Spices and Condiments (1+1)

Cultivation

Propagation
Commercially, vanilla is always propagated by planting in situ stem cuttings. Cuttings of 60-120 cm length and 4 to 5 cm diameter, with 8-10 internodes should be taken from healthy vigorous plants and may be cut from any part of the vine. The plants raised from 2- 3.5 m-long cuttings will come to the bearing stage within 1 to 2 years, while those from shorter cuttings take 3 to 4 years. However, cuttings with less than 5-6 internodes and 60 cm length should not be used directly for planting. Vanilla can also be propagated by single-node cuttings using growth regulators.
IBA at 10,000 ppm followed by NAA at 2000 ppm concentrations produced the maximum rooting. For raising rooted cuttings, the month of August is the most suitable giving the best results even without any hormone treatment. The vines are coiled around and buried inside the soil. Tissue culture technology from the shoot meristem has been standardised and the tissue-cultured plant can also be used for planting. The protocols for seed and embryo culture have also been standardised.