'King of fruits' reigns at Ladwa centre in Haryana

Kurukshetra: Lovers of the 'king of fruits', mango, can feast on 33 of its varieties at the Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence for Sub-Tropical Fruits (ICESTF), Ladwa, in Kurukshetra. The centre was set up recently for Rs 9.1 crore.
Spread over 30 acres, the centre also grows four varieties of guava, seven of pear, six of peaches, four of pomegranate, and five of olives.Two varieties of mango frown at the centre, 'Chausa' and 'Dasheri,' were awarded the first prize in the institutional category at Pinjore Mango Mela on July 2-3. Other varieties grown at the centre include 'Arunika,' 'Ambika,' 'Arunima', and 'Austin'.
Talking about the methods used at the centre, ICESTF deputy director Pawan Kumar said unlike the traditional method of planting mango trees at a distance of 10 metres, they were falling back on high-density plantation and had kept the distance between trees at five metres. We are also using high-tech methods for harvesting fruits and pruning the trees," he said.
He said the trees at the centre were being irrogated through a tubewell fed by a solar power panel of 10 kilowatt. "Fertilizers and water are applied through a digital system; there are centralized tanks for mixing these. In terms of energy, the centre will be self-sufficient in the coming days. We are in the process of installing a 60-kw solar panel."
Kumar said they had been motivating farmers in the region to switch to fruits from traditional crops. "As the groundwater level is falling due to repeated planting of paddy, farmers should shift to alternative crops and fruits.
They can even earn more through orchards," he said. He said farmers needed more awareness about efficient use of fertilizers, water, harvesting and packaging of fruits.
The centre is also working to impart skill training to local residents, especially women, about making various mango products like jam, pickle, chutney and squash. Such a workshop was organised on July 14 and 15.