Cultivation of Mango

Cultivation of Mango

 

Introduction :

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) belonging to Family Anacardiaceae is the most important commercially grown fruit crop of the country. It is called the king of fruits. India has the richest collection of mango cultivars. Cultivation of mango is believed to have originated in South East Asia. Mango is being cultivated in southern Asia for nearly six thousand years. 

  Climate

Mango is a tropical fruit, but can be grown upto 1100 m above MSL. The ideal temperature range for successful mango cultivation is between 24 0 to 27 0 C . It can be grown best in regions with a rainfall of 25 cm and 250 cm. High humidity, rain or frost during flowering is detrimental to mango cultivation. Higher temperature during fruit development and maturity gives better quality fruits. Regions with bright sunny days and moderate humidity during flowering are ideal for mango growing

   Soil

Mango can grow well in all types of soil from alluvial to lateritic, except the black cotton soils, which are considered as poor. The only prerequisite is a deep (2 to 2.5 m) and well drained soil. In Tamil Nadu, red loamy soil with good drainage is preferred soil for mango cultivation. Mango prefers slightly acidic soil. It does not grow well beyond a soil pH of 7.5. Soils with an appreciable amount of gravel or Kankar in the profile too can grow good mangoes provided they are not alkaline. Saline and alkaline soils are not conducive for profitable mango cultivation.
  Other factors

Selecting a location isolated from potential sources of pest, disease, or weed is desirable; but is not often possible. Sites that are away from conventional production areas, allows relative isolation to reduce the risk of contamination from adjacent land use. If the area is prone to wind breaks, wind breaks are required to protect the crops from wind effect and damage. Selecting better soils is likely to be helpful and require lesser inputs than poor soils. Loamy soils are likely to require relatively less nutrient inputs and lower water demands than sandy soil types. 

Loamy soils can accommodate organic matter, which in turn is responsible for the development of good soil biological activity and humus formation suitable for organic production. Chemical or heavy metal residue in soil must not exceed limits set by organic standards Choosing a small initial block for organic conversion can reduce the commercial risk, as it is unlikely to have significant impact on profit. By starting with a small trial area dedicated to organic methods, growers can gain experience, knowledge and confidence about what works and where problems may occur.
  Land preparation

The land is prepared by usual ploughing, harrowing and levelling. A gentle slope is provided to facilitate proper irrigation and prompt drainage to avoid the harmful effects of water stagnation. After marking of the points for the plants, pits of 90X90X90 cm are dug during summer months. This operation is done by utilizing a planting board so that precise location of the plants in the middle of the pit remains undisturbed. While digging of pits, it is essential to keep the topsoil and subsoil separately in two heaps near each pit for two to four weeks.

This helps in exposing the harmful soil organisms to weathering agencies, providing better aeration to the root zone and in making provision for nutritional requirements for healthy development of the soil. The pit is filled with 20 kg of FYM, 5 kg of vermicompost and Biofertlizers (Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria). Green manuring is also done with the onset of SW monsoon in July/August with Daincha and Sunhemp. Growing of leguminous green manuring crops helps in Nitrogen fixing besides providing excellent green cover to entire field, which in turn prevents moisture loss.  

  Spacing

Spacing varies from 7 m to 10 m either way.

  Planting material

Mango is propagated by inarching and veneer grafting, but of late, epicotyl and softwood grafting replacing these two methods. As regards, selection of root stock, research trails show that polyembroyonic cultivar Vellaikolambam significantly reduces the canopy size by half with out reducing production. Planting material is procured from nurseries, which propagate the planting material either by organic or chemical means. However, it is preferable to procure planting material from organic sources.

  Varieties

The varieties recommended for mango for agro climatic conditions of Tamil Nadu are as follows:

• Neelum, Bangalora, Alphonso, Rumani, Banganapalli, Kalepady, Peter, PKM 1, PKM 2, Sendura, Jahangir, Mulgoa, Paiyur 1, Mallika, Amrapali, Salem Bangalora, Arka Anmol, Arka Aruna and Arka Puneeth, Arka Neelkiran. 
• Varieties for processing: Alphonso, Banganapalli, Totapuri
  
  
• Varieties for export : Alphonso, Banganapalli, Sendura
  
  
• Alphonso has become a popular variety among organic growers, in view of its better varietal characteristics and better market.

  Planting

It is done with the advent of monsoon. The planting season could be July to December, depending upon the monsoon and availability of irrigation facilities.

  Water Management

The water requirements mainly depend on the age, soil type and climate. However, young plants upto 2 years should be watered regularly. The newly planted grafts need about 25-30 l of water every day. Irrigating the grown up trees after fruit set at 10-days interval increases their yield. Mango growers commonly practice drip irrigation so as to control over watering and also to irrigate a larger area with better management practices.

  Cultural practices

  Weeding

It is preferable to select a site, which is free from serious weed problems. Mulching with straw during the first few years of establishment may be useful in controlling weeds. In older mango orchards, weed management is less problematic due to shading and leaf litter.

  Pruning

Pruning mango tree is important for tree size control and to improve the fruit colour. Essentially, tree pruning and canopy management is same for organic or conventional production. Pruning is done to open up the structure to allow good airflow and adequate internal light. It also minimises disease risk and assists in good fruit colouration. Internal pruning to remove dead wood can be very important to help reduce the incidence of disease like stem end rot.
Rootstock sprouts and low-lying branches have to be removed. Overlapping, intercrossing, diseased, dried, weak branches are removed to get good sunlight and aeration. For internal branches, pruning may be done during August- September, once in three years. Flowering should not be allowed upto three years. Among the crowded terminal shoots, weak shoots are trimmed to retain two healthy shoots during August- September annually.  
    Plant protection
    Pests

The important pests are hopper, mealy bug, stem bores, fruit fly. Pest management practices for each pest is described below:

  Fruit Fly

Adult and larvae maggots cause fruit damage. Egg laying females puncture the fruits leaving scars and holes on the fruit surface. Larval feeding causes premature fruit drop and destroys the pulp of the fruit. The fruit eventually rots making it unsuitable for harvesting and human consumption. Fruit fly attack is controlled by harvesting the crop early when fruits are mature green. This is the stage of maturity when crops are not susceptible to fruit fly attack. Removal of fruits with dimples and oozing clear sap, collection and destruction of fallen and damaged ripe fruits and practicing field sanitation helps in controlling fruit fly attack.

  Mango Mealy bugs

The mealy bug affected plant leaves are distorted (rolled or folded), stunted and yellow. Heavy infestation causes drooping of leaves and flowers and reduces fruit setting and attacked fruits drop prematurely. Mealy bugs excrete large quantities of honeydews, which promote sooty mold that causes blackened malformed leaves, stems, and fruits. Infested fruits are unmarketable. Spraying steady stream of water on the host plant to knock off mealy bugs, hand picking of the bugs from the affected plants to reduce populations and pruning the affected plant parts to remove mealy bugs, applying chilli and soap sprays are the suggested control measures. Removal and destruction of heavily infested plant will help in cutting down the infested sites and reducing its future population.

    Mango leafhopper

Both the nymphs and adults feed on the plant sap of the flowers, leaves, tender shoots and newly formed fruits. They then suck out the liquid contents leaving behind the dead empty cells, which are small white spots. The affected flower heads turn brown and dry up. Leafhoppers produce large amounts of sugary liquid waste called honeydew, on which sooty mould develops. The appearance of sooty mold on plants is an indication of leaf hopper infestation. Spraying garlic oil and neem oil are recommended as control measures.

    Mango shoot caterpillar

The larvae feed on the growth flushes of nursery stock, young trees, and top-worked trees. Occasionally, the fruit stalks and young fruits are damaged. The sudden death of a part of a branch, cracked branch and falling off a branch are indications of the attack. It is controlled by applying ginger, garlic and chilly extract and neem leaf extract. Pruning the affected plant parts and burning or burying them helps in controlling their population. Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) Lucknow, recommends the following practices for controlling pests in mango:

• Spraying of Biodynamic pesticide prepared from cow urine, neem, karanj (Pongamia glabara), castor, Thevtia nerrifolia, Vitex spp.
  
  
• Spraying Nettle leaf extract sprays to control hard pests like mango hoppers, mealy bugs, etc. Nettle spray is prepared by soaking 250 g of nettle leaf powder in 4-5 l of water for 24 hrs. Filter the extract and mix in 20 l of cow urine. Dilute to 200 l in water and spay on foliage to control pests.

    Disease management:

The important diseases of mango are Powdery mildew, Anthracnose, Stem-end rot, and Sooty mould. Suggested measures are as follows:
   Powdery mildew

It is a fungal disease caused by Oidium mangiferae and can destroy the crop. Its incidence is favoured by high humidity accompanied by cloudy weather and low night temperatures during the period between panicle development and fruit set. It is characterized by the appearance of greyish white powdery bloom on the flower buds and fruits. Need based spraying of Horsetail / Casuarina extract helps in controlling the disease.
     Anthracnose

It is a fungal disease and occurs especially in humid and high rainfall areas. The characteristic symptom is the appearance of black necrotic areas on the affected parts. The affected young shoots finally show die back symptoms. As the fungus survives on dead or dried twigs, these should be pruned and burnt at the earliest. Good canopy management and tree nutrition / soil management, close monitoring and application of copper hydroxide & potassium bicarbonate sprays help in controlling the disease.

     Anthracnose Stem end rot

Removing dead wood, good canopy management and tree nutrition / soil management helps in controlling the disease. It is reported that application of calcium to the soil in the form of gypsum at low rates, 2-4 kg per tree prior to flowering reduces the severity of internal fruit disorder significantly. Farmers are also applying some commercially available bio-pesticides such as Pseudomonas fluorescens, Verticillium lecanii, Beauveria bassiana as foliar sprays, besides neem oil spray in controlling the disease. CISH findings on disease management :

• Two sprays of Cow Horn Silica (BD-501) at flowering and fruit development stage
  
  
• Biodynamic tree paste/cow dung paste for control of gummosis and die back
  
  
• Spraying of Horse tail ( Equisetum arvensis)/Casuarina leaves extract for control of fungal diseases in ascending moon period.

It is reported that in Uttar Pradesh, application of cow dung paste has almost replaced the spray of Copper Oxychloride for the control of die back in rejuvenated old mango orchards. It is also effective in controlling anthracnose and control of stem borer.

     Harvesting

Mango fruits need 120 to 140 days after fruit set to mature. The fruits should be harvested at the correct stage to obtain the characteristic taste and flavour of the variety. Harvesting is traditionally done when a few semi-ripe fruits fall from the tree. However, it is not a scientific method. The accurate method of finding maturity is by sinking the fruits in water and when fruits fully sink in water, they are considered to have attained full maturity.

Fruits sinking in water have specific gravity of less than 1.02. The fruits will give best taste and flavour when the shoulders outgrow the stem-end and colour is olive green or when the colour become light. Harvesting of fruits should be done before 10 AM or after 04 PM to keep fruits fresh, turgid for longer shelf life. Harvest only matured fruits as frequently as possible in about 4-6 rounds. Injury to the fruits during harvesting brings down their quality and makes them prone to fungal attack.

Harvest fruits with sharp secature keeping 3-5 cm pedicel. It is important that all fruits should have pedicels intact to avoid oozing of latex on fruit surface spoiling appearance, development of black spots and paving way for entry of pathogens. Harvested fruits should be kept in shade and not in open sun and transported to the pack house for post-harvest operations.     
 

Guava Farming

                                 Guava Farming

                                INTRODUCTION

Guava (Psidium guajava) is one of the most common fruits in India. It is quite hardy and prolific bearer. Guava is a commercially significant , highly remunerative crop even without much care. It is a rich source of vitamin C and pectin. It is also a good source of calcium and phosphorus.
Certain important strategies have been identified for enhancing horticulture development in India in order to be competitive in the world market. They involve adoption of modern, innovative and hitech methods. One such strategy is the high density plantation (HDP). This includes adoption of appropriate plant density, canopy management, quality planting material, support and management system with appropriate inputs. HDP generally refers to planting at a closer spacing than the normal recommended spacing. It has been attempted in different crops such as guava, apple ,banana ,mango, pineapple, peach, etc. Many guava farmers have been adopting this technology successfully in different parts of the country. HDP technology results in maximisation of unit area yield and availability of the fruits in the market early which fetch better price.
SUITABLE AREA
Guava is successfully grown all over India. The total area and production of guava in the country are 1.90 lakh hectare and 1.68 million tonnes. Major guava producing states are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra , Karnataka , Orissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. However, Uttar Pradesh, is by far the most important guava producing state of the country and Allahabad has the reputation of growing the best guava in the country as well as in the world.

SOIL
Guava is very hardy. It can thrive on all types of soil from alluvial to lateric. However, it is sensitive to waterlogging. It can be grown on heavier but well drained soil. Deep friable and well-drained soils are the best. The top soil should be rich for better stand. Soil pH range of 4.5 to 8.2 is congenial for guava but saline or alkaline soils are unsuitable.
CLIMATE
Guava is successfully grown under both tropical and subtropical climates. It can grow from sea level to an attitude of about 1500 m (5000'). An annual rainfall of below 1000 mm (40') between June and September is the best for the growth of guava plants. Young plants are susceptible to drought and cold conditions. Yield and quality improve in areas with a distinct winter season.

CULTIVARS
The most popular guava cultivars are Lucknow 49 , Allahabad Safeda and Harijha. Other varieties preferred by the farmers are Apple, Baruipur Local, Benarasi ,etc. From the view
point of yield and quality, Lucknow-49 may be considered to be the most popular commercial cultivar. Different research institutes have been making efforts to develop some new varieties and hybrids. IIHR, Bangalore, has developed two soft-seeded superior varieties viz., Arka Mridula and Arka Amulya.

  Varieties Cultivated

Important guava varieties cultivated in different states of India are given below :

State		Varieties grown
Andhra Pradesh	-	Allahabad safeda, Lucknow 49, Anakapalli, Banarasi, Chittidar, Hafshi, Sardar, Smooth Green, Safed Jam, Arka Mridula
Madhya Pradesh	-	L-49, Allahabad safeda, Gwalior-27, Hafshi, Seedless Chittidar
Jharkhad	-	L-49, Allahabad safeda
Karnataka	-	Allahabad Safeda, L-49, Araka Mridula, Araka Amulya, Bangalore, Dharwar
Assam	-	Am Sophri, Madhuri Am, Safrior Payere
Bihar & Jharkhand	-	Allahabad Safeda, Apple Colour, Chittidar, Hafshi, Harijha, Sardar, Selection-8
Maharashtra & Gujarat	-	Nagpur seedless, Dharwar, Dholka, Kothrud, L-24, L-49, Nasik, Sindh
North-eastern States	-	Allahabad Safeda, Sardar, Red Fleshed.
Tamil Nadu	-	Anakapalli, Banarasi, Bangalore, Chittidar, Hafshi, Nagpur Seedless, Smooth Green
Uttar Pradesh	-	L-49, Allahabad Safeda, Lucknow Safeda, Apple Colour, Chittidar, Red Fleshed, Allahabad Surkha, Sardar, Mirzapuri Seedless, CISH-G-1, CISH-G-2, CISH-G-3
West Bengal	-	L-49, Allahabad Safeda, Dudhe Khaja, Gole Khaja, Kabli, Baruipur, Chittidar, Harijha, Sardar

PROPAGATION
 Guava is propagated from seeds and also by vegetative methods. Seedling trees produce fruits of variable size and quality although such trees are generally long-lived. Vegetative methods like cutting, air layering, grafting and budding are used for propagation of guava. Air-layering has been observed to be the most successful commercial method practised for guava. The cheapest method of rapid multiplication is stooling, i.e.mound layering in nursery beds.

Planting 

                   

The field should be deeply ploughed, cross ploughed , harrowed and levelled before digging pits. The pits of about 0.6 m x 0.6m x0.6 m dimension should be dug before the monsoon. After 15-20 days, each pit should be filled with soil mixed with 20 kg of organic manure and 500 g of super phosphate. In very poor soils, the pit size may be bigger, about 1m x 1m x 1m ,and more of organic manures may be necessary. Onset of monsoon is the time to start planting.

1.  

Planting density  Standard spacing for guava is , 6m x 6m, accommodating 112 plants /acre. However, it is commonly planted at a distance of 3.6 m to 5.4m (12' to 18'). Traditional planting spaces in some parts of country range even upto 5.4 to 7.0m (18' to 23'). By increasing the plant density, productivity can be increased. Although there would be reduction in size of fruits, the number of fruits per plant remains more or less similar. In the model scheme, a distance of 4.5m x 4.5m (15'x15')with a population of 195 per acre is considered, which was observed to be common in areas covered during a field study.

Irrigation  

Normally irrigation is not required in guava plantation. However, in the early stage, young guava plants require 8 to 10 irrigations a year. Life saving hand watering is necessary in summer season in dry areas and on light soils. Full grown bearing trees require watering during May-July at weekly intervals. Irrigations during winter reduce fruit drop and improve fruit size of winter crop. In order to conserve soil moisture from pre-monsoon showers, V shaped or half moon shaped bunds or saucer shaped basins may be made. Drip irrigation has been proved to be very beneficial for guava. Besides saving 60 % of water, it results in substantial increase in size and number of fruits.

Manuring and fertilisation 

                                               Guava is very responsive to the application of inorganic fertilisers along with organic manures. Soil type , nutrient status and leaf analysis can give better indication for requirement of nutrients. A thumb rule recommendation is considered in this model. NPK may be applied @100, 40 and 40 g per plant year of age, with stabilisation in the 6th year. They may be applied in two equally split doses in January and August.

Spraying the trees with 0.45 kg zinc sulphate and 0.34 kg slaked lime dissolved in 72.74 l (16 gallons) of water cures Zn deficiency. The number of sprays depend on the severity and extent of the deficiency. Pre-flowering sprays with 0.4% Boric Acid and 0.3% Zinc Sulphate increase the yield and fruit size. Spraying of copper sulphate at 0.2 to 0.4% also increases the growth and yield of guava.

Inter culture 

                            The main practices of inter culture followed are weeding and spading. Manual weeding is preferable; spraying weedicides such as gramoxone is also effective. in order to manage the orchard soil, ploughing two times a year, once in October and the other in January , is necessary. Mulching the basins at least twice a year also is important to conserve moisture and discourage weed growth.

Intercropping 

                          The interspace can be economically utilised by growing suitable intercrops in the early stages till the bearing. A crop combination of several plantation crops, vegetables and leguminous crops like papaya, pineapple, beans,cucumber, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, cowpea, etc., are considered safe intercrops.

Training and pruning 

                                      Training of guava trees improves yield and fruit quality. The main objective of training guava plants is to provide strong framework and scaffold of branches suitable for bearing a heavy remunerative crop without damaging the branches . For this, shoots coming out close to the ground level should be cut off upto at least 30 cm from the soil. The center should be kept open, while four scaffold limbs may be allowed to grow. A light annual pruning is necessary in guava as it bears on current season's growth. Experimental evidences support pruning off 75% of current season's growth in May for harvesting good winter crop.

PEST MANAGEMENT
Fruit fly, mealy bug, scale insects, etc. are the major pests in guava. The following measures are adopted to control the damage done by these pests:

1. Fruit fly :
     
1. Spraying of chemicals like malathion 2 ml, phosphamidon 0.5 ml per l of water.
2. Destruction of infected fruits and clean cultivation.
       
2. Mealybug:
   
   
   1. Soil treatment with aldrin, malathion, thimet, etc.
   2. Banding the base of the plant with polythene film to prevent the nymph from climbing up from the soil.
   3. Spraying of methyl parathion , monocrotophos or dimethoate.


3. Scale insect : Spraying of fish oil rosin soap with water or crude oil emulsion,dimetholate, methyl demiton, etc.

DISEASE MANAGEMENT
The most damaging diseases in guava are wilt and anthracnose. Cancker, cercospora leaf spot, seedling blight. etc., are some other important diseases. Control measures of the major diseases are briefed below:

Wilt disease: Wilt is the most serious fungal disease . Bearing trees , once affected, slowly die away. Drenching the soil at trunk bases with brasicol and spraying the plant with bavistin at early stage of infection minimise the damage. Injecting 8-Quinolonol sulphate is also effective.
Anthracnose: Spraying of Cu-oxychloride, cuprous oxide, difolatan, dithane Z- 78, etc., controlthis disease.

FLOWERING AND FRUIT SET
                                                        Two important seasons of blooming are observed, one in April-May (Monsoon Crop) and the other in September - October (Winter Crop). Growth regulators like NAA, NAD, and 2,4-D are very effective in thinning of flowers and manipulating the cropping season.
Fruit drop in guava is as severe as 45-65% due to different physiological and environmental factors. Spraying of GA is highly effective in reducing the drop.
HARVESTING
                           Grafted, budded or layered guava trees start bearing at the age of 2 to 3 years. Seedling trees require 4 to 5 years to bear. The guava fruit can not be retained on the tree in ripe stage. So, it should be picked immediately when it is mature. Guava is ready for harvest as soon as the deep green colour turns light and a yellowish green patch appears. Individual hand picking at regular intervals will avoid all possible damage.
YIELD
               The yield varies in different cultivars and with care and management of the orchard, age of plant and season of cropping.

The yield per tree may be as high as 350 kg from grafted plants and 90 kg from the seedling tree. A three year old grafted Lucknow - 49 guava tree may yield 55-60 kg under suitable conditions. Yield starts with 4 to 5 kg in the second year . Although the farmers experience a yield of more than 75 kg per tree in HDP of guava, a very modest yield of only 40 kg/tree has been considered for this model.
 

CROP REGULATION
                                      Compared to monsoon crop, winter crop is much superior in quality and fetch premium price. Therefore, farmers often reduce monsoon crop by deblossoming to get a higher price. This is done by spraying plant regulators like Maleic Hydrazide (100000 ppm) on spring flush of flowers. NAA 100 ppm , NAD 50ppm, or 2,4-D 30 ppm are also reported to be effective in thinning flowers. Root exposure and root pruning are done to bring flowers at a desired time. Sometimes bending of twigs is done to force new sprouts which come up with flowers. Hand thinning of flowers is also very effective. Defoliation is also recommended sometimes for forcing new growth with flowers.
 

POST-HARVEST MANAGEMENT
Guava is highly perishable in nature. Shelf life under ambient conditions is 2 to 3 days on an average. Therefore. it should be marketed immediately after harvest. However, it may be stored for a few days to adjust the market demand. After careful harvest, the fruits should be brought to packhouse. For packing, corrugated fibre board with adequate perforation may be used. However, fruits are reported to keep 3 to 5 weeks in cold store at a temperature of 8 to 10 degree Celsus with 85 -90 % RH.
Costs & Returns:

8.2              A one acre plantation of the crop is a highly viable proposition.A summary is given in the figure below.  The project cost works out to around Rs.1.25 lakhs / Acre.

Figure-I : COST OF PROJECT

            Project Cost:

                                                                                                               (Amount in Rs.)

Sl. No.	Component		Proposed Expenditure
1.	Cultivation Expenses
	(i)	Cost of planting material	2200
	(ii)	Manures & fertilizers	5000
	(iii)	Insecticides & pesticides	2000
	(iv)	Cost of Labour	7700
	(v)	Others, if any, (Power)	3600
			20,500
2.	Irrigation
	(i)	Tube-well/submersible pump	40000
	(ii)	Cost of Pipeline	-
	(iii)	Others, if any, please specify	-
			40,000
3.	Cost of Drip/Sprinkler		20000
4.	Infrastructure
	(i)	Pump house & Labour shed	10,000
	(ii)	Labour room & godown	-
	(iii)	Agriculture Equipments	1,000
	(iv)	Others, if any (Drying platform)	-
			11,000
5.	Land Development
	(i)	Soil Leveling	4000
	(ii)	Digging	-
	(iii)	Fencing	29500
	(iv)	Others, if any, please specify	-
			33,500
6.	Land, if newly purchased (Please indicate the year)		@
	Grand Total		1,25,000

            @Cost of newly purchased land will be limited to 10% of the total project cost.

MARKETING AND EXPORT


                 It is necessary to despatch guava to markets as quickly as possible. Some 
fruits are exported from India to Bangladesh, Jordan, Quater, France, 
Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, etc. The other potential foreign 
markets are UAE, Lebanon , the Netherlands and Canada. 

Note:  Matter in This Post is taken from Following sites which are very useful to cultivation of any crop with that they can the information about subsidy

1. www.nabard.org
2. http://nhb.gov.in

Grapes Farming

  Grapes Farming

Introduction :

Grapes (Vitis vinifera) belonging to the Vitaceae family, originated in Western Asia and Europe. It was introduced to India by the Persian invaders in 1300 A. D. Grapes is a non-climacteric fruit that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody climbing vine. Grapes is a cross pollinated vine with simple, lobed, cut or toothed leaves (seldom compound) with racemes of greenish flowers, the fruit consisting of watery or fleshy pulp, stones and skin, four-seeded. Grapes can be eaten as fresh or used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts and grape seed oil. Approximately 71% of world grape production is used for wine, 27% as fresh fruit, and 2% as dried fruit. However, in India, 90% of the grape is used for table purpose, even though wine making has made strides. The rest of the grape is used mostly for raisin
               Grape cultivation is one of the most remunerative farming enterprises in India. Famous Indian medicine scholars, Sasruta and Charaka in their medical treatises entitled ‘Sasruta Samhita’ and ‘Charaka Samhita’, respectively, written during 1356-1220 BC, mentioned the medicinal properties of grapes. Kautilya in his ‘Arthashastra’ written in the fourth century BC mentioned the type of land suitable for grape cultivation. Native spp. resembling Vitis lanata and Vitis palmata grow wild in the northwestern Himalayan foothills. Indigenous varieties known as ‘Rangspay’, ‘Shonltu White’ and ‘Shonltu Red’ are grown in Himachal Pradesh even today.

 Regions of Cultivation :

Grape is grown under a variety of soil and climatic conditions in three distinct agro-climatic zones, namely, sub-tropical, hot tropical and mild tropical climatic regions in India.
Sub-tropical Region: This region covers the northwestern plains corresponding to 28° and 32° N latitude including Delhi; Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh; Hissar and Jind districts of Haryana; and Bhatinda, Ferozpur, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana districts of Punjab. Vines undergo dormancy and bud break starts in the first week of March while the rains arrive in the first week of June, and therefore, only 90-95 days are available from the initiation of growth to harvest. Consequently, ‘Perlette’ is the only early ripening variety grown in this region. Rain damage is a problem with Thompson Seedless in this region. Single pruning and a single harvest is the accepted practice here.
Hot Tropical Region: This region covers Nashik, Sangli, Solapur, Pune, Satara, Latur and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra; Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Mahbubnagar, Anantapur and Medak districts of Andhra Pradesh; and Bijapur, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Gulberga districts of northern Karnataka lying between 15° and 20° N latitude. This is the major viticulture region accounting for 70 percent of the area under grapes in the country. Vines do not undergo dormancy and double pruning and a single harvest is the general practice in this region. Maximum and minimum temperature is 42°C and 8°C, respectively. The major problems in this region are soil and water salinity and drought. Berry growth is impaired and in certain locations pink blush sometimes develops on green berries due to temperatures that drop to a low of 8°C. Thompson Seedless and its clones (Tas-A-Ganesh, Sonaka), Anab-e-Shahi, Sharad Seedless and Flame Seedless are the varieties grown in this region.
Mild Tropical Region: An area covered by 10° and 15° N latitude including Bangalore and Kolar districts of Karnataka; Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh and Coimbatore; and Madurai and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu fall in this region. Maximum temperatures in a year seldom exceed 36°C, while the minimum is about 12°C. Principal varieties are Bangalore Blue (Syn. Isabella), Anab-e-Shahi, Gulabi (Syn. Muscat Hamburg), and Bhokri. Thompson Seedless is grown only with limited success. Except for Thompson Seedless, two crops are harvested in a year.

Soil :   

Although grape can adapt to a variety of soils, it grows and performs best in deep medium-textured soils (loams and sandy loams) with good drainage and low salt content. Salinity is the major hindrance in the development of grapes. It grows well in soils with a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5. 

Climate:

The climatic factors such as temperature, occurrence of frost, rainfall and relative humidity play a vital role for commercial cultivation of grape. Generally grape requires a hot and dry climate. Regions with high rainfall and humidity is not conducive for grape cultivation. Hence the coastal districts of the state are not suitable for grape production. Grape is successfully grown in regions of Maharashtra with a temperature range of 150C to 400C and rainfall of 50 to 60 cm. The weather should be clear for about 3-4 months during the cropping period. Cloudy weather, high humidity low temperature and rain during flowering and berry development are detrimental as they promote spread of diseases.

Spacing :

Spacing varies with variety and soil fertility. Generally under organic cultivation, spacing of 2.5 m x 1.5 m, 2.75 m x 1.50 m and 3.0 m x 1.5 m are followed. For this model scheme, a spacing of 2.75 m x 1.50 m with a plant population of 2425 plants/ha is considered.

 Land preparation :

The land is prepared by ploughing it twice and harrowing it thrice.

 Planting :

Pits of 90 cm x 90 cm x 90 cm are dug and filled with soil and well decomposed FYM/Compost @ 55 t/ha. The pits are then irrigated in order to allow the soil to settle. Rectangular system of planting is adopted for growing grape.