Fruits, Nuts and Spices

A wide range of different fruit and nut trees and fruit vines have been planted at intervals since 1993, they include citrus trees, temperate fruit trees, sub-tropical fruit trees, nut trees, and other fruit and spice crops from trees, vines, and perennial plants. A few of them are described below:

Propagation and top-working of lapsi (hogplum)

Lapsi (Choerospondias axillaris) is an important fruit-bearing tree in Nepal. The fruit has a high vitamin C content and is consumed fresh, pickled, or processed. The species is dioecious, that is the male and female flowers are borne on different plants, but it is difficult to recognise the female plants until they bear flowers or fruit, which usually takes years. Cultivation trials are in progress to explore the possibility of grafting and other vegetative methods of propagation of fruiting trees. Female plants have been successfully grafted onto rootstocks, which opens the way for large-scale orchard type cultivation.

Kiwi fruit

Kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa), or Chinese gooseberries as they used to be called, are deciduous trailing climbers. The vine can grow up to 9 metres (28 feet) long. The kiwi fruit itself is a brown, large egg-sized oval fruit covered with fuzz. When sliced, the fruit yields an attractive emerald green flesh with rows of small dark edible seeds and a light cream coloured centre. The flavour is reminiscent of a blend of strawberry and pineapple. The kiwi fruit is high in vitamins; it can also be used as a meat tenderizer. The fruit is picked while still hard and ripens off the vine. The economic yield can be as high as 40-60 kg per mature vine (five to eight years old), or 20-25 tonnes per hectare. This is a valuable niche crop for mountain areas, especially those close to urban and tourist markets.

Tea intercropping with Kiwi fruit plants

Looking to grow #Kiwi or #tea? You can practice intercropping!

Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice that involves growing two or more crops in proximity. In other words, #intercropping is the cultivation of two or more #crops simultaneously on the same field.

#Kiwifruit and tea are economically important crops. These crops can either be grown in separate orchards or in the same orchards in an intercropping system. We showcase that these commercially high value cash crops can be intercropped in sloping areas in the #hills and #mountain areas of the #HKH region. The kiwi plants function as a shade crop for tea mainly in summer and it also helps reduce weed problems. Intercropping increases soil fertility. Crop rotation prevents soil depletion and reduces soil erosion.

The intercropping of kiwi together with tea has been practiced in #Nepal, #India and #Pakistan. Farmers from Nepal have provided feedback that intercropping tea with kiwi has increased the production of tea.

Yacon-Peruvian Ground Apple cultivation

Have you ever tried Yacon (ground apple)?

We’ve been growing #Yacon at our Knowledge #Park in #Godavari since 2010 and promote it to our visitors by providing information and seeds as well! Yacon is traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes in #Peru and #Columbia for its crisp, sweet tasting and tuberous roots. It is suitable to cultivate at an altitude of above 1,500 meters from the sea level.

Yacon has many health benefits such as aiding digestion, preventing digestive issues, reducing #cholesterol and maintaining #healthy weight.