Cultivation :
The tree is a strong light demander. It requires
direct overhead light and cannot tolerate shade of cramped
situation. The young plants, however appreciate a certain
amount of shade and benefit by side protection from the hot
sun. It is frost hardy and drought-resistant to a considerable
extent. T. Chebula tree growing in isolation produces a fine
crown and yield a good crop.
Soil type and climate :
It can be grown on wide range of soils from
loam to lateritic soils with moderate fertility. The plant
attains the best development on loose, well-drained soil.
Average temperature ranging from 10-480C is suitable for its
growth. In moist regions the tree grows well.
Propagation :
Natural regeneration :
The tree propagates by natural regeneration
in some localities but it is affected adversely to a great
extent when rats, squirrels and rodents destroy the seed.
The seeds germinate better if it is covered up with the earth
or debris than, if it is lying in the open. Germination takes
up in the rainy season. For natural regeneration, good drainage
is considered essential and shelter from the side is desirable.
Growth is generally poor at the times of rains and the seedling
is often killed by heavy and continuous rain. Manipulation
of canopy by creating small gaps facilities regeneration,
and this is supplemented by sowing seeds in gaps.
Artificial regeneration :
The tree can be successfully raised in the
field by:
1.Direct sowing of seeds.
2.Transplanting the seedlings, and
3.Planting root and shoot cuttings.
Generally the germinating velocity of the
seeds is low because of the hard seed cover, which requires
pretreatment. Fermentation of the seeds gives best germination
results. If only a few seeds become buried under earth and
debris, the chance of germination becomes better but other
shade bearing species under a dense canopy defy the chance
of survival of the seedlings. Seeds are clipped without damaging
the embryo and then are soaked in cold water for 36 hours
and are then sown in the nursery beds under shade. Germination
commences in 15 days and is completed in 3-4 weeks giving
80% germination.
Vegetative propagation :
Vegetative propagation has been found advantageous
over seed propagation as the former technique reduces the
juvenile period and subsequently facilitates early maturing.
Experiments have been carried out to evolve and standardize
the vegetative method of propagation mainly to overcome slow
growth, phenotypic variation and late fruiting. Desirable
traits are bigger fruit size with small stone.
Harvesting technique :
Collection time and procedure :
January to March is the best period for fruit
collection. Fruit should be collected in the first half of
January from the ground as soon as they have fallen. The best
time for collection of the fruit for optimum tannin content
is January. Collection prior to or after January will yield
inferior quality of Harra. A good sample contains 32 % tannin,
range of which usually varies from 12 to 49%
Harra freshly collected and dried immediately
have yellowish colour and fetch a better price. The fruits
when allowed to lie on the ground have darker colour with
sometimes mould attack. Tannin content in such decaying fruits
is also very low. Mould attack also sometimes occurs on the
tree and this is mentioned as the major cause of poor quality
of myrobalans.
Grading :
The different grades of myrobalans are at
present known by the names of the areas from where they are
exported. The grades are based on shape, colour, compactness
of the nuts and freedom from insect attack. Following four
grades are known: (1) Jabalpore coming from MP and partly
from Orissa, (2) Bimilipatnam coming from Andhra pradesh and
partly from Tamil nadu, (3) Rajpores or Bombay varity coming
mostly from Kolhapur and other parts of Maharashtra, (4) Salem
or Madras variety coming mostly from Tamil nadu
The fruits fall on the ground soon after ripening.
The harvested seeds are dried in thin layers, preferably in
shade and graded for marketing. In trade parlance, Harra is
divided into three categories.
Bal/ Choti/ Jawa Harra -
Harvesting period of this is usually January and is primarily
used for Ayurvedic medicines. Price is around Rs. 40 per kg.
The fruit of this category is collected before maturity as
small Harra has more medicinal value. However harvesting at
such an early stage is not considered sustainable. Forest
dwellers are forced to do it as it fetches more prices. When
Harra becomes mature, it looses medicinal value thereby fetching
less money.
Badi Harra – It is
used in Tanneries and not very useful for Ayurvedic medicines
as it has lesser medicinal values. Average price is about
Rs. 3 per kg. February is considered the best month for collection
of this variety. Badi Harra is loosing its ground rapidly
as it is believed that tannin production companies have developed
a substitute.
Kacheria -It is the crushed
pulp of Badi Harra as the astringent quality is found in the
same. It can be used as substitute of bal Harra. The crushed
Myrobalans are preferred as it reduces bulk and weight of
the material while whole fruits are preferred to avoid adulterations.
But transport difficulties forces exporters to send Myrobalans
in crushed form. Price comes to about Rs.10 per kg. 60 kg
of Kacheria comes out from 100 kgs of Badi Harra.
Collection and processing :
The collection of fruits is generally done
by shaking the trees and picking up from the grounds. Then
the fruits are dried in the sun with arrangements for avoiding
contamination. It takes about 3 to 4 weeks for complete drying.
For this purpose contractors generally erect temporary sheds
to store myrobalans in the event of rain as rains destroy
the valuable properties of fruits. The raw myrobalan is graded
under different trade names, selection being based upon their
solidness, colour and freedom from insect attack. Grading
generally consists of separating inferior fruits, which constitute
a second grade, the remainder being the first grade.
As previously reported, the dried myrobalans
were graded at the premises of the wholesale merchants into
different grades based on colour, solidity of the nuts and
freedom from insect attack. And these were graded by appearance
for the export market and for some tanneries within the country.
In the trade, myrobalans were usually known by the place of
origin.
Myrobalans of fair quality from any area
were marketed without grading as FAQ (Fair avg. Quality),
which consists of 75% solid and 25% of hollow and decayed
nuts.
Value addition :
Myrobalan extracts (spray dried powder form)
are manufactured by leaching with water at 70oC in an open
vat made of wood or concrete with copper or brass fittings
(iron not being used in order to avoid chemical reaction of
the tannin solution). The extract is cooled to 15oC , as it
causes separation loss of tannin. The manufacture of spray
dried tannin powder, consists in principle in projection under
pressure of finely dried spray of the liquid in a closed chamber
where it is so arranged that water vapour that is given off
is continually withdrawn. The evaporation is also helped by
the introduction of hot air, the circulation of which can
be so regulated as to control at will the moisture content
of the dry powder formed. The hot air is completely dried
before being pressed through the chamber. The dry powder extract
so obtained falls to the bottom of the chamber on an inclined
base so as to facilitate easy removal (Anon., 1960).
Yield :
No data seem to have been collected regarding
the yield of myrobalans as nowhere collection is done in an
organized manner and the distribution is scattered and so
the yield per hectare could also not be ascertained.
Economics :
No data seem to have been collected regarding
the economics as nowhere it is cultivated in an organized
manner and the distribution is scattered so the cost per hectare
could not be ascertained. |
