Cashew nut is a popular nut of India. Cashew nuts are about an inch thick. Cashew is a type of tree that is used as a dry fruit. Cashew nuts are encased inside a shell with two layers, and this shell is smooth and oily. Cashew nuts are produced in many states of the country like India. For example: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa, Maharashtra and Goa.
Cashew nuts are cultivated by farmers in the months of April and May. The land is first prepared by the farmers for the cultivation of cashew nuts. In this, unnecessary plants and shrubs on the land are uprooted. After this, the field is ploughed 3-4 times, after ploughing, the field is levelled by applying pata. After that, after making the land more fertile, cow dung manure is also used by the farmers. As per the requirement, the farmers plough the field well by adding manure to the field.
For sowing cashew plants, pits are made in the field at a distance of 15-20 metres in the field. The pits are left empty for at least 15 -20 days. After that, DAP and dung manure are mixed in the top soil and filled well. Keep in mind that the land near the pits is not such that there is a problem of watering, it can have a great effect on the cashew plant.
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It is considered better to plant cashew plants in the rainy season. After sowing, sowing and hoeing work is done by the farmers from time to time to prevent weeds in the field.
There are different varieties of cashew nuts that can be produced by farmers. Vegurla-4, Ullal-2, Ullal-4, BPP-1, BPP-2, T-40 are all the major varieties of cashew nuts, by producing which the farmer can earn more profit. Most of these varieties are produced in states like Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bengal, Orissa and Karnataka.
Cashew nuts can be cultivated in all types of soil. Most of the cashew nuts are produced in rainfed areas, so seaside, red and laterite soils are considered better for cashew cultivation. Cashew nut is mainly produced in the state of Jharkhand, because the soil and climate here are considered suitable for cashew cultivation. Cashew nut is considered a tropical crop, hence its production requires a hot and hot climate.
For more production of cashew nut cultivation, farmers can use urea, potash and phosphate along with cow dung manure. In the first year, 70 gms of phosphate, 200 gms of urea and 300 gms of urea are used by the farmers. After some time, its quantity should be doubled with the growth of the crop. Farmers should also keep an eye on the problem of pests and weeds in the field on time.
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For good production of cashew nuts, farmers should prune the trees from time to time. All this is necessary to give a good structure to the cashew tree. Farmers should keep checking the cashew trees, and from time to time the drying twigs or diseased twigs in the tree should be removed. There are many pests in cashew nut crop, which scorch the plant by sucking the juice of new shoots and leaves coming in the cashew tree.
The cashew crop is ready from February to April. The entire cashew crop is not harvested, only the fallen nuts are collected. After collecting the nuts, they are dried thoroughly in the sun. After drying them well in the sun, they are filled in jute bags by the farmers. These bags are kept at a high place to keep the crop away from moisture.
The botanical name of cashew nuts is Anacardium occidentale L. Many nutritional properties are also found in cashew nuts along with nutrients. Which are very beneficial for health. Cashew nuts are also used to increase brain function. Cashew nuts have also proved beneficial in people who have problems related to bones, diabetes and haemoglobin.
So far, 33 varieties of cashew nuts have been identified, but only 26 varieties are sold in the market. Of which the variety of W-180 is considered to be the "king of cashew nuts", because it contains many bioactive compounds, which meet the lack of blood in our body, help fight diseases like cancer, are beneficial in pain and inflammation in the body.