Tamarind
Botanical Name – Tamarindus indicus L.
Family – Caesalpiniaceae
Varieties
PKM 1, Urigam, Prathisthan, Yogeshwari
Soil and Climate
Soil –
It can be grown on a variety of soils, ranging from poor, degraded, eroded, gravelly,saline and alkaline soils.Productivity is higher in red loamy, deep well drained soils.
Climate –
Tamarind always prefers a warm climate. The maximum day temperature varies from 36-
47.50C and the minimum night temperature varies from 5.0- 17.50C. Annual rainfall required
is about 750-1900 mm. It comes up very well in an altitude of 100 m above MSL.
It can be propagated through seed. Grafted plants are earlier to flowering and yield.
Approach grafting and soft wood grafting can be practised.
Nursery
Fresh seeds are sown in nursery beds in March –April. Soaking of seeds in 10 per
cent cow urine or in cow dung solution (500 g in 10 lit of water) for 24 hours will hasten the
seed germination. 1½ to 2 year old seedlings may be transplanted to the main field. Grafted
plants of 10 months to one year old are ready for planting.
Vegetative Propagation
Approach grafting
May – June. Approach grafting gives 90 % success.
Patch budding
Patch budding on 9 months old saplings with 80 – 90 % success
Planting Season
June – November
Spacing
Grafts are planted at a spacing of 8m x 8m
Take pits of 1x1x1m and fill with FYM (10 kg/pit) and top soil. Immediately after planting, support the graft with stakes.
Regular watering should be given once in seven days
Fertilizers
Apply 200:150:250g of NPK per tree per year along with 25 kg of FYM and 2 kg of
neemcake as two split application i.e., first application during the monsoon and second
application during flowering and pod development stage.
After cultivation
Periodically rootstock sprouts may be removed. The dried and diseased parts are to
be removed after pod harvest. Intercrops like leguminous crops, short duration vegetables,
annual moringa, sesamum and sorghum may be raised in the alley spaces up to four years.
Training
Early training during first year is necessary to form a high head and uniform scaffold branches in all the directions.
Removal of dried, diseased and criss-cross branches during the month of April – May.
Powdery mildew
Spray dinocap 1 g/l or wettable sulphur 2 g/l
Yield
Grafts start yielding from 4 to 6 years after planting.Pods are harvested during
March-April months. About 150 – 250 kg of dry pods/tree/year (after 10 years of planting) can
be harvested.
Market Information
Concentrated pockets of growing districts Dindigul, Theni, Madurai, Ramnathapuram, Sivagangai and Trichy
Major markets in Tamil Nadu Madurai, Trichy, Sivagangai
Preferred varieties PKM 1,Urigam
