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Sci Tech
Sweet tamarind — a new dessert fruit
Tamarind tree is being cultivated almost throughout the country except in the Himalayan and Western dry regions. Known as Indian Date, it is best valued for its fruits. The sour and sweet pulp forms an important ingredient in Indian diet. PKM1 tamarind is one such variety from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Periyakulam Urigam is another popular variety.
Major breakthrough
The major breakthrough in recent years is the identification of tamarind types having sweeter pulp coupled with less acidity, commonly referred to as “Sweet Tamarind.”
Cultivation and management practices of sweet tamarind are similar to that of regular tamarind. It can be propagated by seeds, grafts and budding.
Approach grafting, owing to its higher percentage of success, is recommended especially for large-scale propagation.
Occasionally, isolated branches on a tree may bear sweet fruits, while the other branches have the normal sour type. Grafted plants from these trees are maintained to serve as source of bud sticks for large-scale propagation and distribution.
The general recommended spacing for planting is 8 x 8 or 10 x 10 mts. Annual crops can be cultivated in the interspaces for upto 10 years.
Fruiting time
Grafted sweet tamarind trees may start fruiting in about a year after planting. The fruits can be harvested both at half and full ripe stages. Fruits are usually harvested from January to February as the trees started flowering in May and June of the previous year.
Spraying of growth regulators is an important cultural practice for inducement of fruit set and fruit number per tree. The sweet tamarind fruits are generally used for preparation of jam and jellies.
R. M VIJAYAKUMAR S. T. BINI SUNDAR & T. N. BALAMOHAN
Horticultural College and Research Institute
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
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