VENGURLA-8: A NEW BOLD NUT AND BIG APPLE CASHEW VARIETY

摘要

The cashew Anacardium occidentak L is an important crop occupying nearly 6.43 lakh hectors area in the country with an annual production of 4.30 lakh metric tones and average productivity of 830kg/ha. Maharashtra ranks first in the country as far as productivity is concerned. (1.5 tonnes/ha). In Maharashtra, the area under this crop is rapidly increasing. So far, only cashewnut is used economically where as most of the cashew apple goes waste. Recent post harvest research has shown that the cashew apple could be utilized by processing in to several value added preserved products besides Fenni (an alcoholic beverage) giving almost identical additional economic returns. As such the prospects of cashew apple utilization are brightened. The Regional Fruit Research Station, Vengurle has been in the forefront in genotype developing and so far released seven high yielding cashew varieties. At present 40 varieties are in cultivation through out the country. The apple of most of these varieties is small tomedium in size obviously. There was an urgent need to evolve a variety having big sized apple with good juice recovery for both Fenni making and for making various preserved products and at the same time possessing the best nut characters.