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
-
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.
-
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.
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