Jn.
Chenappady Jn.
Vizhik
A
Pests
Damages/Symptom
Management
Munda
MAJOR PESTS AND DISEASES OF MANGOSTEEN
AND THEIR MANAGEMENT
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Kumaly
Kuruvamozhy Jn.
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Mother Farm
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26th Mile
Distance Towards Mother Farm
Kanjirapally Petta Jn.
Amal Jyothi Jn.
Nimbecidine
Mother Farm:
Infected plants
Vizhikkathodu P.O., Kanjirappally, Kottayam Dist.
Ph: 04828 297001. Email: [email protected]
Direct Outlet:
Vizhikkathodu
Ph: 81139 66600
Kanjirappally
Ph: 81139 66611
Ph: 81139 66622
6662
Thiruvalla
Ph 81139 6663
Ph:
Adimaly
66633
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wnbiotech
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66633
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MANGOSTEEN K100
Inorganic
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SUGGESTED FERTILIZER RATE PER TREE