VISTAS OF CASHEW RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN CHHATTISGARH

Abstract

Chhattisgarh has a large wasteland area suitable for cashew cultivation mostly in the districts of Bastar and Raigarh. Cashew plantation was started in Bastar around the 1960s. The majority of the cashew plantations raised by the Forest Department and Chhattisgarh Horticulture Department were of seedling origin. Some of the plantations are as old as 20-30 years. Therefore, there is a possibility of locating high yielding types and other diverse types suitable for growing in waste degraded lands. In this regard from 68 cashew genotypes including 18 promising local germplasms maintained by our research station, the promising entry CARS-10 has been identified as ‘Indira Kaju-1’ by the State Seed Sub-Committee, Govt. of Chhattisgarh in the year 2010; besides, NRC-137 and locally collected germplasm (CARS-17) was found promising with yield of 8.80 and 13.5 kg/tree, respectively. The cashew stem and root borer, tea mosquito bug, leaf caterpillar, panicle and nut thrips and leaf folder were identified as major insect pests of cashew in Bastar plateau of Chhattisgarh and these insect pests can be effectively managed by the application of Monocrotophos 0.05% at flushing and Carbaryl 0.1% at flowering and fruiting stage. Chlorpyriphos (0.2%) was found effective to minimize the cashew stem and root borer infestation as curative measures. In concern to quality planting material production approximately 70,000 cashew grafts were sold to the farmers of the region as well as other parts of the state. Plantation of recommended cashew cultivar ‘V-4’ and other cultivars were completed in more than 325 ha in Blocks-Bakawand, Jagdalpur, Tokapal and Bastanar under different schemes of the Directorate of Cashew & Cocoa Development, Kochi, Kerala, DPAP-Hariyali and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaranty Act (MGNREGA). A two-days cashew workshop (sponsored by NHM), three cashew days, four campaign workshops at farmer’s level for cashew stem and root borer management and seven farmers’ training were organized for successful plantation by adopting effective transfer of production and protection technologies under technical guidance of the Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur, Karnataka with financial assistance from the Directorate of Cashew & Cocoa Development, Kochi, Kerala and NHM. There are ample opportunities to develop the cashew in the state by eliminating the socio-economics gaps of cashew growers of tribal communities and efforts are being made to establish small processing units for self help groups which will enable to get added remuneration to poor tribal/backward farmers of the state.