Important information about pomegranate[bhagwa]--

 

know about Bhagawa[variety] -
The ‘Bhagawa’ variety of pomegranate presently under commercial cultivation known by different names viz. ‘Shendari’, ‘Ashtagandha’, ‘Mastani’, and ‘Red Daina’ in various districts of  Maharashtra and madhyapradesh such as Solapur, Nashik,Sangli,Satara, khargone,badwani,Ahemadnagar, Pune and Dhule districts.
Extensive survey work on pomegranate orchards indicated that the ‘Bhagawa’  variety of pomegranate is heavy yielder and possesses desirable fruit characters. This variety matures in 180-190 days with average yield of 30.38 kg  fruits/tree. Bigger fruit size, sweet, bold and attractive arils, glossy, very attractive saffron coloured thick skin makes it suitable for distant markets. This variety was found less susceptible to fruit spots and thrips as compared to other varieties of pomegranate. Considering all these attributes, the ‘Bhagawa’ variety is recommended for its cultivation in pomegranate growing in regions of Maharashtra and madhyapradesh.
some important features of ‘Bhagawa’-
It fetches better market price which is 2-3 times higher than that of Ganesh.
Increasing demand for export markets particularly in United Kingdom, Holland, other European and gulf countries etc.
Fruits are very  attractive, ‘Saffron’ coloured, smooth and glossy peel which is increasing its cosmetic value and market appearance of the fruits.
Fruits are with attractive sseds having cherry red coloured and bold arils, which are suitable for both table and processing purposes.
Fruits are suitable for long distant transport due to thick peel (Less weight loss, less possibility of damage due to bruises.)
Fruits have better keeping quality than other varieties ( 15 – 12 days at room temperatures).
Fruits are tolerant to thrips and mites whcih reduces the number of pesticidal sprays, which minimises cost of production.
Fruits are moderately susceptible to black spots.
Fruits are free from blackening of arils even in case of late harvesting of fruits up to 7-5 months, which reduces market value of fruits.
It has no incidence of cracking of fruits which is observed in other varieties viz. Ganesh, G-137 and Mridula which ranges from 10-15%.
There is no fruit drop observed in case of severe water shortage situations.
This variety gives high yield (30-40 kg/tree) in case of better management .
It is comparatively late for harvesting but due to less expenses on plant protection measures and better market prices realized, it is more remunerative than any other pomegranate.

Also see the video below-

A success story of 1 corore of pomegranate......

Drumstick cultivation--

Drumstick is a native of India, and possibly parts of Africa, Arabia, South East Asia, South America and the Pacific and Caribbean Islands. The vegetable drumstick plant is also named as "ben oil tree" after commercial oil extracted from the seeds. The root of the drumstick tree is sometimes used as a substitute for horseradish and hence it is also called the "horseradish tree." The drumstick leaves fruits and flowers are edible and a common vegetable in India, the Philippines, Hawaii, and many parts of Africa and Asia. Drumstick tree is often planted in Africa as a living fence. It is generally believed in South Asia that drumstick trees planted on graves are will keep away the ghosts and evil spirits and hence its branches are used as charms against witchcraft.

Cultivation and Traditional Uses-

The drumstick tree is widely cultivated in tropical Africa, tropical America, Sri Lanka, India, Mexico, Malaysia and the Philippines. The drumstick tree can be propagated using seeds or cuttings. Seeds may be sown directly in the field or in seedbeds and the seedlings transplanted to the field after 2 to 3 months. Mature stem cuttings 3 to 5 ft (1 - 1.5 m) long can also be used for planting. The tree grows rapidly, producing the first fruits within 6-12 months of planting, depending on the cultivar. The drumstick leaves and pods are used as vegetables, aphrodisiac, food and medicine in Asia . The flowers are consumed either mixed and cooked with other foods or fried in batter. Tender leaves are used to flavor ghee and to enhance the shelf-life of ghee. Traditionally the drumstick seeds have been used to purify domestic household water in rural areas in Sudan . Women collecting water would tie the ground seeds and suspend in the turbid water overnight. The oil extracted from the seeds (ben oil) was used for culinary purposes, a practice that has now been long discontinued. Almost all parts of the tree have been utilized in Indian Ayurvedic traditional medicine and other folk remedies. , the drumstick flowers, leaves, seeds and roots are used for tumors. Roots are bitter, act as a tonic to the body and lungs, and are expectorant, diuretic and stimulant in paralytic afflictions, epilepsy and hysteria. The juice prepared from root is applied externally to heal irritation of skin. The leaves have purgative properties and are applied as poultice to sores, rubbed on the temples for headaches and used for piles. The bark, leaves and roots of the drumstick tree are used as a digestive aid.

Botany-

Drumstick tree is a perennial, evergreen tree that grows up to 20 ft (6.1 m) tall, with a straight trunk with corky, whitish bark. It grows well in hot, semi-arid and humid regions and in well-drained sandy or loamy soils. The tree has tuberous taproot and brittle stem is with corky bark. The leaves are pale green, compound, tripinnate, 30-60 cm (11.8 to 23.6 in) in length, with many small leaflets. The lateral leaflets are elliptic in shape while the terminal one is obovate and slightly larger than the lateral ones. The fruit pods are pendulous, green turning greenish brown, triangular and split lengthwise into 3 parts when dry. The pods are 1 to 4 ft (30-120 cm) long and 1.8 cm (0.7 in) wide and tapering at both ends. The pods contain about 10 to 20 seeds embedded in the fleshy pith. The seeds are dark brown and the kernel is surrounded by a lightly wooded shell with three papery wings.

See the video also below-

Some clues about snake gourd farming--

Varieties-
Co 1, Co 2, PKM 1, MDU 1 and PLR (SG) 1 are some of the popular varieties of snake gourd.

Soil-
Sandy loam soils rich in organic matter with good drainage and the pH ranging from 6-5-7.5 is best suited for snake gourd cultivation. This crop requires a moderate warm temperature.

Season-
July and January are highly suitable for cultivation.

Seed treatment-
Treat seeds with Trichoderma viride 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g/kg or Carbendazim 2 g/kg of seeds before sowing.

Seed rate-

1.5 kg of seeds/ha is required.

Preparation of field-
Plough the field to fine tilth and dig pits of size 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm at 2.5 x 2 m spacing and form basins.

Sowing-
Sow the seeds (5 seeds / pit) and thin the seedlings to two/pit after 15 days of sowing.

Irrigation-
Irrigate the basin before dibbling the seeds and thereafter once a week.

Application of fertilizers-
Apply 10 kg of FYM, 100 g of NPK 6:12:12 as basal/pit and N @ 10 g/pit 30 days after sowing.

After cultivation-
Hoeing and weeding can be done thrice or as and when necessary.  Provide stakes and train the plants to reach the pandal height (2 m).  Pandal is not essential for Co 2 variety.  Spray Ethrel 100 ppm (1 ml in 10 lit of water) four times from 10 to 15 days after sowing at weekly intervals.

  

Pests-

Leaf beetles and leaf caterpillars
Leaf beetles and leaf caterpillars can be controlled by spraying Malathion 50 EC 1 ml/lit or Dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/lit or Methyl demeton 25 EC 1 ml/lit.

Fruit fly
1. Collect the damaged fruits and destroy.
2. The fly population is low in hot day conditions and it is peak in rainy season.  3. Hence, the sowing time may be adjusted accordingly.
4. Expose the pupae by ploughing.
5. Use 20 x 15 cm poly bags fish meal traps with 5 g of fish meal + 1 ml of Dichlorvos in cotton  50 traps/ha.  Fish meal and cotton are to be removed once in 20 and 7 days respectively.
6.Neem oil   3.0 %   need based as foliar spray
7. For management of Aphid vector, spray Imidachloprid  0.5 ml/lit along with sufficient quantity of stickers like Teepol, Triton X100, APSA etc., for better adhesion and coverage.

Do not use DDT, lindane 1.3% dust, copper and sulphur dust.  These are phytotoxic.

Diseases

Powdery mildew--
Powdery mildew can be controlled by spraying Dinocap 1 ml/lit or Carbendazim 0.5 g/lit.

Downy mildew--
Downy mildew can be controlled by spraying Mancozeb or Chlorothalonil 2 g/lit twice at 10 days interval.

Yield--
18 tonnes/ha can be obtained.