
Wood Apple Cultivation
Introduction




in this article, I’m going to tell you about Wood Apple Cultivation.
Origin and Distribution
- The wood apple is native and common in the wild in dry plains of India and Ceylon and cultivated along roads and edges of fields and occasionally in orchards.
- It is also frequently grown throughout Southeast Asia, in northern Malaya and on Penang Island.
- In India, the fruit was traditionally a “poor man’s food” until processing techniques were developed in the mid – 1950’ s.
Classification of wood apple
Order : Sapindales
Family : Rutaceae
Genus : Limonia L.
Species : Limonia acidissima L.
Kingdom : plantae
Common name : wood apple
Curd fruit
Elephant apple
Monkey fruit
Recommended varieties
There are two forms ,
- One with large, sweetish fruits
- One with small, acid fruits
Cultivation
Climatic requirements
- The tree grows up to an elevation of 1500 ( 450 m ) in the western Himalayas
- It is said to require a monsoon climatic with a distinct dry season
Soil requirements
- Throughout its ranges, there is a diversity of soil types, but it is best adapted to light soils
Propagation
- The wood – apple is generally grown from seeds through seedlings will not bear fruit until at least is years old.
- Multiplication may also be by root cuttings, air – layers, or by budding on to self – seeding to induce dwarfing and precociousness
Field preparation and planting
- Wood apple is not planted in fertile or rich soils.
- In wasteland, is mass planting is to be done, then pit lines are drawn across the slope and pits can be dug at a spacing of 8 m * 8m each pit with a size of 1m * 1m * 1m
Training and Pruning
- Wood apple trees are allowed to grow along a central leader with well-spaced branches in all direction.
- The tree requires no pruning except removal of crisis – cross branches.
- At the initial stage, pruning of plants to provide a desired shape is essential when planted as windbreak and shelterbelt the trees are allowed to grow tall.
Season
- The leaves are shed in January.
- Flowering occurs in February and March and the fruit matures in October and November.
- The fruit ripen from early October through March.
- A grown-up tree can bear 200 to 250 fruit per annum
Irrigation
- It is a crop of dry region and once the plants and established, they hardly need any irrigation.
- Never the less, conservation of runoff rainwater in rhizosphere will enhance the productivity of this crop
Pests and Diseases
Pests
Fruit borer – Dendorix Isocrates
- Symptoms of damage – Caterpillar bores into young fruits and feed on internal contents ( pulp and seeds )
- Management – Collect and destroy damaged fruits
Clear cultivation as weed plants serve as alternate hosts
Mealybug
Diseases
Oozing
Harvesting
The fruit is tested for maturity by dropping and a hard surface from a height of 1 ft. ( 30 m) immature fruits bounce, while mature fruits do not after harvest, the fruits are kept in the sun for 2 weeks to fully ripen
Marketing
- These fruits can be sold local market and any herbal / Ayurveda companies
check out my other article:Cashew Cultivation (Complete Guide)