Production Technology of Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.)

Climate and soil requirements – varieties – propagation and use of rootstocks- planting density and systems of planting - High density and ultra-high-density planting - cropping systems - after care - training and pruning - water, nutrient and weed management – fertigation - special horticultural techniques - plant growth regulation - important disorders – maturity indices and harvest- value addition

1. Botanical Name : Anacardium occidentale L.
Family : Anacardiaceae
Origin : South America
Chromosome No. : 2n = 42
Production technology of Cashew
Dr. M. Kumaresan (Hort.)
Department of Horticulture
Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced
Studies (VISTAS)
Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu -600117

2. Cashew apple and Nuts

3. •Cashewispopularlyknownasthe‘Goldmine’ofwasteland
•CashewisanevergreenperennialplantandnativeofEasternBrazil
•CashewwasfirstintroducedtoIndia(Goa)
•Indiaistheworld'sbiggestprocessorandproducerofcashews
•Maharashtra,AndhraPradesh,Odisha,Kerala,Karnataka,TamilNadu,Goa,and
Gujaratarethemaincashew-growingstatesinIndia
•Cashewisthepoormen’scrop,butrichmen’sfood
•Oil(47%),carbohydrates(22%),protein(21%),moisture(5.9%),vitamins(B-6,E)
Introduction

4. Important cashew research centres in India
•Cashew Nut Research Station, Vrindhachalam (Tamil Nadu)
•Cashew Nut Research Station, Kerala
•Central Cashew Nut Research Station, Mangalore (Karnataka)
•Cashew Nut Research Station, Ullal (Karnataka)
•Cashew Nut Research Station, Bapatla (Andhra Pradesh)
•Cashew Nut Research Station, Daragaon (Assam)
•National Research centre for Cashew nut, Puttar (Karnataka)
•Cashew Nut Research Station, Kumbravand, Jagadalpur (Madhya Pradesh)
•Regional Fruit Research Centre, Vengurla, (Maharashtra)

5. Area
•CashewcultivationinIndiaiscomprisingofKerala,Karnataka,Goa,Maharatstra(WestCoast),Tamil
Nadu,Pondicherry,AndhraPradesh,Telangana,OrissaandWestBengal(EastCoast).
•District-wisecashewareainmajorcashewgrowingstatesinIndiahavealsobeenlocatedasfollows.
•Kerala:Cannanore,Malapuram,Palghat,Trichur,Quilon,Trivandrum,Calicut,Ernakulam,Alleppy,
Pathanamthitta,Kottayam,andIddukki.
•Karnataka:DakshinaKannada,UttarKannada,Shimoga,Kolar,Belgum,ChikmagalurandKodagu.
•TamilNadu:Cuddalore,Ariyalur,Tiruchirapalli,Pudukottai,Chingleput,Thanjavur,andKanyakumari.
•Pondicherry:PondicherryandKaraikkal.
•Andhra:WestGodavari,EastGodavari,Srikakulam,Vizagapatnam,
•Vijayanagram,KrishnaandPrakasam.
•Maharashtra:Ratnagiri,Sindhudurg,KolhapurandKolaba.
•WestBengal:Midnapore(East),Midnapore(West),BankuraandBurdwan.
•Orissa:Dhenkanal,Koraput,Cuttack,Puri,Ganjam,Sambalpur,BalasoreandSundargarh.

6. Variety suitable for different region
Tamil Nadu :VRI-1,VRI-2,VRI-3,VRI-4, VRI(CW) H1
Kerala :
Akshaya, Amrutha, Anagha, Anakkayam-1, Dhana, Dharasree,
K-22-1,Kanaka, Madakkathara -1, Madakkathara 2, Priyanka,
Sulabha, Mrudula, Poornima, Sree, KAU Nihara
Andhra Pradesh :
BPP-1, BPP-2, BPP-3, BPP-4, BPP-5, BPP-6, BPP-8, BPP -10,
BPP -11
Karnataka :
Chintamani-1, Chintamani-2NRCC-1, NRCC-2, Ullal-1, Ullal -2,
Ullal-3, Ullal-4, UN-50, H-130, Bhaskara , Nethra Vaman
Maharastra :
Vengurla-1,Vengurla-2,Vengurla-3,Vengurla-4,Vengurl-5,Vengurla-
6,Vengurla-7 , Vengurla-8
Goa :Goa-1 , Goa 2
Orissa :Bhubaneswar-1, Jagannath, Balabhadra
West Bengal :Jhargram-1, Jhargram-2

7. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Bapatla, Dr.YSR
Horticultural University, West Godavari
BPP 1
•Hybrid released in the year 1980
•Average yield is 10 kg/tree
•Perfect flowers is about 13% with a fruit set of eight fruits per panicle
•Nuts are medium in size with a nut weight of 5g and the shelling percentage of
27.5.
•Kernel protein percentage is 19.8%.
•Apple is medium in size and yellow in colour with the juice content of 57%.
•Kernel grade is W 400.

8. BPP 2
•Hybrid released in 1980.
•Average yield is 11 kg/tree
•Nuts are small with a nut weight of 4g and shelling percentage of 25.7
•Bisexual flowers is 8% with the fruit set of 8 to 10/panicle
•Protein content of kernels is 21.3%.
•Juice content in apple is 67%.
•Kernel grade is W 450.
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Bapatla, Dr.YSR
Horticultural University, West Godavari

9. BPP 3
•Selection from the germplasm collected from Simhachalam in Vishakapatnam
district of Andhra Pradesh and released in 1980
•Bisexual flower percentage is 15%
•Average yield recorded was 11 kg/tree
•Nut weight is 4.8g with shelling percentage of 28.1
•Protein content is 19.0%
•Apple has juice content of 67%
•Kernel grade is W 400
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Bapatla, Dr.YSR
Horticultural University, West Godavari

10. BPP 4
•Selection from germplasm and released in 1980
•Bisexual flower percentage is about 8%
•Average yield is 10.5kg/tree with a nut weight of 6g
•Shelling percentage is poor (23%)
•Protein % of kernels is 18.1%
•Apple colour is yellow and shape is conical
•Kernel grade is W 400
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Bapatla, Dr.YSR
Horticultural University, West Godavari

11. BPP 5
•Selection from germplasm and released in 1980
•Bisexual flower is about 8%
•Average yield is 10.5kg/tree with a nut weight of 6g
•Shelling percentage is poor (23%)
•Protein % of kernels is 18.1%
•Apple colour is yellow and shape is conical
•Kernel grade is W 400
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Bapatla, Dr.YSR
Horticultural University, West Godavari

12. BPP 6
•Selection from germplasm collection
•Variety released in 1980
•Bisexual flower is 8% and mean yield of nuts is about 10.5kg/tree
•Nut weight is 5.2g and shelling percentage of this variety is 24
•Protein is 20.3%
•Juice content of apple is very high (74%)
•Kernel grade is W 400
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Bapatla, Dr.YSR
Horticultural University, West Godavari

13. BPP 8
•Hybrid released in 1993 for general cultivation in Andhra Pradesh
•Performing well in Orissa and West Bengal
•Superior to all the other six varieties developed from Bapatla
•Yield is14 kg/tree with better nut size (8.2g)
•Shelling percentage is 29%
•Kernel grade is W 210 (export grade)
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Bapatla, Dr.YSR
Horticultural University, West Godavari

14. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, ICAR-CCARI, Goa
Goa-1
•Released from ICAR Research Complex, Goa in 1999
•First cashew variety released from the state of Goa
•Selection from accession Balli-2 which is originated from a tree located in Balli
village of Quepem taluk of Goa
•Average yield of Goa-1 is 7.0 kg/tree with nut weight of 7.6 g and the shelling
percentage of 30.0
•Kernel weight is 2.2 g. The kernel grade is W 210
•Apple colour is yellow and with average weight of 66.7 g and with average juice
content of 68.0%
•It is recommended to the state of Goa

15. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, ICAR-CCARI, Goa
Goa-2
•Released from ICAR Research Complex, Goa in 2007
•Selection from Ela village of Tiswadi taluk of North Goa District
•Average yield of Goa-2 is 5.5 kg/tree with nut weight of 9.4 g and the shelling percentage of
29.25
•Kernel weight is 2.3 g
•Kernel grade is W 210
•Apple colour is yellowish orange with cylindrical shape and with average weight of 105 g
•Juice content ranges from 68.0 – 72.0 per cent
•It is recommended to the state of Goa

16. Varieties released from ICAR-DCR, Puttur
Nethra Jumbo-1
•Released in 2021 by the ICAR- Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur
•Cluster-bearing variety with a high yield
•Starts flowering during November and nuts are formed during January- February. Hence it can
take advantage of early high prices
•Ten-year-old trees in coastal areas yield about 10 kg per tree
•Nut weight is 12 g and it gives 20 g kernel when 100 grams of nuts are processed
•Kernel weight is 3.4 g
•Export grade is 130
•Cashew fruits are red and weigh around 100 grams
•Juice content is 72 %
•Suitable for the coastal region of Karnataka

17. Varieties released from ICAR-DCR, Puttur
Nethra Ubhaya
•Released in the year 2023 by the ICAR-Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur.
•Dual-purpose variety suitable for both nuts and fruits.
•Flowering starts from November and continues up to March and the peak flowering will be in
January and February
•A ten-year-old tree has the potential to yield around 8-10 kg per tree
•Nut weight ranges from 7 to 8 g with an average nut weight of 7.66 g per nut.
•Nuts have a very high shelling percentage (34.66%) with 21.12 % of CNSL content in the shell.
•Kernels are bold with a 2.44g average weight and fit into kernel grade W 210.
•Bears attractive yellow-red apples which weigh around 81g.
•Apples have a TSS of 14.93 ∘ B with 75 percent juice content.
•Apples contain less amount of tannin (3.43 mg/100g) and are suitable for processing

18. Nethra Vaman
•Grows to a height of less than 2.5 meters
•Nuts are small in size with a weight of less than 7 g
•Apple colour is good, attractive and has less fibre content.
•Pruning responsive, long flowering duration variety, and flowers in the first year
of planting.
•It has stem galling like coffee.
•It can be suitable for home gardens.
•It best suits for bonsai and opts for pot culture.
Varieties released from ICAR-DCR, Puttur

19. Varieties released from ICAR-DCR, Puttur
Bhaskara
•Released during March 2006 for coastal region of Karnataka
•Midseason flowering habit (Dec-Mar) with a flowering duration of 60 days
•Number of fruits per panicle (bunch) ranged from 4 -13
•Average yield on 13th year was 10.7 kg/tree with highest yield of 19 kg/tree.
•Nut and kernel weight are 7.4 g and 2.2 g
•Shelling percentage is 30.6 and kernel grade conforms to export grade W240.
• Apple colour is pinkish orange and juice content is 67.5%.
•Variety is very popular in Karnataka and and Kerala

20. Varieties released from AHRS, Ullal, UAHS, Shivamogga,
Karnataka
Ullal-1
•Germplasm collected from Taliparamba in Kerala and released by ARS, UAS in
1984.
•Variety has 2-3% of bisexual flowers
•Average yield is 16 kg/tree
•Duration of harvest is long (about 110 days)
•Nut weight is 6.7g with shelling percentage of 30.7%
•Colour of apple is yellow
•Kernel grade is W210

21. Varieties released from AHRS, Ullal, UAHS, Shivamogga,
Karnataka
Ullal-2
•Germplasm collected from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh (3/67 Guntur) and released
in 1984.
•Late flowering type (December to March) with very short duration of harvest
(85 days).
•Yield is about 9 kg/tree
•Nut size is medium with 6g nut weight and shelling percentage is 30.5
•Colour of apple is light red
•Kernel grade is W 240

22. Ullal-3
•Selection from 5/37 Manjeri and released in 1993.
•Early in flowering (November – January) and fruiting period is very short (50-60
days).
•Fruiting is from January to March and sometimes starts from last week of
December
•High yielding variety with average yield of 14.7 kg/tree
•Nut size is medium with nut weight of 7g
•Shelling percentage is 30% and the kernel grade conforming to W 210 grade
•Colour of apple is red
Varieties released from AHRS, Ullal, UAHS, Shivamogga,
Karnataka

23. Ullal-4
•Selection from Tuni Andhra and released in 1994 for general cultivation
•Average yield is 9.5 kg/tree
•Nut size is medium with 7.2g nut weight
•Shelling percentage is 31%
•Export grade of kernels conforms to W 210 counts/lb
•Colour of apple is yellow and apple weight is 75g
Varieties released from AHRS, Ullal, UAHS, Shivamogga,
Karnataka

24. Varieties from HRS, Hogalagere (Earlier at Chintamani), UHS,
Bagalkot
Chintamani-1
•Selection from Taliparamba, a germplasm collection from Taliparamba in Kerala
and released in 1993 from ARS, Chintamani
•Variety is recommended for plain region of Karnataka
•Flowering period is from January to April with 2-4 nuts per panicle
•Average yield of this variety is 7.2 kg/tree as against the 2 kg/tree of the local
varieties
•Nut weight is 6.9g with shelling percentage of 31%
•Kernel grade is W 210.

25. Varieties from HRS, Hogalagere (Earlier at Chintamani), UHS,
Bagalkot
Chintamani-2
•Seedling selection from Ullal and released in 2007 from ARS, Chintamani.
•Canopy type is compact and with intensive branching
•Flowering period is from December to January
•Average yield of this variety is 12.4 kg/tree.
•Nut weight is 7.9g with shelling percentage of 30%
•Kernel weight is 2.35 g. The kernel grade conforms to W 210. The colour of the
apple is red purple with average weight of apple of 70g. Juice content is 60%.

26. Varieties released by AICRP (Cashew) Center, Madakkathara, KAU,
Thrissur
Madakkathara-1
•Selection from seedling progeny of Tree No. 39 of Bapatla
•Variety was released in 1987
•Flowering season is from November to January
•Yield is 13.8 kg/tree
•Nuts are medium sized with 6.2g nut weight
•Shelling percentage is 26.8
•Kernel weight is 1.6g and kernel quality conforms to W 280
•Apple colour is yellow with a weight of 52g
•Reducing sugar content is 10.5%.

27. Varieties released by AICRP (Cashew) Center, Madakkathara, KAU,
Thrissur
Madakkathara-2
•Selection from germplasm collection made from Neduvellur in Kerala
maintained at CRS, Anakkayam
•Variety was released in 1987
•Yield is 17 kg/tree
•Nuts are bold (7.3 g nut weight) with shelling percentage of 26.2%
•Kernel weight is 2g having a count of W 240 export grade
•Apple colour is red and with weight of apple 63.3g
•Reducing sugar content is 7.8%

28. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV,
Dapoli, Maharashtra
Vengurla-1
•Selection from the germplasm (Ansur-1) collected from Ansur village in Vengurla
Tehsil of Maharashtra
•Released in the year 1974
•Average percentage of perfect flowers is about 8%.
•Average yield is 19 kg/tree
•Nut weight is 6.2g with the shelling percentage of 31
•Early flowering variety
•Colour of the apple is yellow
•Kernel grade is W 240

29. Vengurla-2
•Variety was released in the year 1979
•Selection from germplasm collected from West Bengal
•Average perfect flower percentage is 8%
•Average yield is about 24 kg/tree (in 20th year of age).
•4.3g nut weight and shelling percentage of 32.
•Colour of apple is pinkish red.
•Kernel grade is W 320.
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV,
Dapoli, Maharashtra

30. Vengurla-3
•Hybrid developed from the cross Ansur-1 x Vetore 56 and was released in 1981.
•Percentage of perfect flowers is 25% with an average fruit set of 7%
•Average yield is 14.4 kg/tree
•Bold nut variety with the nut weight of 9.1g and shelling percentage of 27.
•Kernel grade is W210 (export grade)
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV,
Dapoli, Maharashtra

31. •Vengurla-4
•Hybrid variety with the parentage of Midnapore Red x Vetore 56 and released in
1981.
•Cluster bearing type and with percentage of perfect flowers of 35 and fruit set of
6%.
•Yield of nuts is 17.2 kg/tree
•Nut weight is 7.7g and shelling percentage is 31
•Colour of the apple is red
•Kernel grade is 210 (export grade)
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV,
Dapoli, Maharashtra

32. Vengurla-5
•Hybrid having the parentage of Ansur Early x Mysore Kotekar 1/61.
•Released in 1984
•Very high perfect flower percentage of 50.5%
•Average yield is 16.6 kg/tree
•Nut size is small with 4.5 g nut weight
•Shelling percentage is 30
•Produces small golden yellow coloured apples
•Kernel grade is W 400
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV,
Dapoli, Maharashtra

33. Vengurla-6
•Hybrid of cross combination Vetore 56 x Ansur – 1 and released in the year
1991.
•Variety has average yield of 13.8 kg/tree with nut weight of 8g
•Kernel grade is W 210
•Variety is popular among farmers
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV,
Dapoli, Maharashtra

34. Vengurla-7
•Hybrid developed from the cross Vengurla-3 x M 10/4 (VRI-1)
•Percentage of perfect flowers is very high (40%)
•Average yield is 18.5 kg/tree
•Bold nut type with nut weight of 10g and shelling percentage of 30.5
•Kernel grade is W 180
•Colour of apple is yellow with apple weight of 60g and with juice content of 75 per cent.
•Average weight of kernel is 2.9g.
•Variety is recommended for the Konkan region of Maharashtra and adjoining cashew growing
regions of Goa and Karnataka.
Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV,
Dapoli, Maharashtra

35. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV, Dapoli,
Maharashtra
Vengurla-8
•Hybrid released in 2001 and yields 15-20 kg /tree.
•Bold nuts with 86 nuts / kg.
•Red apple variety with juice recovery is 85%.

36. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vengurla, KKV, Dapoli,
Maharashtra
Vengurla-9
•Hybrid released in year 2015.
•Middle to late season variety with 111 days of flowering duration and is
bunch bearing variety with intensive branching
•Nut weight is 8.9 g with 112 nuts per kg
•High yield (7.24 kg/tree) and has shelling percentage of 29.35%.
•Apple colour is reddish yellow and apple weight is 69.71 g.

37. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, OUAT,
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha
Bhubaneswar-1
•Selection from seedling progeny and released in 1989
•Flowering season is from January to March with medium duration of 70 days
•Cluster bearing habit with about 12 fruits per bunch
•Variety has average yield of 10 kg/tree with small nut size (4.6g nut weight).
•Shelling percentage is high (32%) with kernel grade of W 320
•Suitable for cultivation in the sandy and laterite soils

38. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, OUAT,
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha
Jagannath (BH 6)
•Mid-season flowering (Jan-Mar) variety having bold nuts with 8.6 g nut weight.
•Variety gives an average nut yield of 2.1 t/ha (10.5 kg/tree) and possesses high
shelling percentage (32.5 %)

39. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, OUAT,
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha
Balabhadra
•Early flowering (Dec-Feb) variety having bold nuts with 7.4 g nut weight
•Average nut yield of 2.0 t/ha (10.0 kg/tree) and possesses high shelling
percentage (30.0 %)

40. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vridachalam,
TNAU, Tamil Nadu
VRI 1 (1981)
•Selection from germplasm collected from Vazhisodhanipalayam in South Arcot District of
Tamil Nadu
•Medium sized tree having setting of 5 to 7 fruits per panicle
•Released in the year 1981 and the mean yield is 7.2 kg/tree under Vridhachalam
conditions
•Nut size is small with 5g nut weight and shelling percentage of 28%
•Kernel grade is W 320

41. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vridachalam,
TNAU, Tamil Nadu
VRI 2 (1985)
•National variety is a selection from the germplasm collected from Kattupalli village of Minjur
block of Changelpattu district of Tamil Nadu and released in 1985
•Variety is found to be “prepotent” – meaning that the variety is capable of giving good seedling
progenies irrespective of male parents
•Variety is found adaptable over wide range of soils and regions
•Percentage of bisexual flowers is 10 with a setting of 5-8 fruits per panicle
•Average yield is about 7.4 kg/tree
•Nut size is small with 5.1g nut weight with shelling percentage of 28.3%
•Kernel grade is W 320
•Colour of the apple is pinkish yellow

42. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vridachalam,
TNAU, Tamil Nadu
VRI 3 (1991)
•Selection from seedling progeny of a high yielding tree collected from a village Edayanchavadi in
South Arcot District of Tamil Nadu and was released in 1991
•It has 12.1% perfect flowers
•Average yield of this variety is about 10 kg/tree, thus the increase over VRI-2 and VRI-1 being 35
to 39%
•Nut size is medium with 7.2g nut weight and shelling percentage of 29.1%
•Kernel grade conforms to W 210 export grade
•Variety is picking up fast among farmers of not only of Tamil Nadu but also of other states

43. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vridachalam,
TNAU, Tamil Nadu
VRI 4 (2000)
•Selection from the Regional Research Station, Virudhachalam, which was released from
Vazhisodanipalayam in the Cuddalore taluk of Tamil Nadu
•3320 kg of nuts are produced by the crop per acre
•Medium-sized nuts have an average weight of 6.63 g.
•Tree can yield up to 18.10 kg of nuts
•Percentage of shelling on the nuts is 28.5
•Crop ripens between April and June, while the blossoms appear in January through May
•Grown in areas of Tamil Nadu with low rainfall, including Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Sivagangai,
Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Perambalore, Pudukkottai, and Cuddalore districts.

44. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vridachalam,
TNAU, Tamil Nadu
VRI (Cw)-5 (2007)
•Hybrid that was created by combining M 26/2 (VRI-3) and M 26/1
•Branching habit is spreading, and the canopy type is compact
•Average, yield is 13.2 kilogram per tree
•With a weight of 7.2 g and a shelling percentage of 30.5%, the nut size is medium
•W 210 is the kernel grade
•Apple has a spherical shape, a pink color with a hint of yellow, and weight between
50.0 and 53.5 g
•Recommended for all of Tamil Nadu's cashew-growing areas

45. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Vridachalam,
TNAU, Tamil Nadu
VRI (CW) H1(2009)
•Producing clusters with six to ten fruits per panicle
•kernel weight is 2.2 g and bold nuts (7.2 g)
•High percentage of shelling (30.5%)
•Export-ready (W 210 grade),
•Simple testa to peel and its produced 14.5 kg per tree and 2900 kg per hectare

46. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Jhargram, BCKV,
Kalyani, West Bengal
Jhargram-1
•Selection from T.No.16 originally collected from Bapatla
•It was released in the year 1989
•Medium compact canopy and intensive branching habit.
•It has on an average, 6 fruits per bunch and yield of 8.5 kg/tree with small nut
size (5g nut weight)
•Shelling percentage is 30 and kernel grade is W 320.

47. Varieties released from AICRP (Cashew) Center, Jhargram, BCKV,
Kalyani, West Bengal
Bidhan Jhargram– 2
•Selection plantation of the Bidan Chandra Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya, Jhargram, West Bengal,
Regional Research Station
•Cultivar bears three to four fruits per panicle during its mid-season flowering pattern
•Apple weights 63g and has a mean juice content of 68.9%.
•Golden yellow in color
•With a kernel weight of 2.85g and a high shelling percentage of 32%, the average nut weight
is 9.2g
•W 180 is the kernel grade
•In the seventh harvest, the cultivar can produce 13.5 kg/tree

48. Propagation
Sowing seed nuts
•Soaking of nuts overnight in water enhances germination
•Soaked nuts are sown at 1-inch depth
•Irrigate the bags after sowing.
•Mulching the poly bags will hasten the germination process.
•Remove the mulch after germination
•Protect the plants with 50% shade during summer
•Regular watering of seedlings every day is most essential
•No need to water when it is raining.
•Nuts start germinating in 15-20 days
•Fresh nuts sown in summer germinate early.
•Protect the germinating seedlings from rodents and birds as the cotyledons are tasty.

49. Management of rootstock
•Prevent water logging in bags during rainy season by pressing the sides of the bag
•Spray I % bordeaux mixer or 0.1% carbendazim at 10 days interval to control
collar rot in seedlings
•Sowing in rainy season invites root rot problem
•Protect from rain in case rainy season sowing is taken up
•Control the insects by spraying suitable insecticides
•Ensure that the root stock grows straight by removing side shoots
•About 45-60 day old seedlings of 25-30 cm height will be ready for grafting
Propagation

50. Soft wood grafting technique
Preparation of root stock
•Leaving a pair of cotyledenory leaves, remove all the leaves in root stock seedling.
•At a height of 15-20 cm from the base chop off the top portion of seedlings
•Make a downward slit of 6-7 cm in the rootstock seedling. Preparation of scion stick and
grafting
•Select a scion stick matching the root stock and trim its length to about 10 cm
•Make a wedge shaped cut of 6-7 cm length in the basal portion of scion stick and insert it in
to the cleft (vertical slit) made in the rootstock seedling
•Cambial layers of both root stock and scion should be aligned, at least on one side.
•Tightly secure the graft joint with 100 guage poly strip of 2cm width and 30 cm length.

51. •Prevent desiccation of graft joint by covering it with a poly tube of 200 guage
thickness, 20 cm length and 4 cm width.
•This will hasten the process of sprouting.
•Grafted plants to be kept in shade for 2-3 weeks for better sprouting of buds.
•Shift the grafted plants to sunny place after 2-3 weeks and remove the poly tubes
•Successful grafts will show the symptom of growth in 3-4 weeks’ time.
•70-80% grafts will sprout in 3-4 weeks.
•Success of grafting depends on selection of scion stick, skill of grafter, season of
grafting, grafting technique and environmental condition
•Usually 60-70% of final success can be obtained
Soft wood grafting technique

52. Grafting
•Supply of good-quality grafted
seedlings
•Maintaining superior genotypes
•High-yielding variety
Cashew is a highly cross pollinated
crop
Seedling progenies are highly
heterozygous
High yielding variety : VRI 3 and
VRI (CH) 1
Dwarf variety: HC 6 (Hybrid Cashew 6)
Multiplication of cashew grafts
Selection of nuts (8 to 10 9) Select desired cultivar
Sowing of nuts Select current season shoots
Ready for grafting (45 to 60 days ) Precuring
Rootstock Raising Scion Selection
Select 10-15 cm ScionDecapitate 15-20cm
V shape cut at centre
Graft ready for 4-5 Months
Insert Scion in to rootstock
Wedge cut at lower portion
Cover the Grafts with poly tubes

53. Soft wood grafting technique

54. Planting and spacing
•Recommended spacing for cashew at present is 7.5m×7.5m or 8.0m × 8.0m
which contain 175 and 156 plants/ha.
•High density planting with 4.0 m X 4.0 m (625 plants/ha) or 5.0 m X 5.0 m (400
plants/ha) performed higher yield and after 7 years of planting the yield increased
to 2 to 2 ½ times.
•Efficient utilization of land is possible through high density planting.
•High density planting is more suitable for soils with low fertility.
•It also reduces the weed population due to better land coverage.

55. Dwarf F1 hybrid cashew - HC 6 (Hybrid Cashew 6)
•It is newly released variety with dwarf tree - 3.0 m height and 2.8-3.0m canopy spread.
•It produce profuse flowering with more number of bisexual flowers. It yields 3.5 kg nuts /tree
•This variety highly suitable for HDP. It was adapted small and medium level of farmers to get
more yield per unit area.
Spacing Plant population (Ha) BCR ratio
HDP 5x4 m 500 plants 3.35
Conventional 10 x 5m or 7 x 7m 200 plants 1.50
RRS, Vriddhachalam : Ultra-High Density Planting
•Spacing: 4 x 2 m (1250 plants)
•Best for canopy management, light interception, more number of current season’s shoots,
flowering panicles, fruit set and yield (1520 kg nuts/ha)
•Flowering and yield start - first year after planting
Adopting HDP System

56. Cashew - Ultra-High Density Planting
4 x 2 m

57. Nutrient management
•Recommended dose of manures and fertilizers for cashew is 1000:125:250 g
NPK/tree is recommended tree.
Foliar spraying
•NPK 19:19:19 @ 1 % at new flush stage (August)
•Mono-Ammonium Phosphate @ 1 % + boron 0.1 % during flowering (December )
•TNAU Panchagavya 3 % during fruit set stage (January- February)
Training and pruning
•Develop the trunk to a height of 1 m by removing low lying branches.
•The dried twigs and branches should be removed every year.

58. Top working in cashew
Cut the branches 50 cm to 1.5 m
height
Trees start bearing two years after top
working
Maintain 4-6 shoots/branch
Selected scion grafted into the shoots
•To convert inferior genotype to superior
genotype
•Genotype - changed by grafting to improve the
productivity
Conditions
• Tree produce very poor quality nuts
• Tree is severely infested by pests such as stem borers
• Tree yield is very low
• Architecture of the tree is not uniform

59. Plant protection - Pest
Stem and root borer: Plocaederus ferrugineus
•Grubs bore into the bark in their early stages and make excessive tunnels in all
directions causing wilting of branches and then the tree as a whole.
•Roots are also affected.
•Plantation over 15 years are often seen infested.
•Twice a year before the onset of South West Monsoon (March – April) and after
cessation of monsoon (November) painting of coal tar + kerosene mixture (1:2)
•Remove grubs from early stage infested trees and drench the damage portion with
Chlorpyriphos 0.2% @ 10 ml/lit or Neem Oil 5%.

60. Tea mosquito bug: Helopeltis antonii
•Nymphs and adults suck sap on leaves and inflorescence.
Leaves are deformed and show angular lesions, particularly
along the veins, which may drop off
•In flowering stage cause inflorescence blight
•Feeding on the stalks of the tender shoots causes elongated
green lesions, sometimes accompanied by exudation of gum.
•Spray application of phosalone 35 EC@ 2.0 ml, followed by
carbaryl 50WP @ 2g/l at vegetative flush stage, panicle
initiation stage and nut formation stage respectively are
recommended for the management of tea mosquito bug

61. Diseases
Die back or Pink disease
•Prune the affected shoots just below the affected portion and apply Bordeaux
paste
•Spray 1 % Bordeaux mixture or any copper fungicide like Blitox or Fytolan 0.25
% twice i.e. in May - June and again in October as a prophylactic measure.
Anthracnose
•Remove the affected portions of plant/branches
•Spray 1 % of Bordeaux mixture + Ferrous sulphate at the time of flush initiation

62. Harvest and Yield
Harvest
•Plant starts yielding 3rd year onwards.
•Peak picking months are March and May.
•Good nuts are grey green, smooth and well filled
•After picking, the nuts are separated from the apple and dried in the sun for two
to three days to bring down the moisture content to 10 to 12 %.
•Properly dried nuts are packed in alkathene bags.
•This will keep for 6 months.
Yield: About 3 - 4 kg/tree/year can be obtained.

64. Cashew Processing
•Processing of cashew is defined as the recovery of edible meat
portion- the kernel from raw nuts, by manual or mechanical
means. In India, the processing is by manual means. It consists of;
1. Roasting
2. Shelling
3. Peeling
4. Sweating
5. Grading
6. Packing

65. 1. Roasting
•Roasting is designed to make shell brittle.
a. Open Pan Roasting
•Earliest process was the pan roasting
wherein the nuts are heated on a metal pan
over an open fire
•Due to the heat and slight charring the shells
become brittle
•Pan roasting is not followed in organized
sectors of industries

66. b. Drum roasting
•Nuts are fed into a rotating hot drum, which ignites the shell portion of the nut
•Drum maintains its temperature because of the oil oozing out of the nuts. The drum is kept in
rotation by hand for about 2-4 minutes
•Roasted nuts which are still burning are covered with wood ash to absorb the oil on the surface
1. Roasting
•Rate of shelling and the outturn of whole kernels are
very high in this method
•However, the main disadvantage is the loss of CSNL
which has a very high export potential
•In addition there will be considerable heat and acrid
fumes in the vicinity of this operation.
Drum for roasting and hot oil bath

67. c. Oil bath roasting
•In this method, the nuts are held in wire trays and are passed through a bath of cashew shell oil maintained at a
temperature of 200-202
o
C for a period of three minutes whereby the shell oil is received from the shells to maximum
possible extent.
•Vessel is embedded in brick work and heated by a furnace which use spent shell as fuel.
•During roasting, the shell gets heated and cell wall gets separated releasing oil into bath.
•As the level rises the oil is recovered by continuous overflow arrangement.
•Roasted nuts are then converted into a centrifuge.
•Residual oil adhering to the surface of nuts is removed by centrifuging.
•Roasted nuts are mixed with wood ash and sent for shelling.
•In Panruti (Tamilnadu) the conventional roasting is completely avoided.
•Raw nuts are exposed to the intense sun that is prevalent in that region.
•Well dried nuts are hand shelled. Here also the CSNL is completely recovered.
1. Roasting

68. •After roasting, shelling is done by labour.
•Each nut is placed edgewise and cracked open with a light wooden mallet and the kernel
extracted with or without wire prong.
•Care has to be taken that the inner kernel is intact and not broken into bits.
•After kernels are removed from the shells they have to be dried to reduce the moisture to
loosen the adhering testa.
2. Shelling

69. •Peeling is the removal of testa from the kernels
•This is done with help of safety pin or small hand knife
•Peeling is made easier when the kernels are subjected to a heat treatment for
about 4 hrs in a drying chamber
3. Peeling

70. •After peeling, the kernels are spread out indoors on cement flooring so that
they may absorb some moisture and become less brittle.
•This prevents the tendency to break easily during grading.
4. Sweating

71. •Grading of kernels on the basis of specifications for exportable grades.
•There are 25 exportable grades of cashew kernels.
•Kernels are stored into wholes, splits and
•Broken primarily on the basis of visual characteristics.
•Wholes are again size-graded on the basis of the number of kernels per 1Ib.
•Entire grading operation is done manually.
•However for size-grading mechanical operation is also practiced
5. Grading

72. •Final operation is packing in 10 kg capacity tins, which are subsequently evacuated
and filled with carbon dioxide.
•In some parts to overcome the possible over-drying a re-humidification step is
introduced before packing.
•Practice of filling with an inert gas is mainly to combat infestation during transit.
•Carbon dioxide being a heavier gas is more convenient for handling.
•Contention that absorption of carbon dioxide makes the kernel tastier does not have
much truth.
•In any case the processed kernels are rarely consumed without a subsequent heat
processing in the form of roasting frying and/or baking.
6. Packing

73. Cashew apple RTS and Jam preparation
RTS
Freshly harvested cashew apples
Washing
Juice extraction
(Sago @ 5g/litre of juice)
Clarification of the juice
RTS drink preparation
Jam
Pulp preparation: cashew apples were cleaned and
detanned by dipping in the common salt solution at 5%
level for three consecutive days.
After three days, the detanned fruits were taken out and
washed. These were steamed with pressure cooker for
15 minutes without putting the whistle, and then made
in to a pulp, which was used for the preparation of jam
For jam preparation, Cashew apple pulp (1 kg), sugar (1
kg) and citric acid (5 g).
Sugar and pulp were mixed thoroughly and there after
citric acid was added to it and cooked with continuous
stirring. When it reached the stage of jam, which was
assessed by sheet test, transferred in to sterilized glass
bottles.

74. Collection of Cashew apple fruits

Washing

(Crushing)
Kept for juice extractor

(Kept for 2 to 3 days )
Fermentation

( (Formation of a film
floating over the juice)
Distillation



Feni
Cashew apple is a valuable source of sugar, vitamins and minerals
Vitamin-C content in Cashew apple is five times more than that in citrus fruits
Cashew Feni
Value added by products

75. Cashew nut shell oil extraction
process

76. CNSL - Application

77. Cashew Nut Shell Liquid
•Pericarp of the nut consists of a coriacious epicarp, spongy mesocarp and stony endocarp.
•Kernel covered with testa membrane is contained in a shell 1/8 inch thick.
•Mesocarp consists of a honeycomb network of cells containing a viscous liquid called cashew nut shell liquid
(CSNL), which provides a natural protection to the kernel against insects
•CSNL is a valuable raw material for a number of polymer based industries like paints and varnishes, resins,
industrial and decorative laminates, brake linings and rubber compounding resins.
•CNSL is traditionally obtained as a byproduct during the isolation of kernel.
•Major constituent of shell oil is cardanol and anacardic acid of which cardanol is separately extracted and used
in many industries.
•Shell oil was used as a preservative for boats and nets and to protect wood from termites.
•It is now largely exported and used in the manufacture of plastics, indelible inks, water proofing composition
and other industrial products.

78. Extraction of CNSL
•Extraction of CNSL involves various methods viz. hot oil bath, expellers, kiln
method, solvent extraction etc, the most common method being hot oil bath.
•In this method the raw nuts are passed through a bath of CNSL itself by which
the CNSL is extracted.
•This method extracts only 50% of liquid contained in nuts. Then through
expellers about 90% of liquid can be extracted.
Cashew shell charcoal
•Remains of shell after the extraction of CSNL is called shell charcoal.
•This is used as a fuel.
•Shell charcoal is used in processing of cashew for drying after shelling.
Cashew Nut Shell Liquid