Vitamin C

February 29 2024

NIMBU

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CLIMATE: Lemons grow best between a temperature range of 13°C to 37°C. High humidity Favours spread of many diseases and frost is highly injurious to these plants. Hot wind during summer results in desiccation and drop of flowers and developing fruits.

SOIL: Lemons can grow in a wide range of soils, viz., from sandy loam or alluvial soils to clay loam or deep clay loam or in lateritic/acidic soils. The plant flourish well in light soils with good drainage properties and in deep soils with pH range of 5.5 to 7.5.

PROPOGATION AND PLANTATION: The best propagating technique for lemons is through rootstocks. For grafting the budwoods into the rootstocks, the selection shall be from disease free mother plants only.
For preparation of the seedlings, primary nursery beds may be prepared on light fertile soils. Secondary nursery seedlings may be raised in polythene bag and replanted after attaining the height of about 30-40 cm, which generally takes one year.

The best season for planting is June to August. 1m3 pits at a distance of 6 x 6 m should be dug for plantation. 15-20 kg of farmyard manure and 500 g of super phosphate needs to be applied in pits while planting per ha land.

PLANT PROTECTION: The plants shall be grown without chemical fertilizers and use of pesticides. Organic manure and pesticide are recommended.
IRRIGATION: Lemon plants require critical stage watering in the initial year. It reduces fruit drop and increases the fruit size. Diseases like root rot and collar rot occur in flooded conditions. Light irrigation with high frequency is beneficial. Irrigation water containing more than 1000 ppm salts is injurious.

HARVESTING: Lemons take 150-160 days for maturity, hence the fruits may be harvested 2-3 times in a year from one lemon tree.

USES

The lemon fruit is rich in Vitamin C which helps the body to fight off infections, to boost up immunity, to improve digestion, removes constipation and prevents or treat scurvy, soar throats, heavy weight, rheumatic conditions etc. It also has many skins caring properties.
The fruits can be eaten raw, and are frequently used in cooking, aromatherapy. The dried fruit rind is used as an insect repellent in the clothes cupboard, the juice is used for polishing metals, as wells as to remove ink stains for bleaching.

February 26 2024

AMROOD

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CLIMATE: Grows in tropical and sub-tropical regions upto 1500 m above sea level. Guava can tolerate heat and drought conditions of north Indian summers. Sever frost can kill the young plants. An annual rainfall of about 100 cm is sufficient.
SOIL: Heavy clay to very light sandy soils having pH between 4.5-8.2 are suitable for cultivation of guava. The crop is sensitive to waterlogging.
PROPAGATION AND PLANTATION: Amrood is vegetatively propagated by budding, inarching, or air layering. Monsoon is the ideal time for planting the layers and seedling. Soil must be prepared during the summer by ploughing, harrowing, leveling and removing weed. Pits of 1m3 are dug at a standard spacing of 6x6m before the monsoon and filled with a mixture of manure and soil.
PLANT PROTECTION MEASURES: Time of fertilizer application depends on the region and crop variety. In northern India, fertilizer shall be applied in the first week of May for rainy season crop and in first week of July for winter season crop. The fertilizer dose for Northern Region of India is 600 g. Nitrogen, 400 g. Potassium per hectare.

IRRIGATION: Amrood is mostly grown under rainfed condition. During winter season, irrigation is provided at an interval of 20-25 days and in the summer months it is provided at an interval of 10-15 days by the ring method. However, drip irrigation can be very effective in these plants too.

HARVESTING: The plants start bearing fruits at an early age of 2-3 years but they attain full bearing capacity at the age of 8-10 years. Guavas are harvested throughout the year (except during May and June) in different parts of the country. However, peak harvesting periods in north India are August for rainy season crop, November-December for winter season crop and March-April for spring season crop.

USES

The guava fruit is a good source of Vitamin C, Pectin, calcium and phosphorus. It can be used to treat colic, diarrhea, diabetes, cough, high cholesterol, cancer, heart diseases and cataract. Leaves of guava are used for dyeing and tanning. The fruit is used for the preparation of processed products like jams, jellies and nectar, cakes etc. Fruits can be preserved by canning as halves or quarters, with or without seed core (shells). Good quality salad can be prepared from the shell of ripe fruits.

February 26 2024

AMLA

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CLIMATE: Grows well in tropical conditions. Young plants require protection from hot winds of summer, but mature plants can tolerate temperature up to 46°C. Annual rainfall of 630-800 mm gives a good yield.
SOIL: Well drained fertile loamy soil is best; however, Amla can be grown in light as well as heavy soils except purely sandy soil. The plant has capacity for adaptation to dry regions like Delhi NCR.

PROPAGATION AND PLANTATION: Amla is generally propagated through seeds, but seed propagated trees bear inferior quality fruits and have a long gestation period. For effective result, shield budding is done on one year old seedlings with buds collected from superior strains yielding big size fruits. The older trees of inferior types can be rejuvenated and easily changed into superior type in this way.

During May-June, before planting the grafted seedlings, pits at a distance of 4.5 m spacing with a size of 1m3 need to be prepared and should be left for 15-20 days exposed to sunlight. The pits should be filled with surface soil mixed with 15 kg farmyard manure and one kg of super phosphate before planting the seedlings in per hectare.

PLANT PROTECTION: Medicinal plants should be grown without chemical fertilizers and use of pesticides. Organic manures like, farmyard manure, vermicompost, green manure, etc. may be used as per requirement of the species. To prevent diseases, bio-pesticides could be prepared (either single or mixture) from neem (kernel, seeds & leaves), chitrakmool, dhatura, etc.

IRRIGATION: Young plants require watering during summer months at 15 days interval till they have fully established. For mature fruit bearing plants, it is advised to water at bi-weekly intervals during summer to increase fruit set and to reduce fruit drop. In summer the plant responds very well to drip irrigation, as the water directly placed at root zone. Hence, also minimize evaporation.

Amla plants hardly require irrigation during monsoon. After the monsoon rains, during October-December about 25-30 liters of water per day per tree through drips should be given to mature plants.

HARVESTING: Amla seedlings start bearing fruits 7-8 years after planting, while the grafted seedlings start bearing fruits from the 5th year onwards. The fruits are light green at first, but when they mature become dull greenish yellow. Best harvesting time for fruits is February when the fruits have maximum Vitamin C content. The mature fruits do not fall for gentle touch and therefore vigorous shaking is required. Fruits can also be harvested using long bamboo poles attached to hooks.

USES

Amla has great importance in traditional medicine, not only as an antiscorbutic, but also for the treatment of diverse ailments, especially those associated with the digestive organs. It is a good source of Vitamin C, alleviates common cold symptoms, improves digestion and overall immunity. It also improves skin and eyesight, reduces fat, relieves pain, use in hair care therapies etc.

Apart from medicinal uses, amla fruits can be eaten raw, can be cooked as pickle or lentil dishes. Sometimes the unripe seeds are used for preparation of black salt. The bark, as well as the roots, leaves and immature fruits, are highly valued as a source of tannins. The branches are often used as green manure. The leaves are used as dyeing substance.