Rambutan Cultivation (Full Guide)
Introduction




in this article, I’m going to tell you about the Rambutan Cultivation
Botany of the plant
- Botanical name: Nephelium lappaceum
- Family: Sapindaceae
- Origin; Malaysia and Indonesia
- Tropical fruiting trees
- Rambutan is a very tasty and beautiful fruit
- Their outer rinds are covered with soft pliable, hairy, spines and hence acquired the name ‘but’ in Malay
Nutritional Value
- Water 82g
- Energy 64k/salary
- Protein 1g
- Fat 0.1g
- Carbohydrates 16.5g
- Calcium 20mg
- Phosphorus 15mg
- C vitamin 53mg
- Fiber 3g
- Niacin 0.4mg
Description
- Rambutan trees can grow up to 25m tall if not pruned.
- Have a straight trunk and a dense crown. The leaves are dark green.
- Flowers can be male, female or hermaphrodite.
- The fruit is oval-shaped and golf ball-sized.it can be pinkish-red or yellow within a thin leathery rind coward in soft spines called the spin turn.
Health benefits
- Most healthy diets include plenty of fruit,
- It has the ability to absorb iron and helps create younger-looking skin.
- Copper acids with red blood cell production and helps maintain healthy bones, nerves, and blood vessels.
- Help control heart and blood pressure.
- It saves natural antiaging therapy.
Cultivation
Preferred Climate and Soil
- Elevation: up to 500m 600m above sea level.
- Rainfall: evenly distributed 1500-2000mm
- Temperature: 27-30°c
- Humidity: 75/.- 80/.
- Well, drained sandy loam soil.
- PH: 4.5 – 6.5
- Soil depth: 2-3m
Recommended varieties
- Mainly 3 varieties recommended
- Malwana 1st selection[malwana special]
- Malayan red
- Malayan yellow
Malwna special
- Orangish red colour. Round in shape.
- Weight of one fruit 40-50g
- Flesh and very tasty fruit.
- Easy to remove the flesh.
- High juice content.
- Can store 3 days after harvesting.
- Suitable for commercial cultivation.
Malayan red
- Light red in colour.
- Oval shape fruit.
- Weight of one fruit 28-35g.
- Easy to remove the flesh.
- Juice content is the middle level.
- Can store 3 days after harvesting
Malayan yellow
- Fruits are yellow in colour.
- Weight of one fruit 30-38g.
- Easy to remove the flesh.
- Very testy and high juice content.
- Can store 1day only after harvesting.
- This variety is most susceptible to mealybug damage.
Propagation
- Rambuttan can be grown from seed or by vegetative propagation.
Spacing
- 10m-10m ; 100 plants/ha
- 10m-08m ; 125 plants/ha
Chemical Fertilizer Application
Urea g/plant | Rock phosphate | MOP | Kieserite | |
BD (2 days before planting) | 120 | 225 | 100 | |
1st year | 40 | 75 | 40 | |
2nd year | 80 | 150 | 80 | |
3rd year | 110 | 225 | 110 |
For bearing plants
- From 4th year to 7th year
Urea g/plant | Rock phosphate | MOP | Kieserite | |
After every harvesting time | 450 | 550 | 260 | 100 |
After every harvesting time | 150 | 550 | 260 |
- From 8th year
Urea g/plant | Rock phosphate | MOP | Kieserite | |
After every harvesting time | 600 | 750 | 350 | 100 |
After every harvesting time | 200 | 750 | 350 |
Pests and Diseases
Pests
Major pests of Rambutan
- Stem borer
- Fruit borer
- Fruit weber
- Mealybug
- Fruit fly
- Leaf folder
Higher animals
- Bats
- Birds
- Monkeys
- squirrels
Fruit Borer
- This damage can occur in the fruit ripening stage.
- Damage is done by larvae.
- They damaged the flesh of the fruit.
Control
- Field sanitation and field observation.
- Covering of fruits.
Fruit fly
- They damage to the flesh of the fruit and it becomes hafly juice.
Control
- Can be controlled by using the IPM method.
- Damage fruits should be collected into black polythene and seal, after expose to the sunlight.
- Covering of fruits and use pheromone trap.
Mealybug
- It reduces the quality of fruits.
- Decrease marketing demand.
- They are spreading by ants.
Control
- should do proper pruning after harvesting.
- To avoid spreading through the ants, cover the stem with polythene strips which grease is applied.
Higher animals
- Some higher animals such as birds ,monkeys, squirrels are damaging rambutan cultivation.
- Control
- Use light traps and sound producing equipments.
- Small trees can be covered with a net.
Disease of Rambutan Cultivation
- Fruit rot
- Powdery mildew
- Sooty mold
- Leaf spot
Disorders of fruits
- Pocket Rambutan
- Splitting of fruits
Powdery mildew
- Usually infect to the immature leaves , flowers , and fruits.
- The peal of infected fruits become black color and dry off,when maturing peal is cracking.
Control
- Do proper pruning .
- Field observation and distroye infected plant parts.
- Chemical control by apply sulper mix solution.
Harvesting
Fruit Season
- Rambutan produce fruit from October –mid-January
- Rambutan must be harvested when ripening
- This is usually 2 or 3 weeks after the colour is changing
- Fruits can be harvested with hand or picking by a pole from the ground
Grading, processing and storage
- Should be select well matured quality fruits
- Remove pest damaged and disease infected fruits
- Selected fruits pack in plastic crates and rambutan leaves are used to reduce the damages
Storage
- rambutan should be cooled with water after picking and stored at 8-10 °c in humid condition
check out my other article:How to Grow Masan (Full Guide)