Jan 15, 2019

Lanzones Farming


• Grown in Southern Tagalog and Mindanao
• 10, 330 ha. area planted
• Grows well in clay loam soils and in places where the ground water is shallow.
• Thrives best in warm humid climate with an even distribution of rainfall throughout the year.

Varieties:

DUKU

• The tree is usually shorter than the other varieties but has a wider crown.
• Leaves are hairless.
• Fruits are round and are borne from 4 to 12 fruits per raceme.
• Pericarp is thick (up to 6 mm) with no latex.
• It is sweet with a delectable flavor.
• The tree is usually shorter than the other varieties but has a wider crown.

PAETE

• Grown mostly in Luzon, Misamis Oriental and Camiguin Island.
• Fruit is elongated and smallest among the varieties.
• Leaves are lanceolate.
• The tree is erect.
• Trees are relatively susceptible to bark borer infestation.

LONGKONG

• A variety introduced from Thailand and Indonesia.
• The fruit is sweet and tasty.
• Almost seedless.
• The skin or peel has no latex.

Site Selection:

• Flat to hilly within 600 m above sea level.
• The land should have a loamy or sandy soil.
• 2,500 – 3,000 mm annual rainfall
• 75-80% relative humidity

Preparation of Planting Materials:

• Select only plump and well-developed seeds.
• Carefully remove the flesh adhering the seed.
• Germinate the seeds in light loamy soils or in germination beds with sawdust.
• Germinated seedling are ready for potting in 8” x 11” x 0.003 plastic bag when the first pair leaves have appear.
• At 12-18 months from pricking the rootstocks are ready for asexual propagation.
• At 6-12 months after grafting, the asexually propagated plants are ready for field planting.
• Rebagging should be done when polyethylene bag becomes brittle
• Rear seedlings under a nursery shade allowing full recovery of the plants prior to field planting.

Land Preparation:

• Clear/underbrush the whole area.
• Plow and harrow to loosen the soil.
• Plant temporary shade (ipil-ipil, madre de cacao or banana) before field planting.
• Stake a distance of 5 m between hills and 5 m between rows.
• Prepare holes 25 cm in diameter at a depth of 25 cm or big enough to accommodate the ball of soil supporting the bagged plants.

Planting:

• Apply basally, 50-100 gm of complete fertilizer (14-14-14) or ammophos (16-20-0).
• Remove the plastic bag and plant the seedling into the prepared hole.
• Cover the hole with top soil and press gently.
• Water immediately after planting.

Care and Management:

1. Ring weeding should be done when necessary.
2. Shallow cultivation of the plant to a radius of at least 1 m should be done twice a year or as the need arises.
3. Mulch the tree with coconut husks or grasses to conserve soil moisture.
4. Pruning

• Judicious pruning should be done during the dry season.
• Cut surfaces should be applied with copper fungicides.
• Start pruning when the plants is 1.5 m tall.
• Decapitate the apical shoot to a height of 1 m to induce formation of secondary stems and bend the stems outward to promote good branching.
• When the plants are matured, prune every after harvest to remove diseased and weak branches, and shoots which grow parallel to secondary stem.

5. Flower Thinning

• Remove excess cluster of flowers that emerge in tertiary and small branches, short clusters (less than 3 inches) and overcrowded clusters to prevent deformities in fruits.

6. Fertilization

a. Vegetative Stage - Ammonium Sulfate (21-0-0) - 100 to 200 grams/tree/year
b. Bearing Stage - Complete Fertilizer (14-14-14)- 5 to 8 kg/tree/year after harvest

Drill or broadcast the fertilizer 1 m away from the base of the plant depending upon the topography of the land.

Harvesting:

• Harvest the fruits 140-150 days from flower formation to fruit ripening.
• Do the harvesting early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
• Harvest the fruits by climbing the tree and cut the ripe bunches with sharp cutters or pruning shears.

Post Harvest Handling:

• sort, clean, air dry and grade the harvested fruits.
• pack the fruits in cartons or crates with liners or cushion to reduce damage during handling.
• store the fruits in cold storage at 10 o C with relative humidity of 85-90 % to extend the shelf-life of the harvested fruits.

Source and Photo courtesy: Orlando C. Pascua; RG Maghirang (ed.)(Edited August 2006); www. hvcc.da.gov.ph