Earn More by Planting Jackfruit in between coconut trees By Estrella Z. Gallardo A coconut plantation owner and manager affected by the diminishing income from his coconut was encouraged to plant jackfruit in between the coconut trees in his plantation, after attending seminars and symposia on jackfruit production. Job D. Abuyabor, Sr. started planting jackfruit in his coconut plantation in Brgy. San Isidro, Mahaplog, Leyte in 2004. In between his decades old coconut trees, Abuyabor planted jackfruit in the 7.8 hectares area in the plantation, each hectare hosting 156 trees. This intercropping of jackfruit between coconuts gave him 40 metric tons of harvests on the average after three years, when the EVIARC Sweet variety is to bear fruit. Abuyabor without acquiring additional area to hold his jackfruit was able to plant the crop and produced jackfruits that gave him an income three times better than that of his coconut. In order to produce good jackfruit, a number of things are to be considered such as fertilization and irrigation. Growing seedlings needs ample nitrogen fertilizer while bearing trees need regular applications of phosphorus and potash, Abuyabor said. Periodic ring weeding and underbrush should be done every three months and pruning in the age of two. There are also pests and diseases like the fruit fly, twig borer, bark borer and the dreaded one, the fungal pink disease (water molds) especially during the rainy season, which caused the wilting of trees. From all of these, the harvests are to be safeguarded by applying the appropriate insecticides and fungicides, he also said. There is a need to cover by plastic the fruit that emerged 42 days from flowering, and the weekly spraying of fungicide within the 86 days period and to harvest after 130 days from fruit emergence. This is a harvesting practice 16 days earlier before ripening, to ensure the high quality of the pulp, its texture and sweetness, which Abuyabor practiced in his farm. At present, he is planting strictly the EVIARC variety in his additional area of Nangka intercropping with his old coconuts, unlike what he did in his first venture, when he planted other varieties with the EVIARC Sweet. Abuyabor is a Magsasaka Siyentista of Mahapyag, Leyte. With his harvest of 40 MT last year he aims to increase it to 50 MT average this year and optimistic that he could have the dehydrating machine for his jackfruit processing soon. Meanwhile, Dr. Jose L. Bacusmo, President, Visayas State University (VSU) and Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resource Program (VICARD) RRDCC Chairperson said that it is the technology that is the center of their activity that is made available to prospective investors for commercialization. The finished products like the jackfruit juice, tart, pulvoron, vacuum-fried and dehydrated jackfruit are some of the products which technology is at hand to prospective investors. They are not into the production of these goods for commercialization but rather the technology provider to produce the goods for commercialization for investors. It is the technology that is marketed for free to produce the goods, though they have to showcase what the technology can produce, how it looks like and tastes. (PSciJourn MegaManila)
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 14:26:15 +0000
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