The new variety will have 80% pulp and is expected to improve coffee based avocado cultivation.
Bengaluru:
As the demand for avocado, popularly known as butter fruit, is increasing in the cosmetic industry as well as for consumption, scientists at the Central Horticultural Experiment Station (CHES) in Kodagu have developed a new variety called ‘Arka Coorg Ravi’, which will further improve coffee-based avocado cultivation in the district.
According to scientists in CHES, the new variety will have 80% pulp and the rest seed, making the fruit profitable for farmers.
Speaking to The Hindu, Madhu G.S, scientist in CHES, said: “Avocado, which is described as a miracle fruit for its health and nutritional benefits, is now also in huge demand in the cosmetic industry. The fruit is used in many skincare products. We have researched and developed Arka Coorg Ravi, which will help farmers in the district. The fruit is grown on about 500 hectares in Kodagu amidst the coffee plantations and the area of cultivation has seen a rise in recent years.”
The CHES recently started distributing the Arka Coorg Ravi grafts to the farmers. The centre has already developed 30,000 avocado grafts which have been distributed to farmers in the district.
“The new variety developed by the CHES will have at least 450 to 600 grams of weight per avocado, which will make the fruit profitable. Seedlings take 10 years to give yield, while graft plants start yielding from at least in the seventh year,” S. Rajendran, scientist, CHES Chettalli in Kodagu told The Hindu.
Recently, the CHES had a farmer-scientist interaction on the cultivation techniques of avocados in the district. According to CHES, farmers from different parts of Karnataka and also from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana have been purchasing avocado saplings or grafts to grow in their State.
Since Kodagu district saw two natural calamities in 2018 and 2019, which caused huge losses to farmers, especially coffee growers, they are now growing avocados on the coffee plantations.
“In the last few years, due to the floods in the district, coffee production has come down, and coffee is also not fetching an attractive price now. Hence, I have started cultivating avocados as a mixed crop in my coffee plantation and it is now yielding fruits and it can be a good alternative to offset the losses from coffee and black pepper,” said Roshan Poovanna, a farmer from Virajpet.
According to farmers, Kodagu avocados have a market in Kerala and Maharashtra, apart from Karnataka. “Local varieties yield fruit twice a year, February to May and June to September. Now, we have some more varieties that yield fruits around the year. Now the CHES has developed a new variety. I hope this will produce more avocados from the district and get a good market price. However, the government should promote and create awareness about the growing of mixed crops in coffee plantations so that the farmers can avoid losses from other crops,” said Praveen Nanaiah, a farmer from Madikeri.
Earlier, as part of crop diversification, the farmers in Kodagu were growing ‘Coorg mandarin’ oranges, grown as a mixed crop on the estates along with coffee and black pepper.
However, in the past few years, the Coorg mandarin cultivation is coming down due to the threat of citrus greening disease.
Benefits of avocados
Avocado, botanically known as Persea Americana, is an evergreen plant and can grow in diverse environmental conditions. On average, one avocado tree produces about 120 to 150 fruits annually.
The fruit has a high monounsaturated fat content, which is considered healthy. One fruit contains 25% of the recommended daily amount of saturated fat.
Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas and are rich in vitamins B, E, and K. Its juice acts as an antioxidant and its seeds are used to manufacture paper.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Darshan Devaiah B.P. / January 01st, 2023
