The botanical name of Plum is Prunus salicina L. ; it is a member of the family Rosaceae
Varieties
Early: Rubio.
Mid-season: (June – July)
Hale, Gaviota and Abundance.
Late: (July – August)
Shiro, Kelsey and Satsuma.
Hale has to be planted along with other varieties to enhance pollination and fruit set.
Soil and climate: Red lateritic soil with good drainage. The soil pH should be around 5.8 to 6.2 and rich in organic matter. Can be grown above 1200 m elevation.
Planting material: One year old budded plants may be planted during June - July or October - December with a spacing of 4 x 4 m in pits of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm size.
Planting season: June to November.
Application of fertilizer: Apply FYM 30 kg and 500 g of N and 1 kg in each of P and K for bearing tree during October –November.
Training and pruning: The growing points tipped at a height of 50 – 60 cm to allow the side shoots to develop. Train to open centre system. Prune the trees during December – January.
Dried, dead, diseased water shoots and criss-cross branches are removed.
Plant protection against Pests
Fruit Fly: Spray malathion 50 EC at the rate of 2 ml/lit of fenthion 100 EC at the rate of 1 ml/lit.
Set up methyl eugenol 1 % trap with malathion 50 EC 1 ml/lit between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Use polythene bags fish meal trap with 5 gm of wet fish meal + 1 ml. dichlorvos in cotton. 50 traps are required/ha, fish meal + dichlorvos soaked cotton are to be renewed once in 20 and 7
days respectively.
Yield: 25 – 30 kg/tree/year.
