Silk is one of the high-demand fibres which is obtained from silkworms. The most consumed food of these insects is mulberry. To feed silkworms, mulberry cultivation is practised in a large area of the country. Apart from this, its fruit is very helpful for health, due to many nutrients. Hence, its demand remains high in the market. Therefore, farmers can earn a good profit by cultivating it.
Uses And Benefits Of Mulberry
Mulberry wood is used in windows and doors in the construction of sports goods, furniture and houses. Its leaves are also utilised as animal feed. Moreover, its fodder is very beneficial to sheep and goats. Its dried leaves are helpful for ducks and chickens.
Its fruits contain 8% to 9% sugar and 1% acid, which is very important in purifying the blood. In European countries, wine is also made from its fruits. As a medicine, the bark of the tree is beneficial for digestive health because it has proved effective in killing stomach worms. A tonic made by extracting juice from the root of mulberry is believed to cure nervous system disorders. The juice of mulberry fruit is also helpful in treating diseases like fever.
Mulberry Farming Details Explained
Mulberry is a profitable crop for commercial production. If farmers grow on a large scale, they can achieve higher profits.
Let’s look at the step-by-step guide for mulberry farming.
Climate And Land In Mulberry Farming
Mulberry is a tree of temperate climate. It can be planted in cold climate areas as well as in subtropical and tropical regions. Also, mulberry farming is practised in areas where the maximum temperature reaches 40°C to 50°C during summer and the minimum temperature reaches 0°C.
Moreover, mulberry can be grown successfully in different types of soils, from sandy loam to black loam soil. Its trees grow rapidly when there is sufficient moisture in the deep, accessible sandy alluvial soil. Mulberry is suitable for areas where the pH value of the soil is between 6.0 to 7.5.
Land Preparation
Mulberry trees are usually sown in July-August or December-January. Therefore, the preparation of its land begins before the monsoon rains. With 30 to 35 cm deep ploughing of the field by the Mahindra Jivo tractor, rotted manure of cow dung at the rate of 8 tonnes per acre is mixed in the land.
Plant Preparation
There are numerous methods for preparing mulberry seedlings, but low-cost and good-quality plants are prepared from mulberry cuttings. In this famous method, cuttings are prepared from mulberry twigs. The twigs are cut from 6 to 8 inches long, so there are 4 to 5 buds.
The cuttings are buried diagonally in the ground with the help of the Mahindra OJA tractor, and irrigation is done by pressing the soil around them. The leaves emerge from the cutting in a few days with available food material. This way, in about 6 months, a 3- to 4-foot-tall mulberry plant will be ready, which is suitable for planting mulberry trees.
Planting And Spacing
Generally, in a bushy plantation, a 3 x 3 or 6 x 2-metre distance is ideal. By planting in this way, 5000 saplings can be produced in one acre. Moreover, mulberry takes one year to develop the plant. In the third year from the above plantation, about 8 to 10 thousand kg of mulberry leaves can be produced per year from one acre area with the use of manure/fertiliser and traction works in appropriate quantities.
Manures And Fertilisers
In mulberry-planted orchards, the yield can be obtained for 15 to 20 years in the form of stems and leaves. Therefore, it is crucial to provide 20 tonnes of decomposed manure per hectare in irrigated areas and 10 tonnes in unirrigated areas. In chemical fertilisers, 5:2:2 kilograms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash are applied in five equal parts per hectare every year.
Irrigation
Plants planted in the monsoon season do not require much irrigation, but irrigation should be provided at intervals of 10 to 15 days in case of no rain. Apart from this, the plants grow well if they are irrigated at intervals of 10 to 12 days as per humidity.
Harvesting
Mulberry fruits are harvested when they ripen. A matured mulberry fruit is usually dark red or purple. It is advisable to pluck the mulberry with your hands in the morning. After fruit plucking, the fruits are sent to the markets for commercial use with the help of a Mahindra Novo tractor.
Conclusion
This is all about mulberry farming in India. If you are also interested in mulberry farming as your next crop. This guide tells about all the included steps, such as land preparation, planting, irrigation and harvesting, would be a great help for you. Following the mentioned steps will help you have a healthy crop and better yield, which will ultimately translate into a good earning. For more such farming-related blogs, keep visiting the space.
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