Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai was founded in 1957 by the Government of Tamil Nadu as the Hill Banana Research Station.  In 1972, the station was designated as the Horticultural Research Station and became a Regional Research Station and the lead centre for hilly and tribal zone under NARP.  The station comes under the geographical zone of Lower Pulney hills.

Total area            :       21.82 ha (54 acres)

Cultivated area    :        18.00 ha. (45 acres)

Latitude              :         10° S

Longitude            :         77° E

Altitude               :        1098 metres

Average rainfall   :        1400mm

Soil                     :         Red and peat soil

pH                      :         5.5

Mandatory crops

Pepper, Mandarin orange, cinnamon, avocado, chow-chow, vanilla and hill banana.

Objectives

·        To meet the needs of planters in this region regarding cultivation of plantation crops, spices and condiments.

·        Developing of new technologies in the cultivation of vanilla, hill banana, pepper, avocado and chow chow.

·        Socio-economic studies of small farmers and tribes

·        Training of small farmers, youth and women in agricultural practices.

·        Production and supply of elite planting materials of vanilla  (Vanilla planifolia Andrews)

·        Production and supply of biocontrol agents viz., Trichoderma viride and pseudomonas flourescence

TKD 1 Avocado

TKD 1 Polebeans

a.      Variety released

·        TKD-1 avocado was released during 1996.  TKD-1 yields  264 kg fruit per tree (2.64 tons per hectare) with a fat content of 23.8%.

·        Polyembroynic nature of avocado seeds has been identified

·        Pole beans: TKD-1 pole bean was released in 1987.

b.      Crop production

·        Soil application of 120kg of rock phosphate and 5kg of phosphobacterium per ha increases nutrient content of leaves and also the yield of coffee.

·        Panniyur-1, Kottanadan, karimunda and Kudiraivali are the suitable varieties of pepper for Lower Pulney hills.

·        Application of Planofix @ 40ppm reduces flower dropping in pepper.

·        Application of N.P and K @ 50:40:150 gram/plant along with 25g magnesium sulphate gives higher yield of pepper.

·        Dipping hardwood cuttings of clove in 2000 ppm of IBA solution gives maximum germination and rooting.

·        The ginger variety Suruchi performs well in this area.

·        Spraying of magnesium sulphate + sinc sulphate @ 0.6% increases fruit yield of mandarin orange.

·        Application of 25gm each of VAM, Azospirillium and phosphobacterium / vine/year combined with 100gm of NPK/vine/year recorded maximum number of beans /vine. (62.95), bean length (20.90cms), bean girth (4.61 cm), single bean weight (15.40gm) and average bean yield /vine (934 gm).

·        Among the eleven ecotypes of vanilla VP2 collected from Pechiparai recorded a maximum number of beans/vine (77.20), average single bean weight 14.8gm) and average total bean yield (1140gm/vine).  The average maximum bean length 21cm and bean girth (4.61cm) were recorded in VP-11.

c.       Crop protection

·        To attract fruit flies in orange, flish –meal trap is recommended @ 20 traps per acre.

·        To attract and kill fruit flies of chow-chow, fish meal trap @ 20 traps / acre is recommended.

·        Spraying of 0.5% bordeaux mixture as first round during June, 0.02% triadimefon as second round and 0.5% bordeaux in the third round reduces the coffee rust disease.

·        To control quick wilt of pepper, soil application of Trichoderma viride @ 20g. / vine mixed with 2kg of FYM is effective.

·        Sodium chloride test has been developed to identify the bunchy top virus (BTV) infected suckers of banana.

·        Application of 400mg of 2, 4 – D along with 100g of urea in a hole made in the pseudostem base kills the BTV affected banana.

·        Acephate application @ 400mg one week before 2,4-D application kills the vector insect of BTV.

·        Pseudomonas flourescens as capsule application @ 500mg reduces the banana wilt.