Indigenous Farming :: Indigenous Technical Knowledge
Traditional Jack Fruit Varieties
HILL BANANA
- Fruits of 'Karpoorvalli' are small sized with ash coated rind, higher water content and less taste and fetch low value.
- Farmers use fruits of Red banana variety for medicinal purpose
- Hill banana is grown in the system of 'Vazhiyadi Vazhai' i.e. every year field is not prepared and new suckers are not planted. After harvesting from mother trees, side suckers are removed leaving only one of them to be allowed to grow as mother tree in the next year. It is repeated every year.
- Banana is planted either in 'Chithiraipattam' (Apr.-May) or in Aadipattam (July-August). Banana suckers are trimmed and roots are removed before planting in order to induce fresh roots.
- On sloppy lands, hill banana is grown on
- Dried, drooping leaves are removed once in three months to avoid shade effect which may produce black spots on fruits and to reduce wind damage there by preventing lodging. It is called 'Kondai poduthal'..
- One kg each of powdered neem cake and tobacco waste are soaked separately in 5 lit. of water each. In the next day they are filtered and decanted solutions are mixed together in which suckers are immersed before planting to prevent nematode attack.
- To control banana wilt, affected plants are removed and burnt and 1 -2 kg of lime is applied in each pit.
- For quick ripening and for festive occasions, bunches are stacked in bigger earthen pots in to which fuming incense sticks are kept and mouth is covered with clothes.
- To induce quick ripening, the leaves of 'Pisilanthalai1 (Basella alba) are put in to the baskets or gunny bags and bunches are stacked inside and covered air tightly.
PLUM
- One year old plum grafts are used for planting to control algal infestation, 1kg. of lime dissolved in 10 lit. of water is sprayed after pruning.
- Plum fruits are packed in bamboo baskets and leaves of a fern type called 'Idaivalai' (Pteridium aculinum) are kept in between the. fruits in order to slow down their ripening since these leaves are slow drying.
|
|
