Jackfruit in
Bangladesh
Jack fruit or Panasa scientifically known as Artocarpus heterophylla
Lam belongs to the family Moraceae and the fruit, a gigantic syncarp,
is the largest fruit of the world. It is an indigenous fruit crop of
Kerala probably originated in the Western Ghats. Jackfruit is widely
grown as an important tree in Kerala’s homesteads and also as a
shade crop in coffee plantations. It is popularly known as poor
man’s fruit in the eastern and southern parts if India. The
jackfruit is a multi-purpose species providing food, timber, fuel,
fodder, medicinal and industrial products. It is a nutritious fruit,
rich in vitamins A, B and C, potassium, calcium, iron, proteins and
carbohydrates. Due to the high levels of carbohydrates, jackfruit
supplements other staple foods in times of scarcity in some regions. It
is the national fruit of Bangladesh where the tree has great
socio-economic importance.
In Kerala state the jackfruit was
regarded as heavenly fruit in the ancient times. Jackfruit is grown in
home landscapes mostly without any management practices. Because no
fertilizer is used in the home landscape it has the potential to be one
of the promising fruits grown organically in Kerala. Although there is
a large number of indigenous varieties of jackfruit grown in the state,
systematic documentation regarding the varieties is yet to be done.
Bangladesh produces 1.5 million tons of fruits from 160,000 hectares
(395,368 acres) of land, with about 30% of fruits being produce from
jackfruit plantations. In India, the total area under jackfruit
cultivation is thought to be approximately 26,000 hectares (64,247
acres), of which, an estimated 100,000 trees are grown in back yards
and as intercrops amongst other commercial crops in south India.
Jackfruit is also grown commercially in Sri Lanka over of an area of
about 4,500 hectares (11,119), primarily for timber, although the fruit
is much appreciated.
Genetic
Variability
Jackfruit
has innumerable types or forms of fruit characteristics. These types
differ widely among themselves: density of spines on the rind, fruit
bearing, size, shape, quality and period of maturity. Being a cross
pollinated crop a wide variation is observed in the important
quantitative characters like fruit size, shape, colour, yield,
flowering season, period of maturity etc. There is great variability in
the sweetness, acidity, flavour and taste. The variations observed
among clones offer better opportunity for improvement through clonal
selection. Many local varieties like Gulabi, Thamarachakka, Champa etc
have originated in this way (Mitra, 1998). Muttom varikka (Sreenivasan,
1970), Thenvarikka, Palodan varikka and Singapore varikka are important
varikka varieties. Burliar-1, Paler-1 and Peechiparai-1 are promising
single plant selections released by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
Propagation
The
commercial cultivation of jackfruit is still at a primitive stage in
India, primarily because of the difficulty in procuring elite planting
materials. Jackfruit is easily propagated through seeds. The seedlings
take 8- 10 years to bear fruits. Due to the highly cross pollinated
nature of the crop, vegetative propagation is essential in order fruit
that is true to type plants. Vegetative propagation through cutting,
layering, budding and grafting has been reported by various workers
with varying amount of success. In Kerala inarching is still the most
common method of vegetative propagation followed. This method is
cumbersome as the seedlings have to be carried to the mother tree from
which the grafts are to be produced. Soft wood grafting and patch
budding are the two most promising vegetative propagation methods.
Uses
of
jackfruit
The
pulp of the young fruit is cooked as a vegetable, pickled or canned.
The pulp of ripe fruit is eaten fresh or made into various local
delicacies including chutney, jam, jelly, and paste, or preserved as
candies by drying or mixing with sugar, honey or syrup. The pulp is
also used to flavour ice cream and beverages, made into jackfruit
honey, reduced to concentrate or powder, and used for preparing drinks.
The seeds can be eaten boiled, roasted or dried and salted as table
nuts, or they can be ground to make flour and blended with wheat flour
for baking. Young leaves can be used as fodder for cattle and other
livestock.
A yellow dye can also be extracted
from the wood
particles and used to dye cotton. The latex which flows from all parts
of the plant when injured is also used as adhesive. The resins within
the latex may also have some value for varnishes. The timber is a
medium hardwood with desirable characteristics for making furniture,
oars, implements and musical instruments. The wood is also used in
construction. It is termite proof and fairly resistant to fungal and
bacterial decay. The roots of older trees are good materials for
carving and picture framing. The timber is exported from Sri Lanka and
India to Europe. With its dense crown and leathery broad glabrous
leaves, it is an attractive tree. The trees may also serve as shade for
coffee and as support for black pepper.
Different parts of the
jackfruit tree have medicinal properties. The pulp and seeds are used
as a tonic, the warmed leaves have healing properties if placed onto
wounds, and the latex, mixed with vinegar promotes healing of
abscesses, snakebite and glandular swellings. The wood has a sedative
effect and its pith is said to cause abortion. The root extract is used
as a remedy against skin diseases, asthma, fever and diarrhea.
According to Aurveda, jack fruit can redue “Kapha” and
“Pitha”. Regular consumption of jack fruit will improve
facial skin glow and seeds have an aphrodisiac effect. Being a rich
source of Potassium it is an ideal food for patients with hypertension.
Challenges
and future prospects
There
are number of factors, limiting the potential exploitation of
jackfruit, the major reason being unorganized supply chain management.
Unlike in other potential crops absence of strong marketing system is
the major hindrance in its commercial exploitation. Although number of
indigenous methods are available in post harvest handling including
processing and value addition, since these fruits have not been widely
cultivated involving scientific management practices but has sizable
production, growers by and large neglect it. Cutting and cleaning of
the fruit is also cumbersome and this also results in neglect of the
fruit.
New
Variety
Release
The
University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India, has recently
released a Jackfruit selection by the name of 'Swarna'. 'Swarna' is a
very good yielder that bears fruits in bunches on the trunk, primary
branches and also on the secondary branches. The medium sized fruits
weigh 13-17 pounds. The fruitlets are golden brown in color, juicy with
a TSS of 25to 26 0 Brix , with thick flakes and a very thin rind (
<
1 cm).
The parent tree of 'Swarna' is
located on the backside of
the University quarters near its Cauvery Guest House. The horticulture
department of the University of Agricultural Sciences has yet to
produce grafts of the 'Swarna' on a large scale. There are about 10
trees planted on the premises which are about 15 years of age.
Jackfruit weight: 61 Kg. (135 pounds)
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