Cultivation practices and uses of Terminalia chebula

1. CULTIVATION
PRACTICES AND
MEDICINAL
IMPORTANCE OF
Terminalia
chebula (Harro)

2. Introduction:
⊷ Botanical name Terminalia chebula Rtz
⊷ Belongs to family Combretaceae
⊷ Terminalia chebula (TC) is a unique herb
that is used from ancient time.
⊷ Known by different names, Harro in
Nepali, Haritaki in Sanskrit, Harad in
Hindi, Chebulic myrobalan in English
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3. Distriubution and Origin of Terminalia chebula
China
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Indonesia
Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh
India
Pakistan
Laos, Vietnma, Thailand
Malasiya

4. Varieties and Habitat:
⊷ It is classified mainly in two types:
⊷ T. c. var. chebula - leaves and shoots
hairless, or only hairy when very young
⊷ T. c. var. tomentella - leaves and shoots
silvery to orange hairy
⊷ Its habitat includes dry slopes up to
900m (3000ft) in the elevation. Scattered
in teak forest, mixed deciduous forest,
extending into forests of comparatively
dry types4

5. Botany:
• Terminalia chebula is medium to large
deciduous tree growing to 30 m tall with
a trunk up to 1 m.
• The leaves are alternate to sub-opposite
in arrangement, oval and broad with 1-3
petiole. They have acute tip cordate at
the base, margin entire, glabrous above
with yellowish pubescence below.
• The flowers are monoecious with dull
white to yellow flowers, have a strong
unpleasant smell. They are borne in the
terminal spikes or short-panicles.
• The fruit is drupe like broad, blackish
with five longitudinal ridges.

6. Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Subkingdom: Tracheobiont
Super-division: Spermatophore
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Sub-class: Rosidae
Order: Myrtales
Family: Combretaceae
Genus: Terminalia
Species: chebula
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8. Why Harro??
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Edible uses:
⊷ Seed: It can be eaten as a snack. An edible oil is
obtained from the seed.
⊷ Fruit: The sour fruits are eaten in salads, preserved
in brine or fried. The fruit has been used in the
manufacture of black salt and main ingredient of the
spice blend known as chat masala.
Medicinal Uses:
⊷ Terminalia chebula is used for dysentery and as a
lotion for sore eyes.
⊷ Terminalia chebula and Emblica officinalis
combination is also used to lower cholesterol and to
prevent death of heart tissue also named as a “ Health
harmonizer

9. Contd….
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⊷ It has been used for the asthma, bile duct
disorders, scorpion stings, and poisonings.
⊷ It is used to protect the liver and to treat
respiratory conditions, including cough and
sore throat.
⊷ It is also used typically as a mouthwash and
gargle.
Other Uses:
⊷ The flowers give a yellow dye, used for
painting yellow and green details on calicos.
⊷ It is used as construction timber and for
furniture, carts and implements.

10. Cultivation Practices of
Terminalia chebula
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11. Climatic and Edaphic
Requirements
⊷ In the natural habitat of the species, temperature
ranges between 36 °C and 45 °C, and rainfall
ranges from 1200 mm to 3000 mm per annum.
⊷ It is capable of growing on different types of soils,
but attains best development on loose well-drained
soils, such as sandy loam as well as clayey loam
having low salinity.
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12. Propagating Materials
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• Seed is the most appropriate material for this
plant’s propagation
• Fruit is collected in summer in May–June.
• Fruits are collected when they turn yellow. The
seeds can be collected as soon as they fall on the
ground, and are dried under shade.
• The seeds can be stored in gunny bags for one
year, but fresh seeds germinate quicker.
• Vegetatively, the plant is propagated through the
stump cutting of from 12-15 months old plant.
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13. Raising Propagules in
Nursery
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⊷ The saplings are raised from seeds in
a nursery in July with the onset of monsoon
season.
⊷ Seeds may be sown in prepared beds or
polybags.
⊷ Germination is slow, but may be improved by
pretreating the seeds.
⊷ The nursery should be partially shaded
against the sun.
⊷ The seeds germinate in 10-30 days with the
germination success of 60%.

14. • About 5 kg seeds are required for raising stock for
planting in 1 hectare of land.
• The de-pulped seeds should be either treated by
fermentation process for a period of 15–20 days, or
the seeds may be clipped at their broad end and then
soaked in water for a period of two days before
sowing in the nursery beds.
• Alternatively, seeds may be mixed with cow dung
slurry and kept in pits for one to two weeks.
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Seed rate and Pre-treatment
of seeds:

15. ⊷ The land is tilled and levelled properly to
make it porous and friable.
⊷ Pits of size 60 cm × 60 cm × 60 cm are dug at
a spacing of 6 m × 6 m.
⊷ The soil of each pit is mixed with 15 kg FYM
(farmyard manure) and a mixture of NPK
(nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) @
75:30:30 g and refilled before transplanting of
seedlings.
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Land Preparation and Fertilizer
Management

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⊷ Transplantation of one-year-old saplings
is done in the next monsoon.
⊷ A spacing of 6 m × 6 m enables a crop
stand of 280–300 plants per hectare.
Transplanting and Optimum
spacing:
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⊷ Since this is a long-term crop,
intercropping with short
duration crops is preferable.
⊷ Generally shade-loving crops
like Curcuma, Zingiber can
be intercropped.
Intercropping System:

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⊷ Weeding: Generally manual weeding is
done.
⊷ Irrigation: Irrigation is done depending
on the soil moisture and season. The
plants may be irrigated at least once a
week in summers.
⊷ Disease and pest control: The plants are
able to survive attacks of seasonal
insects and pests. Therefore no such
treatment is done. Anti-termite treatment
with Chloropyriphos 20% EC should be
given in termite-prone areas.
Intercultural Operations:

19. Harvesting and Yield:
• Flowering and fruiting generally commence
after 8–10 years of planting in the summer
season.
• Fruits are harvested when they turns yellow .
• The collected fruits are well dried in shade
for a few days, with moisture content not
more than 10%, and stored in well-ventilated
containers/baskets in damp-proof, cool
rooms.
• Approximately 40–50 kg of dry fruits are
obtained per tree per year after it attains six
years of age. This gives an average yield of
about 12.6 quintals/hectare.

20. Collection and Processing:
 The collection of fruits is done by shaking the
trees and picking up from the grounds.
 Then, the fruits are dried in sun. It takes 3 to 4
weeks for the complete drying. For this temporary
sheds are used.
 They are graded based upon their solidness, color
and freedom from insect attack.

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Thanks!

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