Saplings of an early-yielding jackfruit variety from whose trees fruits can be harvested from late November is all set to be released in the city in June.
A joint private initiative of B. Sarvesha Rao, a nursery owner, Gururaja Balthillaya, a well-known grafter of the coastal belt, and Gabriel Stany Veigas, a retired District Forest Officer (DFO), who is a pioneer in raising a jackfruit orchard spread over 10 acres in the coastal belt, the variety has been named Mangala Early. It is a farmers variety.
The plantation of Mr. Veigas at Neerakere in Tenka Mijar village near Moodbidri has about 900 trees/plants of different jackfruit varieties with many of them bearing fruit now. It is probably the largest jackfruit orchard in the coastal belt now. He began planting them in 2013-14.
Mr. Veigas told The Hindu that fruits of Mangala Early variety can be harvested for about two months, from the last week of November to January-end. Fruiting season ends in February and it begins yielding in three years of planting.
“This variety is best suited to the coastal and Malnad belt,” he said.
The former DFO said that the Mangala Early variety is being released after more than three years of study.
“The growth of Mangala Early variety is very robust and it is free from diseases,” he said and added that a well-looked- after tree can bear up to 40 fruits in a season.
Mr. Veigas said that his plantation has 10 trees of the mother plant that are over 10 years old. In addition, he planted 50 grafted saplings of the variety a year ago which are about six foot high now.
He said that the variety will be released for use by farmers by Mr. Rao who described it as a “sweet and tasty jackfruit”.
Mr. Rao said that about 5,000 saplings of the variety will be released for use by farmers through his Chiguru nursery.
Mr. Veigas suggested that in the early-yielding varieties (which yield within three years of planting), tender jackfruit should be plucked till three years. It is to allow the plant to grow and gain strength. Otherwise, the plant will lose its strength or it may die or break due to the weight of the fruit.
He said that varieties such as Prashanthi, Nerala Katte, Manmohan, Prakashchandra bear fruit in January-February.
