Planting & Management Practices of Cashew

2. Selection of a suitable site for a new cashew plantation is important.
Proper climatic and soil requirements must be adequately met.
Further, basic economic, social and infrastructural needs of the area
must not be neglected, even though they are sometimes beyond the
control of the individual farmer.
One important social and demographic factor to be taken into account
is the presence of an active agricultural population of sufficient
strength to guarantee the labour needs during the cultivation period of
cashew.
Site selection

3. • Labour availability naturally depends on farming systems and their
activities prevailing in the area and the period of the year in which
the main operations fall and how much time they spend on other
crops.
• As for infrastructural factors, attention must be given particularly to
the existence of a suitable road network connecting the plantation
site and the sites of storage and processing.
• Farming communities in all over Sri Lanka are generally busy during
the planting periods (October to November and April to May) and
harvesting periods (January to March and July to September) of rice
and other field crops such as cereals, legumes, vegetables,
condiments, roots, tuber crops etc.
• Therefore there is always a labour shortage during planting and
harvesting periods of field crops.

4. • However these periods may vary slightly from place to place
depending on the availability of rainfall and irrigation in the area.
• Further, in the drier parts of the country where rain-fed cultivation is
mostly done, the cropping intensity is generally low and also
cultivation is done only in one season (eg: Maha -North East
Monsoon) leaving behind excess labour during the minor cultivation
season (eg: Yala-South West Monsoon).

5. Land preparation
There are five major activities involved in land preparation work.
They are,
a. Forest clearing
b. Uprooting
c. Leveling
d. Fire barriers
e. Drainage
The first two operations need to be carried out only when a virgin
land or a land which was left uncultivated for a long time, is used.

6. a) Forest clearing
In the drier parts of Sri Lanka where cashew can be grown successfully, the land
is generally overgrown with shrubs or less dense undergrowth than a real
forest.
In the case of shrubby jungles mainly with short and small trees, it might be
economical to carry out the task of clearing, and uprooting by hand.
In fact for small farmers manual clearing operations are recommended with the
help of commonly available tools such as, axes, machetes, pick axes, spades,
mamoties, hoes, knives etc.
Small stemmed shrubs and trees are cut off at ground level and the bigger
stumps are chopped up and burned.

8. • If the vegetation consists of particularly thick shrubs or trees and also
when labour is in short supply the most economical and time-saving
practice is burning.
• However, this practice is presently challenged by environmentalists as
it not only pollutes the environment but destroys much organic
matter and many useful microorganisms as well before clearing by
means of fire, it is always important to have a fire barrier of at least
10 m wide to prevent fire being spread to adjoining lands.

9. • Clearing may also be carried out mechanically by powerful tractors
with special fittings or by powerful dozers when large trees are
involved.

10. b) Uprooting
Clearing must be followed by the process of uprooting.
This may be partial or complete uprooting.
Among small farmers, uprooting is not a complete process and they leave
behind the bigger stumps and vegetation to be decomposed fully by natural
process.
Incomplete uprooting is apparently more economical as it requires less work
and also may act as a source of organic matter for young cashew plants.
However, these stumps can be an obstacle in situations when farm activities
are planned to mechanize.
Further, the stumps may compete with the crop for soil nutrients, water, and
some may even act as carriers of pests and diseases.

12. c) Leveling
Leveling is an important step in land preparation irrespective condition
of land.
whether it is a newly cleared area or a land where cashew has been
grown in the traditional fashion for some time.
Even when cashew is grown in sloppy land this operation has to be
carried out as it is an important practice. However, leveling is more
difficult in steeply sloping land and naturally it is beyond the scope of
small farmers.

14. d) Fire barriers
Protecting the plantations from seasonal fires is a
necessity. In Sri Lanka, seasonal fires are common,
especially in the dry zone.
Therefore, opening up a fire barrier along the perimeter
of the plantation prior to planting is recommended.
Further, a few inside sub divisions can be done in case of
large plantations. The width of these barriers ought to
be between 15 to 20 m in the perimeter and 10 to 15 m
for inside divisions.

15. e) Drainage
• Sometimes drains or trenches may be required to
drain out the excess water in the field.
• In areas where drainage is a problem, measures
need to be taken from the beginning to establish a
good drainage system in the field.
• Excess moisture in the field could cause poor root
development and growth retardation of the plant.

16. Planting Techniques
a)Spacing and layout
• Once the ground has been cleared and leveled it is necessary to plan
the layout according to the recommended spacing.
• The spacing (the distance between the plants) can vary depending on
the type of planting material used, and also the agro ecological
characteristics of the area.
• The seedlings need a wider spacing than grafted plants. Further, the
varieties which are dwarf or small in stature, naturally, prefer closer
spacing.

17. • In hilly areas, where land is sloppy or terraced, it is rather difficult to
recommend a spacing.
• Ideal spacing has to be decided depending on the slope and the
gradient of the land.
• Further, certain lands may be quite fertile and give vigorous growth
from the beginning.
• Minor adjustments may need for such lands over the recommended
spacing

18. • Under Sri Lanka conditions the recommended spacing for grafted plants is
25 x 25m.
• depending on type of planting material and agro - climatic factors
- Seedling - more spacing (30×30 feet)
- Budded 25 x 25 feet
25
25
30
30

19. • As a general rule any kind of competition between branches and root
systems of one plant and its neighbor should be avoided to ensure perfect
flowering and fruit set.
• A wider spacing will evidently obtain a lower yield as the ground in not
thoroughly exploited.
• It also provides space for weeds and herbaceous plants to grow during the
early years.
• This situatin is one of the key problems in Sri Lanka cashew plantations
where spacing is not maintained properly or many vacant areas remain
unfilled.
• It has resulted in lower plant densities in many plantations and lower yields
per hectare.

20. • On the other hand in plantations where closer spacing is practiced,
cashew plants compete with each other for water, light and mineral
nutrition which would jeopardize their development, fruiting and even
life span.
• In particular, other conditions being equal, the density of planting
must always be in proportion to the quantity of water available in the
area.
• Use of machinery for spraying, weeding etc.
• becomes difficult with high density planting and also rules out the
practice of intercropping during the early years of establishment.

21. • Further, it makes harvesting difficult. Though the close planting offers
immediate economic advantages owing, to the higher yields at the
beginning, individual plants show greater productivity and a quicker growth
rate when a wider spacing is adopted.
• Therefore, the yield per unit area under wider spacing eventually exceeds
previous system.
• Therefore, all these factors such as, cost of planting material, holing,
planting, fertilizing, thinning out etc. contributing to the final yield have to
be analyzed before deciding on a planting method (spacing).

22. • However, a wide variation in planting layout and spacing is practiced
throughout the world taking into consideration the experience of the
cultivators, scientists and agro ecological conditions.
• Most farmers adopt a definite pattern in spacing from the beginning.
• However, in plantations where close planting is practiced, the correct
spacing is attained only successive thinning processes carried out at
clearly defined ages of the plant.

23. b) Lining and pegging
• Once the spacing is decided the lining out of the
ground for planting is done.
• If the plantation is square or rectangular in
shape, lining can be done by stretching a rope from
one extreme to the other and marking the row
along the rope.
• This will be the base line parallel to the longest
side of the plot.

24. • Along this row, planting holes can be marked using pegs where each
plant would stand.
• Same process is repeated for other rows as well.
• The pegs need to be lined up not only in the two main directions but
diagonally as well.
• In the quincunx arrangements plotting is similar except that in every
other row (2nd. 4.6etc.) the first tree must be placed half way between
the two plants in the previous row.

25. c) Digging and preparation of planting holes
• After marking the planting holes, digging has to be done before the
rainy season begins.
• The holes may be dug manually or by machines.
• When done manually, the shape of a hole is usually closer to a cube
with sides generally not exceeding 60 cm in length, width and depth.
• Rarely the size increases when the soil is poor or densely packed,
thus allowing more space (90cm) for roots of young plants to grow and
establish well at the early stage.
• When mechanical digging is practiced using special borers, the
minimum diameter and depth would be around 30 and 80cm
respectively.

27. • When a backhoe is used the size would be quite similar to manually
prepared holes, however, the shape may not exactly be the same.
• While digging holes, it is a good practice to keep the surface (topsoil)
and lower layers of soil separately.

28. • When they are put back into the hole, the fertile top soil can be put
at the bottom of the hole and the inert layer at the surface.
• If compost or organic manure is used, they need to be mixed
thoroughly with the soil into the planting hole.
• After the hole is filled with soil, care should be taken to keep the
surface slightly humped, so that with time it will settle down and
planting can be done easily without getting the collar of the young
plant exposed after some time.
• Filling of planting holes involves a mixture of farm yard manure, wood
ash (rich in K), compost and other organic compounds.

29. d. Transplanting in the field
3 month to 1 year old grafted cashew plants can be
transplanted in the field.
It is advisable to carry out this operation at the
beginning of the rainy season or during the mid-rainy
season to ensure a well-developed root system by the
end of the rainy season.
This would enable the plant to continue its growth
during the dry spell obtaining the water from the soil.
Before transplanting, the polythene bag should be
carefully removed without disturbing the root system
and then the plant could be placed in the planting hole.

30. The time of transplanting can vary with the availability of irrigation
facilities. Transplanting can be done any time of the year if plants can
be irrigated from time to time until they get established or until the
rainy season begins.
At present drip irrigation has become more popular in large
plantations.
However, irrigation is restricted from time to time for the plants to
undergo a water stress condition to enable them to develop a strong
and deep root system.
In many crops it had been shown that when drips are provided there is
a tendency for roots to gather around or just below the outlet tubes.

31. • Similar problem is also experienced when pitchers are used.
• Burying Clay Pots (pitchers) near the plant is recommended in
dry areas.
• Pitchers (clay Pots) are kept filled with water which helps to
keep the soil around the pitcher moist.
• To avoid seepage of water from all sides of the pot one side of
the pot can be painted in black.
• When placing the pot in the soil it! is recommended to place its
un painted side facing the plant.
• This allows seepage of water from the pot to the root zone only.
• The pots need to be filled with water from time to time and be
kept closed. A coconut shell can be used for this purpose.

32. e. Staking
• Staking of young plants is necessary to
avoid any damage from wind. A strong
stake must be used to keep the plant in
place. It should be able to resist strong
winds and last at least for one year.

33. f. High density planting
If proper care is given the established plants will grow well and occupy the
land area provided for each plant in about 15 years.
In India high density planting is recommended for enhancing the production
of cashew by maximum utilization of land.
The principle behind this technique is to plant more number of grafts per
unit area, initially, and thinning them out at later stages.
In this system grafts may be planted at a spacing of 4 x 4 m or 5 x 5m, or
even 8 x 4m. While adopting a spacing of 4 x 4m in square system there will
be 625 plants per hectare.

35. • This population will give a higher yield per unit area until they start
competing with each other for nutrients, space and water.
• They can be retained for a period of 7 to 9 years, depending upon the
canopy expansion rate. If the soil is rich and deep, the canopy
expansion would be much faster compared to poor soil.
• After monitoring the canopy expansion, the alternate plants need to
be removed depending on pressure between the plants.

36. • Finally when the plants attain full growth, the spacing between the
plants will be optimum.
• The nut yield per tree tends to be uniform both in normal and high
density planting if uniform management practices are adopted during
the early years of plant growth.
• However, yield per hectare is more in this method. A bonus yield
could be obtained during the early years in high density planting.

37. • In addition a substantial quantity of fire wood also could be obtained
during thinning which may yield an additional revenue to the farmer.
• However, higher number of planting materials required by this
method may cause an additional expense to the farmer. (Abdul Salam
et al., 1999).
• Weed growth is checked to a greater extent in this method due to the
shade by the main crop.

38. Post planting care
• Post-planting care must be given high priority.
• First two-year period is critical to plant growth.
• If proper attention is not given optimum plant growth may not be obtained.
• Plants can be subjected to many environmental, biotic, and physical
damages which could lead to the death of the plant.
• Therefore well planned post-planting activities need to be carried out.
( Irrigation, Mulching, Removal of branches and shoots from rootstock. ,
Weeding, Filling of vacancies, Training at the initial stage. etc)

39. a) Irrigation:
• It is important to irrigate the newly established plants in the field.
• Extra care should be taken when a long drought period prevails in the
region.
• Irrigation could be done through pitchers or each plant could be
irrigated manually.
• In large plantations drip lines can be installed to irrigate the plants.
• It is important to prevent young grafted pants being subjected to
extreme drought conditions during their early stage of growth.

41. b) Mulching:
• Mulching is another method to save ground water from evaporating
during drought periods. This enables maximum utilization of ground
water by the young grafts.
• Therefore, a suitable mulch can be applied around the new plants.
• Freshly weeded grass is the commonly available mulch which help
to save ground water to a great extent.
• Coir dust is also a good source of mulch, if freely available.

42. • There are many other types of grasses and leaves which can
be used as a mulch.
• Some of these not only serve as a mulch but provide nutrients
to the plant as well (eg: Glyricidia).
• Special care must be taken to avoid the mulch being placed
closer to the stem of the plant as this may attract white ants
which could cause severe damage to the new plant

43. c) Removal of branches and shoots from
rootstock:
• Appearance of fast growing new shoots from the root stock is
common in grafted plants.
• These vigorous and fast growing shoots need to be removed early to
ensure the proper growth of the scion which is expected to grow in to
a new plant.
• It is important that this operation be done during the first two years
after planting.

44. d) Weeding:
• Method of weeding has to be decided depending on the type of weeds and
intensity of weed growth.
• This could be done either manually or mechanically.
• When plants are established during the rainy season weed growth
becomes vigorous, and if not properly controlled at the correct time the
new plants could be over grown with weeds.
• Hence, depending on the severity of growth, weeds need to be controlled
from time to time.
• If mulches are used weeds can be con plants to a certain extent.
However, regular weeding is necessary for better plant growth.

45. e). Filling of vacancies
• Some plants established in the field may not survive after few months
due to various reasons.
• These gaps or planting holes have to be replaced with new plants to
maintain the plant density at a constant level in the plantation.
• Therefore extra plants should always be kept in the nursery for the
purpose of gap filling (re planting) and special care should be given to
these new plants.

46. f). Training at initial stage
• All plants need to be trained during the first two years. It is important
to remove all side branches emerging from the stem up to about a
meter and half to get a straight stem at the bottom.
• If not trained a cashew plant may branch from a few centimeters
from the ground level giving it a bushy appearance.
• Hence, pruning to give a shape to the tree should be done during the
first few years after planting which makes cultivation and inter
cropping easy and facilitates harvesting when the plant starts
producing nuts in its third year.
• Further it provides sufficient space under the tree for other cultural
practices and use of machinery.
• This also helps to give a uniform shape to the plants.

47. g). Plant protection measures
• Generally cashew is a hardy crop and less pests and diseases are
found during early stages of the crop.
• Attention must be given to any pest damage or disease and act
accordingly to prevent heavy losses to the plantation.

48. h). Application of fertilizers
• The research results show that tremendous positive response can be
obtained through regular application of fertilizers to the cashew crop
(Fernandopulle, 2002).
• Recommended doses of fertilizers should be applied correctly during
the first two years for better establishment of the plant and
thereafter for optimum plant growth.

49. i).Inter-row cover crops
• Covering the lanes between cashew rows with green manure or
special material can be recommended if inter cropping is not
practiced.
• This has certain advantages such as elimination of weeds,
protection of soil moisture from evaporation, prevention of soil
erosion improvement of soil fertility, structure and absorption
capacity.

50. j).Fire barriers
• Fire barriers need to be maintained all around the plantation.
• This has to be established from the very initial stages of the
plantation.
• In Sri Lanka fires are common during the dry periods in upland areas
as farmers set fire to clear their land for cultivation of field crops during
the rainy season.
• Special care must be given during the dry seasons.

51. k). Intercropping
• Intercropping is possible in plantations where planting has done with
a spacing of at least 6 x 6m or more.
• Depending on the type of spacing use available time period for
intercropping may vary.
• Generally intercropping is possible up to 4 to 5 years after
establishment of plantation, thus enabling the farmer to recover at
least part of the heavy expenditure incurred during the early stages.

52. • Further, intercropping would keep the ground free of weeds thus reducing
the costs of weeding Would also supply certain amount of food source for
the farmer Research on intercropping has shown that several food crops
could be intercropped successfully in cashew plantations during the early
stages of establishment (Abeysinghe, 2001).
• Among them, maize, gingelly, ground nut, cowpea, black gram,
green gram, pigeon pea, and few vegetables have shown promise
under Sri Lankan conditions.
• Selection of a crop or crops, however, need to be done after giving
due consideration to factors such as agro ecological conditions of
the area, water availability, farmers' preference, marketability etc.

53. k). Wind breaks
• Strong and dry winds are common during certain months of the year.
• The cashew plant, particularly when they are young, can undergo
severe damages such as stunted growth, breakages of stem and
branches etc. due to winds.
• Dry winds could increase evapotranspiration causing water loss from
the soil as well as from the plant, resulting poor growth.
• Strong winds could cause erosion of soil if the soil is not protected.
• Further, winds would also help for pests and diseases to spread.

54. • Therefore, it is important to check the wind speed, which blows
across the plantations by planting suitable wind breaks.
• The planting has to be well planned, and correct plant type need to
be selected as wind breaks.
• This depends on adaptability of a crop to a certain agro-ecological
environment and its demand.
• Further, the selected crop should have a commercial value. Several
rows can be planted along boarders, roads and across the plantations
perpendicular to the wind direction.

55. Thank You..