Jackfruit Farming in India – Step-by-Step Process for Jackfruit Cultivation

Table of Content

• An Overview of Jackfruit
• What are the health benefits of consuming Jackfruits?
• Step-by-Step Process of Jackfruit Cultivation in India
  • Climate & Soil Requirements
  • Propagation
  • Land Preparation & Planting
  • Spacing
  • Manures & Fertilizers
  • Intercropping
  • After Care
  • Weed Management
  • Irrigation
  • Harvesting and Yield
  • Post Harvest Management
• What are the plant protection measures taken in Jackfruit Farming?

An Overview of Jackfruit

Jackfruit is popularly known as poor man’s food. It is a rich source of Vitamin A and C, minerals, and carbohydrates. Jackfruit’s immature tender fruits and ripe fruit seeds are used for culinary purposes. Its ripe fruits are used for table purposes, as well as dehydrated leathers, nectars, papads, jelly, chips, etc. Its immature, tender fruits are also used to make pickles. The ripened fruits & other wastes of the fruits & leaves are a rich source of cattle feeds.

Jackfruit belongs to the Moraceae family. Originally, Jackfruit is a native of India and is currently cultivated throughout the tropical low land in both hemispheres. It is widely cultivated in Malaysia and Burma and, to a certain extent, in Brazil. Wild Jackfruits are found in the Western Ghats of India. Its cultivation is mostly done in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. However, the regular plantation of Jackfruit is found only in Uttar Pradesh, where marginal orchards are present.

What are the health benefits of consuming Jackfruits?

• Jackfruit consumption boosts the immune system.
• It protects against cancer and helps in healthy digestion.
• It is beneficial for the eyes and skin and controls blood pressure.
• It maintains a healthy thyroid and controls asthma.
• The consumption of Jackfruit boosts energy and protects from anemia.
• It also helps in strengthening the bones.

Step-by-Step Process of Jackfruit Cultivation in India

Climate & Soil Requirements

Jackfruit requires a warm, humid, and tropical climate up to an altitude of 1500 meters. The ideal temperature range for its growth is 22 to 35 degree Celsius.

Jackfruit grows well in a deep, rich alluvial or open textured loamy soil. Red laterite soil with good drainage is also ideal for its growth. A soil pH of 5.5 to 6.5 is suitable for Jackfruit cultivation.

Propagation

Jackfruit propagation is done through seeds, soft wood grafting and air layering.

Land Preparation & Planting

Land for Jackfruit planting should be weed-free and have a fine tilth. Land preparation should be done in such a way that water stagnation should not occur on the land. Jackfruit plantation is usually done in the month of June to December. Pits of 1 cubic meter size are dug and filled with topsoil mixed with 10 kg of Farm-Yard-Manure. The grafts are then sown in the center of the pits.

Spacing

Jackfruit plants are commercially placed at a distance of 8 m X 8 m.

Manures & Fertilizers

Farm-Yard-Manure, along with chemical fertilizers, are typically used to achieve higher productivity. A Jackfruit tree requires 80 kg of FYM annually and a ratio of 600:300:240g NPK per plant per year. The fertilizers are applied twice a year in a split of two dozes during the months of June to July and September to October.

Intercropping

Many crops, like black gram, horse gram, leguminous crops, cowpea, and other short duration vegetables etc., can be planted as an intercrop during the first three years of Jackfruit plantation to achieve extra income.

After Care

Jackfruit trees are trained to a single stem. Thus, you have to remove the early side branches to ensure the development of a uniform, smooth truck up to a height of 1.5 to 2 meters. After that, you can leave the side branches to grow. The flower buds will appear on the trunk, which should be left free for vegetative growth.

Weed Management

Weed management in Jackfruit cultivation is done by growing cover crops, intercropping, use of herbicides, and hand weeding wherever important.

Irrigation

Normally, the cultivation of Jackfruit is done under rainfed conditions. Moreover, protective irrigation should be provided initially at 12 to 15 days intervals according to soil and climate conditions.

Harvesting and Yield

Jackfruit trees start yielding fruits after the 7^th to 8^th years in seedling trees, whereas grafted trees start producing fruits after 4^th to 5^th years. The harvesting of Jackfruit plants is done in the month of March to July. The yield in Jackfruit farming depends on weather conditions, soil type, and variety of farming practices. You can expect an average yield of around 25 to 100 fruits per tree with a weight of around 10 to 30 kg for each fruit.

Post Harvest Management

Once the harvesting process is finished, Jackfruits are stored for 2 to 3 months at a temperature of 5 degree Celsius with 85-90% relative humidity and then 1 week under room temperature.

What are the plant protection measures taken in Jackfruit Farming?

Jackfruit plants are prone to various diseases, such as fruit rot, dieback, phytophthora fruit rot, leaf spot, etc. The following protection measures should be taken:

• In case of fruit rot, spraying should be done using capton (0.2%), copper oxychloride (025%) or Bordeaux mixture (1.0%) at intervals of three weeks during January, February and March to control fruit rotting.
• In case of dieback, pruning of infected twigs should be done along with spraying with Carbendazim (0.1%), Chlorothalonil (0.2%) or Thiophenate methyl (0.2 %).
• In case of phytophthora fruit rot, spraying with Benomyl @ 1 g/lt will help in controlling this disease.
• If a leaf spot is occurring, it can be controlled by spraying Thiophenate methyl (0.2 %), Carbendazim (0.1%), or Difolatan (0.2%).

Jackfruit plants are also prone to several pests, including brown weevil, shoot, fruit borer, etc. Thus, they need to be protected by taking the following measures:

• If the plant is infected by brown weevil, you need to destroy fallen fruits and buds, collect and destroy grubs and adults and then spray Jackfruit trees with monocrotophos (0.035 %).
• If the tree is infected by shoot and fruit borer, you need to spray monocrotophos 36 WSC 2ml/ litre or copper oxychloride at 0.25 % or carbaryl 50 WP 0.1 %,4gms to check if there is any fruit rot incidence.