Expansion of cultivation of exotic fruit Rambutan in Bangladesh.
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Rambutan is one of the most popular exotic fruits in the country. The fruit is a lot like litchi, but larger in size than litchi, oval in shape, slightly flattened. Ripe fruits are bright red, orange or yellow in attractive colors. The upper part of the thick peel of the fruit is covered with hundreds of hairs like kadam flowers. Rambutan in Malaysian means hair. For the same reason, this fruit is known to many as litchi with hair or beard. Rambutan is an evergreen, tall tree of medium height, similar to the litchi. Fruits ripen in July-August during the rainy season. The color of the unripe fruit is green. When the fruit is ripe, it changes color to bright red / maroon and it is suitable to collect ripe fruits within two to three weeks.
Origin and distribution: Malaysia and Indonesia are the original sources of this fruit. Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Brunei and Sri Lanka produce large quantities of rambutan fruit. From all these countries the spread of this fruit starts in the country or part of the country with similar climate. The popularity and cultivation of this fruit is increasing in the countries where the severity of winter is less, such as in India and Bangladesh.
Climate: Areas with tropical and subtropical climates are suitable for Rambutan cultivation. It goes without saying that this fruit tree does not have the strength to withstand the severity of winter. If the temperature drops below 100 Celsius in winter and lasts for 5-6 days, the tree is likely to die. The fruit is likely to spread to the greater Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna and Jessore districts, including the southern and hilly districts of Bangladesh. In Rangamati district, a number of Rambutan trees have been bearing fruit for 30-40 years. A number of farmers in Netrokona district have been making huge profits by marketing Rambutan fruit production for about 20 years. Besides, inspired by the success of some Rambutan farmers in Shibpur district of Narsingdi upazila, many people are being attracted to Rambutan cultivation besides Latkan cultivation in the area.
In most of the cases, those who have experience working in rambutan gardens in the countries producing rambutan have been making significant contribution in rambutan cultivation in Bangladesh by collecting fruits / seeds from there.
Nutrition: Rambutan is a medicinal fruit. As a result, it is rich in iron, calcium, potassium, fiber and calories. Rich in entree oxidantal properties, fat-free contains a significant amount of all kinds of vitamins and minerals.
Soil: This fruit can be cultivated in almost all types of soils. However, fertile loamy soils with water irrigation and drainage facilities are more suitable for fruit cultivation. If the soil is hard, gravelly or more clayey, it is easier to bring success in more cultivation by planting this fruit tree by filling the hole made by removing the soil 5-6 feet wide and deep with suitable potting media. Soil pH level of 5.5-6.5 is better for Rambutan cultivation.
Propagation: Rambutan fruit is cultivated mainly from seedlings produced from seeds. The seeds of ripe fruits are taken out and used in making fresh seedlings. Under normal conditions germination capacity of rambutan seeds does not last more than 5-7 days. Therefore, it is necessary to sow the seeds immediately after collection. It is important to make suitable potting media for seed planting. Coarse sand (Sylhet sand) -25% for making media, coconut husk powder (cocodast) -25%, herb or rotted organic manure-25%, and vite soil (fertile soil used for nursery) - 25%. These are mixed together and the bottom of the earthen tub is filled with the mixture and the seeds are sown at a distance of 2 feet. The wide part of the seed should be kept down and after sowing the surface should be covered with a little soil (half an inch thick). It is better to purify the seeds with fungicide before sowing. After sowing the seeds, the tub should be kept in half shade. Measures should be taken to prevent rain water from getting too wet or the surface soil from moving. In order to prevent germinated seeds from being eaten by ants, it is important to keep the seeds safe by using pesticides or other means. In order to prevent the soil in the tub from drying out, the soil should be lightly wet by spraying water from time to time. The soil should always be lightly moist, should not be watered too much. The seeds will germinate within 10-20 days of planting and the seedlings will start germinating.
Preservation of seedlings / cuttings: If the sprouted seedlings are tall, they should be allowed to grow comfortably by picking one seedling after another with good potting media in an earthen tub of size 20-200. When the seedlings are 6 months old, leave the base of the tree and apply urea-20 gm, TSP-50 gm and potash 30 gm twice at an interval of three months in a deep ditch of 1-1-1.5 on the edge of the tub. In the next three months, the amount of fertilizer should be doubled twice more. When the seedlings are one year old, they should be ripped in a relatively large tub (1st, 2nd, 4th) with new putty media and a relatively large amount of organic manure / compost and 250 g of bone powder for each plant. Preserved seedlings are kept in semi-shade and large seedlings of 1.5-2 years old are suitable for planting in the land. The practice of budding, side grafting or transplanting grafted seedlings using one-year-old seedlings is now on the rise.
Gender of trees: There are three types of trees obtained from seedlings. It can give birth to male, female and bisexual plants. In other words, many different types of papaya trees are found in the seedlings. If it is a male tree, it does not bear fruit, but it helps the female tree to bear fruit through pollination. Maternal quality is not maintained in seedlings. It takes 5-6 years to catch the fruit. Currently, a number of nurseries are importing grafted trees and marketing bisexual Rambutan grafted trees from neighboring countries.