Friday, 22 May 2020

How to grow and harvest barnyard millet

Barnyard millet is a grain crop of lesser importance. It is very drought resistant but is also capable of withstanding water logging conditions. It is generally grown as a rainfed crop. Kudiraivali grains are consumed just like rice. They are also used in making rice pudding (kheer). The digestibility of protein is 40 per cent. The grain is eaten mostly by the poor classes, but sometimes it is brewed the beer. It is also used as feed for cage birds. The straw makes good fodder for cattle. Its green fodder is very much relished by cattle.

Origin and History: There is a mention of barnyard millet in ancient literature of India. It has been cultivated in China for more than 2000 years. Some of the investigators think that barnyard millet probably originated somewhere in central Asia. It spread from central Asia to Europe and America.

Area and Distribution: Barnyard millet is grown in India, China, Japan, Malaysia and East Indies. In China and Japan it is said to be grown as a substitute crop when the rice crop fails. It is also to some extent in Africa and United States of America. In India it is grown in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Bihar.

Botanical Description: It is an herbaceous annual which tillers sparsely. Plant grows up to a height of 60 to 120 centimetre. The roots are fibrous and shallow. Stem is slender. Leaves are flat, glabrous or slightly hairy without ligule. The inflorescence is a panicle with densely crowded unawned spikelets. Spikelets are densely packed in three to five rows. The spikelets are subsided by two glumes within which there are two florets. Colour of the glume varies from white to red. The caryopsis remains enclosed in the lemma and palea. Colour of the grain is generally yellow or white.

CROP MANAGEMENT

Climatic Requirements: Barnyard millet is a drought tolerant crop and hence is grown as a rainfed crop. It can be grown successfully under partially water logged conditions. It is grown from sea level to an altitude of 2000 metres on the Himalayan slopes. Warm and moderately humid climate is good for raising barnyard millet crop. It is a hardy crop and is able to withstand adverse conditions of weather better than other cereals.

Soil: Barnyard millet is generally cultivated in soils of marginal fertility. It can be grown in partially water logged soils such as low lands on the banks of rivers etc. But it thrives best on sandy loam to loam soil having sufficient amount of organic matter. Gravely and stony soils with poor fertility are not suitable for raising barnyard millet crop.

Field Preparation: Since it is cultivated in very light and marginal soils, the land is given only a limited preparatory cultivation. Two ploughings with local plough or harrowing followed by planking are sufficient to prepare the seedbed for barnyard millet.

Seed and Sowing: Barnyard millet can be sown in the first fortnight of July with the onset of monsoon rains. The seed is broadcast or drilled in furrows 3-4 centimetre deep at the rate of 8-10 kg per hectare. Transplanting is also done in some places in Maharashtra. It is always better to sow it in rows 25 centimetre apart. In flood affected areas, it is sown with the first showers of rain by broadcast method and harvested before the flood may come.

Manures and Fertilisers: Farm yard manure of compost at the rate of 5 to 10 tonnes per hectare should be added for boosting the yield. It can be supplemented with 40 kg nitrogen, 30 kg P2O5 and 50 kg K2O per hectare. All the fertilizer should be added in the soil at the time of sowing. If irrigation facilities are available, half of the nitrogen should be top dressed in standing crop after 25-30 days of sowing.

Water Management: Generally barnyard millet does not require any irrigation. However, if dry spell prevails for a long period, then one irrigation must be given at the time of panicle initiation stage. It is always better if excess water of heavy rains is drained out of the field.

Weed Control: The field should be kept weed free up to 25-30 days after sowing. Two weedings are sufficient to control the weeds in barnyard millet field. Weedings may be done with hand hoe or wheel hoe in line sown crop.

DISEASES

Downy Mildew: It is caused by a fungus. Sometimes it may cause severe damage to the crop plants. In the beginning the light yellow bands are seen on the leaves which in due course of time become white. Later on leaves start drying and in case of severe infection earheads become chaffy. Remove the infected plants and destroy them. Use seed from healthy plants only.

Smut: It is also caused by a fungus. The affected panicles are full of black masses instead of grains. This is a seed-borne disease and can be controlled by treating the seed with Agrosan G.N. or Ceresan at the rate of 2.5 g per kg of seed of hot water treatment (soaking seed in hot water at 550C for 7-12 minutes).

Rust: It is caused by a fungus. Black spots are seen in lines on leaves. It causes considerable reduction in grain yield. Spray of Dithane M-45 at the rate of 2 kg in 1000 litres of water per hectare may check the spread of this disease.

Insect Pests: Stem borer can be controlled by applying 15 kg Thimet granules per hectare.

Harvesting and Threshing: The crop should be harvested when it is ripe. It is cut from the ground level with the help of sickles and stacked in the field for about a week before threshing. Threshing is done by trampling under the feet of bullocks.

Yield: The average yield of grain is 400 to 600 kg per hectare and that of fodder or straw around 1200 kg per hectare. With improved package of practices it is possible to harvest 10-12 quintals of grain per hectare.

Courtesy : TNAU


#barnyardmillet #barnyardmilletgrowing

Tuesday, 19 May 2020

Where to buy small millet seeds for sowing

In this article let us know where to buy small millet seeds for sowing.

Small millets are an often overlooked staple food for milliions living in the harshest, food- insecure regions of the developing world. Small millets, a group of six crops comprising of finger millet, kodo millet, little millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet and proso millet are considered as nutri cereals and are a source of food, feed and fodder. However, there has been a drastic decline in production and consumption of small millets mainly due to limited productivity, high drudgery, work load and incomes. 

Small millets in the Indian context include finger millet, kodo millet, little millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet and browntop millet. 

There are few Organizations, Individuals, Farmers who would like to share their small millet seeds for sowing. Farmers can buy from them.


    Dwiji guru
    Basavanagudi, Bangalore
    9900054878
    
    Dhan foundation
    http://dhanfoundation.org

    Deccan development society
    Zaheerabad, AP.

    Sahaja samrudha
    Bangalore, Karnataka

    Navdanya
    Delhi

    Vanastree

    Aranya Agriculture alternatives

    Srinivas Raju (farmer)
    Anantapur, AP
    9739893832

    Krishna reddy ( farmer)
    Telangana, AP
    9100403473

If any other organizations, NGOs, Individuals,  who would share small millet seeds for the Farmers can add your location and contact details in the comment below.



#smallmillets #milletseeds #milletsellers

Friday, 15 May 2020

Millets are drought resilient crop to grow for food security

Millets are small seeded grasses that are hardy aad grow well in dry zones as rainfed crops under marginal conditions of soil fertility. The Millets requires very less water than rice. 

Do you believe that only 3 to 5 times irrigation is enough for minor Millets to grow in summer season. Hence, growing small Millets like foxtail millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, porso millet, browntop millet are a good choice for the climate change. They are possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. The other grain crops like wheat and Rice that require more amount of water and fertilizer inputs to grow. Whereas the Millets grow well in drought regionsas rainfed crops. The Millets are highly nutritious, non-glutinousand rich in fibre, they are easy to digest. 

They are grown in many states around India like Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Growing millets is a step towards sustainable agriculture that respects biodiversity. 

There are many factors that makes Millets more sustainable when compared to other grain crops. When compared to the water usage, the Millets use less water. The amount of water needed to grow Rice with that of millets is really less. One Rice plant requires 2.5 times of water required by one millet plant. Millets are less maintenance and low investment crops. The Millets are more nutritious than paddy. Millets can grow in areas with annual rainfall less than 300 mm. Hence, Millets are an alternative for other crops like rice and wheat.

In the present agricultural scenario, millet farmers can be considered as followers of sustainable farming practices holding lessons for building climate resilience or the ability to adapt to change, overcome constraints, reduce disruptions and enhance opportunities. With advantages loaded in its favour such as low-maintenance, disease and pest resistance, nutritional benefits, market demand, fodder value and ecological benefits, millet is being considered as a smart crop. Known as C4 crops, millets have higher efficiency in absorbing and utilizing carbon dioxide. Most varieties of millets are well known for their hardiness and have the capacity to withstand prolonged periods of drought, high temperatures and still produce grains and fodder.

In India, millets are grown on about 15 million hectares, with an annual production of 17 million tonnes and contribute 10% to the country's food grain basket. Karnataka is on a millet-popularising drive focused on the nutritive value of the grain and has initiated far-reaching measures to claim the title of being the millet capital of the country. There are many Non governmental organization coming forward to promote sustainable millet farming.

Where you can purchase small millet seeds for sowing. Coming up... stay tuned🙂


#millets #droughtcrops #smallmillets

Thursday, 14 May 2020

Review on Hand weeder or manual weeder

Would like share Review on Hand weeder or manual weeder which I purchased from Urvi agrotech. 

Nowadays, there are n number of  agricultural mini tools coming into market. One of those is Hand weeder. The hand weeder is one which is used to eliminate weeds by push pull method in gardens. Hand weeder tool is simple to use and versatile. It is used to remove weeds in and around trees, garden lawn edges, vegetable beds etc.

Approximately I purchased the Hand weeder a year back. On first few days it completely worked well. As the land was filled with few rocks here and there, very often I wanted to sharpen the blades. I made some extra five blades, so that I can connect them when needed.

The strength applied for weeding tool is medium if the soil is Sandy. When it comes to Rocky soils, the blades often to be sharpened and strength applied is also more. 

Bolts connected to the weeder sometimes gets connected. Need to observe them often. So, buy some extra bolts and nets. 

The blade is made up of SS metal. Hence, the chances of rusting is low. The extra temporary blades can be made in welding shop. 

I connected weeder equipment to the stick using two nails. There is aluminium handle for the weeder equipment which may cost 750 RS to 1000 RS.

Thursday, 7 May 2020

Growing food in small space - advantages and disadvantages

Growing food in small space is a dream of most of the people. Already many people are growing vegetables in the available small place. Terrace gardening has become trend nowadays. 

Urban people are growing their vegetables in terrace and balconies of their apartments. Most of apartment association provide permission to grow vegetables on balconies. There are pros and cons in this prospect. Would like to share few of them. Sharing this,  it's not mean to discourage terrace gardening but to take precautionary steps.



Advantages of Terrace gardening

* Can grow vegetables needed for kitchen.
* Pests can be handled manually.
* Less amount of water.
* Can get fresh air from planting indoor plants.
* Relaxation space.

Disadvantages of Terrace gardening

* More amount of water leads to drainage problems. Where the Mosquitos arise. So please make sure you use less water. 
* Prepare a plan on how you are going to deal with rain water.
* Contamination of over riped vegetables and spoilage. Take necessary steps to control them.
* Compost - prepare a plan on how you deal with wet compost on rainy season.


view our sitemap

Wednesday, 6 May 2020

How to get seeds or saplings for creating food forest.

For creating your Food forests good quality seeds and saplings should be choosen.

Few suggestions on choosing Fruit tree seeds and saplings for food forest:

* Find Local fruit trees near by to your locality. You can save the seeds from fruits. (I saved seeds of sapota from nearby farm) 

* If you go for online store, it is recommended to buy seeds and not saplings. As saplings may be damaged on delivery. ( I received few good saplings as well as damaged one)

* Analyse where most of the birds have nests in your locality. Nearby the trees you can find few fruit tree saplings. ( I found few gauva saplings nearby the banyan tree, where most of the birds built their nests in the banyan tree)



* Air layering, a method to grow roots on any tree branch. After growing the roots you can cut them and transplant in your field.  ( I successfully did air layering for henna plant. Failed in first attempt and succeeded in next attempt).

* Choose ripen fruits to save fruit tree seeds.

Vegetable seeds

There are few organisations where you can buy open pollinated seeds.


There are so many exotic variety vegetable seeds they have. The one I like most from them is black carrots, where those carrots are used to make soup to boost up immunity.


They have many varieties of vegetables seeds. While seeing their Facebook page it tempts me to buy all the seeds.  The one of the most I like is sankarametta tomato where one tomato weighs 250 grams.


They to have some exotic vegetable seeds. One of the most I found interesting was the variety of okra which grows more than 6 feet in height. 

There are some other seed saving organisations around us. We will update soon.

Edited : for fruit tree seeds online you can purchase from Nurserylive website.



Monday, 4 May 2020

Difference between open pollinated seeds and Hybrid seeds

There are so many differences between open pollinated seeds and hybrid seeds. Firstly, let us know about a seed and how it is important for nature. A seed is a reproductive structure containing a fertilized embryonic plant in an arrested state of development. It is in dormancy until sown. Seeds vary in color, shape, size and texture.

There are three types of seeds. They are Open pollinated seeds, Hybrid seeds, Genetically modified seeds or GMOs.


Open pollinated seeds

Pollinated by natural means (wind, insects, birds). Either within the same flower or between 2 flowers of the same plant. They are classified into two types. Heritage seeds and Heirloom seeds.


Features:


  • Can be saved. They create pure seeds that are similar in characteristics to the parent plant.
  • Able to adapt to a specific local environment.
  • To maintain varietal purity, they require isolation while growing.
  • Naturally resistant to pests.
  • Vigorous and need less water. High-yielding in right conditions. Most cost-effective.


  • Hybrid seeds

    Produced by pollinating 2 or more open-pollinated varieties in the laboratory, for promoting specific characteristics of the parent plant(s).

    Features:



  • Usually high-yielding, compared to the parent; since the plant’s energy unused for reproduction is used for its growth.
  • Hybrid varieties do not reproduce true-to-type. They cannot be saved.
  • They are expensive as they need to be purchased for every sowing.
  • They result in a loss of biodiversity as they do not preserve the properties of the parent open-pollinated plants.
  • Hybrids typically require corrosive chemical fertilizers and pesticides with intensive irrigation.


  • Farm Update April 2020

    This month April 2020, we didn't grown much for the farmer markets.

    We grown few bottle gourds, okra, cucumber for the Kitchen.


    These are bottle gourds round variety which are growing well.

    This month we setup a small plot for food security nearly 5 to 6 cents. We planted cow pea, pigeon pea, Ber tree seeds, purple beans, curry leaf, Jasmine flower plants and hibiscus flower plants.

    Sown chilly kanthri variety and brinjal green variety  seeds in a small bunds for saplings propagation. After getting saplings will transplant to the raised bed.


    First the ber tree seeds, second the brinjal green variety seeds, third the chilli kanthri variety seeds.

    Need to mention the chilli kanthri variety seeds. You can harvest chillies for two years. First color of this chilly will be white, when it ripes it turn to red. Moreover it is more spicy than other chillies.




    The purple beans which yields beans in high quantity and it is a dwarf and short term crop of about 2 months.



    10 rows for food security


    Would like to sow seeds of perrineals and trees as much as I can in this plot.


    Sunday, 3 May 2020

    How to create Indian food forest part IV vegetables

    This article is a continued from How to create Indian Food forests. Here is a list of vegetables you can add for your food forest.

    Pigeon pea

    The pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan, family fabaceae) is thought to have originated in India, where it is still widely grown as a food crop. It is also used extensively as a cover crop, green manure, inter crop etc. in many sustainable farming systems in the tropics and subtropics, and in many home gardens in warm climates.


    Brinjal

    Eggplant is a high-fiber, low- calorie fruit that's used  as they grow from a flowering plant and contain seeds. Egg plants grows well in warm weather. Usually you will see flowers coming in the plant in about 40 days after the planting. There are many varieties of brinjal where you can choose according to shape at taste.


    Okra

    Okra, also known as gumbo or ladies fingers, is a warm-season vegetable. It is a good source of minerals, vitamins,. antioxidants. Additionally, okra is low in calories and carbs and contains some protein and fiber. There are many varieties of okra; the most commonly found are green and white. Green okra is shorter and slightly stubby when compared to white okra.


    Cherry tomatoes

    The cherry tomato is a type of small round tomato believed to be an intermediate genetic admixture between wild currant-type tomatoes and domesticated garden tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes range in size from a thumbtip up to the size of a golf ball, and can range from spherical to slightly oblong in shape. Cherry tomatoes are bite-sized tomatoes that grow quickly, ripen early, and are good for you. The cherry tomato plant is one of the most popular plants to grow because it is easy to grow and produces a harvest quickly.


    Bottle gourd

    Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is an annual, vigorous, climbing vine with large leaves and white flowers. Bottle gourds come in various shapes and sizes. The plant grows quite quickly and vigorously, spreading over large areas. There are so many varieties of bottle gourd where you can choose them accordingly.


    Pumpkin

    Pumpkin belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae and is grown primarily as a vegetable or ornamental plant. Pumpkin plants are short lived annual or perennial vines with branching tendrils and broad lobed leaves. The plant produces large yellow or orange flowers and a pepo fruit (berry with a thick rind) known as a pumpkin.


    Ridge gourd

    Ridge gourd is a very important Indian vegetable crop and it can be grown throughout the year. Ridge gourd plants need a lot of water. And because they grow in full sunlight the soil can dry out very fast. Sandy loam rich in organic matter with good drainage and pH range from 6.5-7.5. Season Planting spreads during July and January. You can also grow them in balconies and terrace.


    Cow pea

    It grows best in hot areas and can produce a yield of one ton seed and five tons hay per hectare with as little as 300 mm of rainfall. Cowpea is a food and animal feed crop grown in the semi-arid tropics covering Africa, Asia, Europe, the United States, etc.. Forage cowpeas are herbaceous annual legumes, with spreading to fairly erect habit, growing 50 to 100 cm high. There are few varieties of cow pea to choose from. Even you choose climber variety of cow pea.




    Indian beans

    There are so many varieties of Indian beans you can choose from perrineals to annuals. Choose accordingly to your climate conditions.  Happy farming :)



    Not only this you can choose other veggies such as chilli, sponge gourd, gherkins, cucumbers, etc ... Which are suitable for your location.



    #foodforest

    Thursday, 30 April 2020

    How to create Indian Food forests Part III Perennials

    Perennials plays major role in food forests. Perennials are plants which lives more than two years. In this article we are covering few easy to grow Perennials which don't require much maintenance.

    Agathi spinach or August tree

    August tree is the English name and agathi keerai is the Tamil name. The August tree Leaves, stem, root and flower of August tree leaves are used for medicinal purposes. The agathi leaves can be consumed in the form of juice, cooked spinach or medicine. The thin stem is used as a ingredient for good health medicines in siddha and ayurveda. You can also grow them in grow bags.


    Moringa tree

    Moringa is a genus of shrubs and trees with multi-purpose uses. Its leaves roots and immature pods are consumed as a vegetable. All parts of the moringa tree such as bark, pods, leaves, nuts, seeds, tubers, roots, and flowers are edible. The leaves are used fresh or dried and ground into powder.


    Malabar spinach

    Malabar spinach is an edible perennial vine in the family Basellaceae. It is found in tropical Asia and Africa where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and New Guinea. It is a vine, where leaves are used for cooking. The cooking procedure is same as that of regular spinach. Stem cuttings about the length of 20 cm preferred over seeds for natural propagation, and faster growth. Being a vine, it requires trellising for its spread. It bears white or white-pink color tiny flowers depending upon the species and purple to black color berries.


    Cluster beans

    Cluster beans plant prefers tropical environment. It is a short lived perennial and live up to only 2-3 years. In India and Pakistan it is planted after summer in monsoon, during rain when humidity level increases.


    Lablab beans / Indian field beans

    Lablab beans are good sources of the amino acid, lysine, and as such complement the generally low lysine content. Lablab is a multipurpose legume. Its immature seeds and pods, and young leaves are edible and cooked as vegetables.


    Mint / Pudhina

    Mint is also know as mentha or Pudhina. Mint is one of the herbs that has it all. It grows like a weed, is perfectly safe for use, and is an excellent remedy for reducing symptoms related to digestion. And it tastes good going down.


    Are some of the few Perennials you can have in your food forest. And the next posts vegetables for your food forest. Be tuned 😊
    Follow us to keep updated on our articles. The link to follow us and our complete blog article links are listed in sitemap. Visit the sitemap page.


    #moringa #drumstick #abcdfarming #mint #pudhina #clusterbeans #indianbeans #avare #lalabbeans #augusttree #perennials #foodforest #malabarspinach

    Tuesday, 28 April 2020

    How to create Indian food forests fruit trees part II

    The Food forests are also called as Regenerative farming or no till farming. Here you no need to till the land for cropping. Nature does it all.

    This article is continued from the last post. Where we were discussing on how to create Indian food forests part I fruit trees etc...

    There are other fruit trees which are native and grow well in Indian climate conditions. They are given below.

    Pomegranate Tree

    Pomegranate is a small tree cultivated throughout the Middle East and India. A shrub also grown as ornamental trees in some parks and gardens.


    Jamun/Syzygium cumini

    This tree is commonly called jamun in India. Syzygium cumini is native to the Indian Subcontinent, known as black plum or jamun. The fruit tends to colour the tongue purple with its sweet, mildly sour flavor.


    Gooseberry Tree/Phyllanthus acidus

    Phyllanthus acidus or Gooseberry tree with edible small yellow berries fruit tastes sour and tart. The plant is also used medicinally in India and produces fruit throughout the year. The first image is Indian gooseberry tree which has medicinal properties to cure few diseases.



    Coconut Tree/Cocos nucifera

    Coconut Tree is a Plant growing up to 30 m, originated in the India–Indonesia region. Coconut palms are grown around the world, India is third largest producer of Coconut in the world, cultivation states of India are the of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka to Lakshadweep.


    Indian Jujube/Ziziphus mauritiana/ ber tree

    Indian jujube or Indian plum is a tropical fruit tree from the Indian Subcontinent. Ziziphus mauritiana are wild growing plants as well as common trees of semi arid regions of India.


    Jungli Jalebi/Pithecellobium dulce

    Jungli Jalebi is an invasive species and a drought resistant tree. Pithecellobium dulce goes by the name Madras thorn in India and used in medicine too.


    Indian Fig Tree/Ficus racemosa

    Ficus racemosa or cluster fig tree is native to Indian subcontinent and favourite food of the Indian macaque. Indian fig or gular is also known as audumbar tree,both sacred and fruitful.


    Cashew Tree/Anacardium occidentale

    Anacardium occidentale is large and evergreen tree and fruit is called cashew apple and cashew nut inside. The cashew tree is native to Brazil and Portuguese took it to Goa in India.


    Indian Almond/Terminalia catappa

    Terminalia catappa tree is grown as an ornamental tree for shade and wild fruit. The large leaves and distinctively arranged branches of Terminalia catappa are evergreen tree.



    Mulberry Plant/Morus

    Morus Plant or mulberry tree is a fast growing tree and the fruit is edible too. The fruit and leaves contains significant amounts of resveratrol.


    These are the some of the fruit trees for your food forest. The perennial vegetables you can choose according. We would like to post few vegetables which are perrineals that are suited for the food forests. Stay tuned...!

    Upcoming article : How to create Indian food forest Part III Perrineals

    To keep updated follow us. Visit our sitemap  page which contains all our articles.


    #almond #coconut #mulberry #cashew #indianfigtree #pomegranate #gooseberry #junglejalebi 

    Saturday, 25 April 2020

    How to create Indian food forests (fruit trees) part1

    Here is an article on how to create your own food forests in India. The list of fruit trees for food forests listed below are native to India. Food forests are one which provides you food throughout the year. The food forests includes fruit trees, nut trees, fire resistent trees, live fencing, perrineals, vegetables, bushes, shrubs, medicinal plants, green manure crops, etc.. In this article we cover only fruit trees. Here are the selective list of fruit trees native to India to create your food forest.

    Drumstick or Morning tree

    Moringa tree or drumstick tree is a fast growing tree and a drought resistant tree as well. Young leaves are used for herbal medicine and India is the largest producer of moringa. They are planted with fruit trees for pest management.


    Gauva

    Gauva tree is a drought resistant tree. It takes minimum three to five years to yield good amount of fruits. It's fruits are oval in shape with light green and yellow in colour. The seeds of the fruit are edible, which are good anti oxidents. The leaves are sometimes used as a herbal tea.


    Papaya

    Papaya is a small branched plant, cultivated in most tropical countries. Papaya fruit and pulp contains water, vitamin C and carbohydrates and the leaves are used for treatment for dengu and malaria.


    Banana

    Banana also used for the plants that produce the Banana fruit. The banana plant inner stem is also edible. The outer stem are used to make temporary plates for food serving in olden days. The banana plant is the largest herbaceous flowering plant.



    Chiku/Manilkara zapota/ sapota

    Manilkara zapota is known as sapota and Chiku in India and the fruit has an exceptionally sweet flavor. Sapota fruits contains high amounts of saponin, cultivated in many some parts of India.
    This sapota tree is must in every food forest as it is drought resistant.



    Custard Apple/Annona squamosa

    The custard apple is one of the most cultivated fruit varieties in India. This Custard apple tree it the most widely cultivated species of family Annonaceae. In traditional Indian medicine leaves of Custard apple tree are used to heal wounds and to treat dysentery. Few people grow them in containers too as shown in the figure below.


    Jackfruit Tree/Artocarpus heterophyllus

    Jackfruit Tree is native to southwest India and the fruit is largest tree borne fruit. The jackfruit is the state fruit of the Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Kerala is the largest producer of jackfruit in the world.


    Mango Tree/Mangifera indica

    Mango is the national fruit of India and have been cultivated in South Asia too. Mangoes are very popular in India and in Tamil Nadu mango is one of the three royal fruits with banana and jackfruit. Mango tree is a drought resistant and you can dig trenches to harvest rainwater for mango trees as given below.


    These are some of the Indian origin fruit trees for creating your food forest. Can't able to cover all the fruit trees in one post. So, be tuned - How to create Indian food forests part II ... For updates visit our sitemap in the below link.


    #foodforests #mangotree #jackfruit #custardapple #sapota #papaya #banana #moringa #drumstrick #gauva