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Tamarind(Tamarindus indicus L.);Caesalpiniaceae

PKM 1, Urigam, Prathisthan, Yogeshwari
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. 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.

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.

Approach grafting
May – June. Approach grafting gives 90 % success.
Patch budding
Patch budding on 9 months old saplings with 80 – 90 % success

June – November

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

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.
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.

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

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.

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

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