VANILLA (Vanilla planifolia); Orchidaceae

• Lateritic soil rich in humus having good drainage.

• Humid tropical climate with an annual rainfall of 150 – 300 cm (well distributed for a period of 9 months and dry period of 3 months).
• Elevation: 700 – 1500 m MSL and with latitude of 100 N and 200 S.
• Temperature: 21 C – 32 C.

• Glyricidia sp, Erythrina indica, Jatropha curcus, Plumeria alba and Casuarina equisetifolia.
• Planting during on-set of rain after summer during May and June.

6 months after planting standards (i.e.) September – November.

Stem cuttings of 60 – 120 cm

Plains : 2.0 to 2.5 m X 1.2 – 1.5 m
Hills : 1.5 x 1.5 m

• Pit size 30x30x30cm for standards and for planting of vanilla cuttings.
• Place 2 nodes of unrooted cuttings below the soil surface.

• Train the vines to a height of 1.2 to 1.5 m.
• Then trained horizontally or allowed to grow downward towards the ground.
• Horizontally trained vines are coiled round the pole connecting the two supporting trees.
• Vines trained to grow downward is allowed to touch the soil and allowed to root and again brought back upward on the same supporting tree and the same procedure is repeated.

Mulch the vine with pruned vegetation 2 – 3 times in a year.

• Apply 40 – 60: 20 – 30: 60 – 100 g of NPK per vine per year.
• It is given in 2 to 3 splits.
• Spray 1 % solution of 17: 17: 17 NPK mixture once in a month for boosting growth and flower production

• Flowering starts in the third year of planting during December – January.
• Pinching of top 7.5 – 10 cm of vine 6 – 8 months before flowering seasons encourages flower bud initiation.
• Pruning of older fruiting branches also encourages flower production.
• Each inflorescence consists of 15 – 20 flowers.

• The artificial pollination is useful in vanilla and pollination must be done on the same day as flowers start opening from 4.00 am and extend upto 1.00 pm.
• About 10 to 20 inflorescences may be pollinated in a vine.
• Normally 5 to 6 flowers in the lower side of inflorescence are pollinated.
• Hand pollination is done using a needle or a piece of pointed wood or a tooth pick to lift the hood covering the anther cap so that the anthers are brought into contact with stigma.
• A skilled worker can pollinate 1000 – 1500 flowers in a day.

1.Pest- 
Leaf eating beetles, Feeding bugs and Caterpillars

Management-

Spraying quinolphos 0.05 %.

1.Nitrogen

Deficiency Symptoms :

• Leaves remain small and develop yellowish green colour.
• Shoot growth is greatly retarded.
• The root system although light yellow in colour and relatively sparse, appears healthy.
• Overall yellowish colour on all the leaves

Corrective Measure :

• Apply organic manure during May-June on surface layer of soil.
• Apply 120 g of N in the form of leaf mould or FYM (at least 12 kg) in two split doses in June-July and September-October.
• Application of 40-60 g of nitrogen, 20-30 g of phosphorus and 60-100 g of potashto each vine per year besides organic manures such as vermi compost, oil cakes, poultry manure, wood ash, etc.

2.Phosphorus

Deficiency Symptoms :

• Apply organic manure during May-June on surface layer of soil.
• Apply 120 g of N in the form of leaf mould or FYM (at least 12 kg) in two split doses in June-July and September-October.
• Application of 40-60 g of nitrogen, 20-30 g of phosphorus and 60-100 g of potash to each vine per year besides organic manures such as vermicompost, oil cakes, poultry manure, wood ash, etc.

3.Potassium

Deficiency Symptoms :

• The intensity of green is greatest in leaves of potassium deficient plants.
• The leaf size and stem girth is reduced.
• Marginal and tip burning of leaves not visible deficiency

Corrective Measure:

• Apply organic manure during May-June on surface layer of soil.
• Apply 120 g of N in the form of leaf mould or FYM (at least 12 kg) in two split doses in June-July and September-October.
• Application of 40-60 g of nitrogen, 20-30 g of phosphorus and 60-100 g of potash to each vine per year besides organic manures such as vermicompost, oil cakes, poultry manure, wood ash, etc.

Diseases
1 Fusarium wilt –

Symptoms – 

Infection starts in the axil of the leaf and spread to nodal region resulting in rot.

Management-

• Spraying and drenching of 0.1 % Carbendazim.

• Addition of organics also reduces the intensity of the disease.

2.Phytophthora rot

Symptoms-

It causes rotting of beans, leaves and stems.
Management

Spraying Bordeaux mixture 1 % or soil drenching with Copper oxychloride 0.2 %

3.Sclerotium rot

Symptoms-

It occurs in root tips and later extends to whole root system followed by yellowing and wilting of vines.

Management-

Soil drenching of Carbendazim 0.1 %

4.Shoot tip rot and Sclerotium rot

Management-

Soil drenching of Carbendazim 0.1 %

• The pods are ready for harvest in 6 to 9 months after flowering.
• The matured beans change colour from green to pale yellow.
• The right picking stage is when the distal end of the pod turns yellow.
• Daily picking of matured pod is essential.
• The pods are harvested by cutting with a knife.

• Average cured bean yield is 300 to 600 kg / ha / year.
• 6 kg of green pods produce 1 kg of cured beans.
• The economic life of vine is 12 – 14 years.