Breeding of Fruit and Plantation Crops

Origin, distribution, domestication and adoption of plantation crops

Arecanut

• The nativity has been variously attributed to former Cochin- China, Malay Peninsula and neighboring islands and East Indies. It is also grown in East Africa, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Sri lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Fiji Islands. However, scientific cultivation of arecanut is only in India. Nearly 90% of the area and production come from Karnataka, Kerala and Assam. Karnataka is the major arecanut- producing State, accounting for 38% of the Indian production. It is also grown to a small extent in Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Orissa.

Cashew

• It is a native of Brazil which was spread by the Portuguese to different parts of the world primarily for soil conservation, afforestation and waste land development. Cashew was introduced to India by Portuguese in the Malabar Coast in the 16th century and subsequently dispersed to other parts of the country and also to South- East Asia. Around the same time it was introduced to East African countries. Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Goa and West Bengal which are presently the main cashew producing States, although it is grown in non traditional areas like Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Cocoa

• The primary centre of diversity of cocoa is Upper Amazon basin in South America. The tropical part of Central America qualifies as the secondary centre of cocoa. After Mexico was conquered by Spanish, cocoa was introduced to Caribbean and Venezuela, then to Philippines, Indonesia, India and Madagascar. Though cocoa gone to Africa only in 1822, Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast became the major producers. Central American cocoa is Criollo, which is the ‘fine’ or ‘flavour’ cocoa. The common Forastero ‘bulk’ cocoa, populations Amelonado, Comum, West African Amelonado, Nacional, Matina or Ceylan and Guiana and Trinitarios adopted to cultivation in different countries. In India, cocoa is mainly grown in in Kerala, Karnatak, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as an intercrop in coconut,arecanut,oilpalm gardens and partially cleared forests as under storey crop.

Coconut

• The origin of coconut is South East Asia or the Pacific Islands. It is grown in more than 80 countries distributed in the tropical belt between 23°N and 23°S of equator. The major coconut growing countries are India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Zanzibar and Soloman Islands.

Coffee

• The majority of Coffea species are native to Africa. The Coffea arabica is a native of Ethiopia, while Coffea canephora is a native to Central Africa. Coffee was introduced to India in 1600 AD by a Muslim pilgrim, Baba Budan. In late 1820s, commercial plantations were established in Coorg, Nilgiris, Palani hills and Wynad. By 1869, Indian coffee established itself producing quality coffee in world trade.

Oil palm

• Oil palm originated in Guinea Coast of West Africa. In 15th century oil palms were introduced to Brazil and other tropical countries by the Portuguese. Commercial planting of oil palm started in Malaysia during 1917. Malaysia and Indonesia are the leading producers, followed by Nigeria, Thailand, Ivory Coast, Colombia, Papua New Guinea and a few South African, Central and South American countries.

Palmyrah

• It is a native of tropical Africa. It grows extensively in drier parts of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. The palm belt in the world roughly extends from 44°South latitude to 45°North latitude. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are the major states growing palmyrah.

Rubber

• It is a native of Amazon River basin of South America. It was introduced to tropical Asia in 1876 through Kew Garden in the UK with the seeds brought from Brazil. It is now distributed in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa and America. The major rubber- growing countries are Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, China and India. Indonesia has maximum area under rubber but Thailand has taken the credit of maximum rubber producer. In India, Kerala is the predominant rubber- growing State. Tamil Nadu and Kerala account for 98% of the total production. The cultivation has extended to non traditional areas like Tripura, Karnataka, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Goa and Orissa.

Tea

• The origin of tea is South- East Asia. The use of tea as beverage could be traced back to the later part of the 8th century AD, when commercialization of tea occurred through the Arabian travelers. It is now spread over in India, China, Africa, Srilanka, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Australia and Argentina. Tea is grown in 50 countries, predominantly in Asia, Africa and Europe. Of the major tea producers, India, China, Srilanka, Kenya, Russia and Indonesia contribute the maximum share to global production.