Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EVALUATION OF CASHEW VARIETIES UNDER HILL TRACT OF KARNATAKA

T. Ganapathi, G.R. Rajakumar and S.V. Patil

Abstract

A field study was conducted at Mundagod Agricultural Research Station farm, Uttar Kannada district, Karnataka, India during 2005-2012 to evaluate cashew varieties under hill tract of zone 9 of Karnataka. The year of planting of cashew was 1998. The 12 different varieties were established in the farm in three replications. Among the varieties evaluated, Vengurla-3 was best performed with respect to nut yield followed by Selection-2 and Vengurla-6. Among the three, the Vengurla-3 was found to be early in flowering (Nov.-Dec.) compared to others which were in mid-season (Dec.-Jan.). Though number of nuts per bunch were 6 in Vengurla-3, because of the big sized kidney shaped nuts and more number of nuts per tree (1288), the yield performance was higher as compared to the other two. Each nut weight and specific gravity was more in Selection-2, still the yield was inferior as compared to Vengurla-3 due to less number of nuts per tree (842). The incidence of ‘T’ mosquitoes and stem borer were low in Vengurla-3 followed by Selection- 2 and leaf spot and wilting diseases were also low in Vengurla-3 followed by Selection-2 and those were higher in other varieties..