Madurai Flower Market

Madurai, also known as the temple city of India, is located in the southern part of Tamil Nadu. This city is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and has many wonderful temples constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture. But apart from all this, there is one more place in Madurai that is popular internationally but not famous from the tourism point of view. That is the flower market of Madurai.

From this flower market, many varieties of flowers especially jasmine are exported to other parts of India as well as to countries like Germany, America and Italy. The jasmine of Madurai is at the top of the list because of its unique fragrance that is not found anywhere else. In Madurai, the jasmine flower is known as the Madurai malli. Though jasmine is the most popular flower in the flower market,  other varieties of flowers are also available in the flower market of Madurai.
For the jasmine and the rose, the Madurai flower market has also received an international recognition as both of these flowers are extensively used in the fragrance industry. The fashion house of Dior visits the Madurai Flower Market each year just to get motivated. It also uses these fragrances in its perfume creations.
So, if you want to see different kinds of flowers in Madurai, then get up early morning and be here at the flower market. It is located between Central Market and the Maatuthavani Bus stand. You can take any inbound bus or hire a cab to reach the flower market.

Efforts are being made to flourish and develop the Madurai flower market because of its immense commercial importance. For this, additional shops along with a place for garbage disposal will be created. Madurai Flower Market is place that can be beautified to attract more tourists to Madurai who, at present, come to visit its splendid architecture.

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Introduction

Jasmine is one of the oldest fragrant flowers cultivated by man. The flower is used for various purposes viz., making garlands, bouquet, decorating hair of women, religious offering etc. It is also used for production of Jasmine concrete which is used in cosmetic and perfumery industries. More than 80 jasmine species are found in India, of which only three species are used for commercial cultivation. They are Jasminum sambac (Gundumalli / Madurai Malli), J. auriculatum (Mullai) and J. grandiflorum (Jathimalli / Pitchi). The first two species are mainly cultivated for selling as fresh flowers whereas the last one is cultivated for concrete extraction.
Tamil Nadu is the leading producer of jasmine in the country with an annual production of 77247 t  from the cultivated area of 9360 ha. The flowers produced in the state are being exported to the neighbouring countries viz., Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Middle East countries. The major jasmine producing districts of Tamil Nadu are Dindigul, Salem, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Trichy, etc. Since the crop requires lots of manpower for harvesting and other operations, only small farmers are cultivating the crop. It is an ideal crop for small farmers whose land holdings  are less than 1 acre.

Package of practices

Varieties
 The species-wise recommended varieties are Gundumalli (Jasminum sambac), Co-1 and Co-2 (J. Auriculatum) and Co-1 and Co-2 (J. Grandiflorum).

Soil and Climate
Jasmine can be cultivated in wide range of soils i.e., from sandy loam to clay soils. However, it comes up well in well drained rich sandy loam soils. The ideal conditions for successful cultivation are warm summer with ample water supply and sunny days.

Land Preparation and Planting
One or two initial ploughings are required to remove the weeds present in the land, which is followed by digging of pits at a size of 30cm3. Each pit should be applied 10 kg of Farm Yard Manure (FYM) before filling the pits. Planting should be done during June-November at a spacing of 1.5m x 1.5m.

Irrigation
First irrigation should be given immediately after planting and subsequent irrigation at an interval of 7-10 days depending upon the weather conditions and soil type.

Manuring
It is recommended that each plant should be applied with 10 kg of FYM and 60 g of Nitrogen and 120 g  each of Phosphorus and Potassium and should be applied in two split doses i.e., once after annual pruning and again during June-July.           

Inter Cultural Operations
Weeding and strengthening of irrigation channels and bunds are the intercultural operations followed for jasmine cultivation. The first weeding should be done 20-25 days after planting and subsequent   weedings  are done once in 2-3 months.               

Pruning
Training is basically done to give the desired shape to the plant whereas, pruning is done to get the desired crop. Normally, irrigation is withheld prior to pruning and plants are pruned by removing all past season shoots including dead and diseased branches. It is advisable to prune the plants during the last week of November to get increased yield and quality flowers.

Plant Protection
  1.  Pests - Bud worm, blossom midge and red spider mite are the major pests of jasmine. Spraying of monocrotophos 36 WSC @ 2ml /l  is recommended to control bud worm and blossom midge. To control the red spider mite, spraying of sulfur (50% WP) @ 2g / l  is recommended.
  2. Diseases - Nematode and root rot are the major diseases attacking the jasmine crop. Control measures for Nematode - 10 g of Temic granules/plant near root zone and for Root rot - Drench the soil around plant with Copper   oxychloride  @ 2.5 g / l .
Season of flowering and harvesting
Flowering commences after 6 months of planting. Fully developed unopened flower buds should be picked in the early morning i.e., before sun rise.

Backward and Forward Linkages
The crop is grown widely in Tamil Nadu and the major inputs like planting material, fertilizers, etc.  are available  locally. The flowers have a good demand in the local market as well as it is being exported to some of the South East / Middle East Asian countries. No problems are anticipated on inputs or on marketing front. No new infrastructures need to be created for the activity.

About Jasmine flower

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