Integrated nutrient management in Cashew for Karnataka region

Abstract

Cashew is a very important plantation / horticultural crop of India. As cashew is a hardy plant, often it has been thought to be highly suitable for afforestation, soil conservation and waste land development. The cashew plantations raised with this objective, did not receive any management nor inputs, thereby resulting in low productivity. However, research results showed that tremendous positive response can be obtained through regular applications of fertilizers and improved management practices which could give two to three fold yield increases. Cashew requires regular fertiliser application to ensure early and high yields in new plantations, and regular high yields from mature trees. It has been reported that fertigation saved about 50% in fertilizers, while improving the yield and quality as compared with the common methods of fertilizer application. The challenge for cashew crop will be to improve yields in marginal lands and slopy areas where the soil is exposed to degradation strongly limits the growth and production of cashew.