Horticultural Research station, Pechiparai is located in the natural surroundings at the foot hills of Western Ghats about 10km away from Kulasekaram, 23 km. from Marthandam, 45km. from Nagercoil and 75km. from Trivandrum.  It is situated on the bank of Pechiparai main canal about 1.5km away from the Pechiparai Dam.

Objectives

§     Crop improvement, crop management and crop protection studies in fruits, minor fruits, vegetables, spices, plantation crops and flowers under high rainfall zone.

§     Remandated ZARS-KVK - To impart training to local farmers, tribals and department officials by organising workshops, seminars, field study programmes, front line demonstrations, on farm trials and field days etc.

§     Agrometeorological Advisory Services - To issue medium range weather forecast with agro-advisory recommendations to the farmers to take appropriate farm decisions to the anticipated weather change.

§     Medicinal Plants - Introduction of suitable medicinal plants as intercrops for young rubber plantations.

§     Survey and screening for suitable high yielding types of Jack and off season mango cultivars.

PROJECT DETAILS

Mandate crops

Salient Findings

DEPARTMENTS / LIBRARIES

            The station is provided with a well-established library containing books of various disciplines, Journals and Back volumes.  The details are furnished below.

Total number of books   -            554

Journal subscription

i)  Indian Journal of Agricultural Research (Life)

ii) Indian Coconut Journal (Life)

iii) Madras Agricultural Journal (Yearly)

iv) Spice India (Life) (Tamil and English)

LIST OF JOURNAL PROPOSED FOR SUBSCRIPTION

1.      Spices Board's monthly magazine

2.      Indian Journal of Plant Physiology

3.      Indian Journal of Plant Protection

4.      The Cashew

5.      Journal of Mycology and Plant Pathology

6.      Pest Management in Horticultural Ecosystems

7.      Seed Research Seed Tech News

8.      Indian Farming

9.      Indian Horticulture

10.   The Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences

11.  The Indian journal of animal Sciences

12.  Indian Thennai Idhazh.

13.  Agriculture Science Digest

14.  Pest Management and Economic Zoology Pest Management and Economic Zoology

15.  Journal of Plantation crops

16.  Spices and Aromatic crops

17.   Journal of Agromony

18.   Entomon

19.  Indian Journal of Spices and edicinal plants

Back volumes of 10 journals are also available in the library.

The station is also furnished with a laboratory for analysis of soil and plant samples and for entomological and pathological investigations.

PPI 1 Jack

TPPI 1 Brinjal

Staff members

TECHNOLOGIES

Varieties Released

Jack -  PPI-1

·        Year of Release - 1996

·        High yielder - 1818 kg/tree (107 fruits)

·        Bearing twice annually

·        Main season (April - June)

·        Off season (November - December)

·        High quality carpels

·        Crisp and attractive creamy yellow colour

·        Sweet and tastier with pleasant aroma

·        Tree medium tall

·        Suitable for commercial planting and home gardens.

PPI(B)1 Brinjal

·        Year of release : 2001

·        A selection from Karungal local

·        Suitable for both irrigated and rainfed conditions.

·        Solitary bearing with an average of 30 - 35 fruits per plant.

·        Excellent cooking quality without bitterness and minimum seeds.

·        Moderately resistant to shoot, fruit borer and wilt.

·        Yield 45 - 50 t/ha.

Cinnamon  PPI(C)1

·         Year of release 2002

·        A selection from open pollinated clones maintained at Horticultural Research Station, Pechiparai.

·           This accession grows to a height of 6.0 m.

·           Yields about 980 kg of bark on coppicing. (25 % more than the local variety)

·           Possesses a high oil recovery of 3.3 % in the leaf and 2.9 % in the bark.

·           Has a good regeneration capacity and suitable for coppicing at an interval of 18-24 months.

·           Suitable for high rainfall regions and lower elevations ranging from 100-500 m.

Varieties under Pipeline

Bread fruit (AA 2)

            Accession AA.2 was found to be superior with an yield of 75.0 kg per tree  (237 fruits).

Technologies developed

Pepper

·     100g of Azospirillum, 100g N, 40g P, 140g K and 10kg FYM per vine per year registered higher yield of 1.95 kg dried berries per vine in the cultivar Panniyur-1.

·     An espacement of  3 x 3m recorded a maximum yield of 3.9kg of green pepper per vine in Panniyur-1.

·     Application of monocrotophos 1.5 ml/l was found to be effective in controlling the mealy bug Ferrisia virgata in pepper.

·     Pre and post monsoon soil and foliar application of Pseudomonas  fluorescens (50g) and post monsoon application of neem cake (2 kg) + metalaxyl 0.1 % were found to reduce the incidence of foot rot in black pepper.

Clove

·     Soil application of Phorate 60g/tree or trunk implantation of Monocrotophos 1ml/tree was found to be effective for the management of stem borer  Sahyadrassus malabaricus on clove.

·     Spray application of Monocrotophos 1.5 ml/ha. or dimethoate 1ml/l as found to be effective for the management of the black scale Saissettia nigra on clove.    

Allspice

·     Dipping hardwood cuttings of Allspice in 1000ppm of IBA/IAA before planting in polybags gave maximum rooting.

Ginger

·      Rhizome treatment and soil application of Metalaxyl MZ  ( 0.1%) + Pseudomonas fluorescens  at 45 and 90 days after planting was found to reduce the rhizome rot incidence upto 4.2 per cent.

Banana

·     25 kg of FYM, 25 g of ZnSo4, 500g of Neem cake per plant was found to correct zinc deficiency in Red banana.

·     Pseudostem injection of monocrotophos or dimethoate @  1 ml + 5ml water mixture administered @ 4 ml/plant was found to be effective for the management of pseudostem borer on banana.  The cost benefit ratio was 1:2.85 and 1:2.79 in the case of Monocrotophos and Dimethoate respectively.

·     Spraying Mancozeb 0.25 per cent starting from 3^rd month onwards with one month interval registered 18.8 per cent incidence of leaf spot as against 65.2 per cent in control.

Pineapple

·     Application of 25t of FYM, 800:40:650kg of NPK/ha registered higher yield and TSS.

·     A spacing of60 x 30 cm recorded the highest yield of 52 t/ha. with a maximum fruit length of 20.5 cm and fruit girth of 42.5 cm.

Tapioca

·     Application of NPK @ 50:65:125kg/ha recorded maximum tuber yield.

CONTACT ADDRESS

Dr.M.Selvarajan, Ph.D.,

Horticultural Research Station,

Pechiparai - 629 161.

Kanyakumari District.

Phone : (04651) 281192, 281191

E-mail  : hrsppi@tnau.ac.in