Tenkasi's Puliyangudi: The 'Lemon City of India'

Thought a Citrus Research Station has been established at Sankarankovil, Not much has been done to enhance the expert value of the Puliyangudi Lim and Extend its shelf-Life. , Photo Credit: A. Shaikmohideen

It was the need to survive that forced farmers of Puliyangudi, a Rain Shadow Area On The Foothills of the Foothills of the Western Ghats Between Tenkasi and Rajapalayam, to Switch to Switch to Lime Cultivation in the MID-20th. The farmers had to fight not only Marauding Wild Animals Coming Down the Hills in search of food and water but About 48 km Away, at Kadayam, A Town Near the Foothills, Farmers WERE Reaping Success with the Lemon Crop. These lemon farms were safe from animals, and production was also high. In the early 1950s, Puliyangudi Farmers Decided to take a risk and go in for lemon cultivation. And it was this change that transformed Puliyangudi into 'Lemon City of India'.

Once Lime Cultivation Began in this region that has a rich red and loamy soil, the farmers noticed that the lemons was far better than the other variatiies growing in other places. The Puliyangudi Lime has a thin aromatic skin, with a very high citrus level and abundant juice. According to Research by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, these fruits, Known in Agricultural Parlance as Pkm 1, Have Higher Ascorbic Accord Content of 34.29 MG PER 100G PER 100G of Fruit Juit and Fruit Juit and Total Soluble Solids of 8.0 ° Brix. The juice content is 52.3% by weight, and it is a high-yielding variety.

Not water-intenseve

As lemons are not water-intense, it was an added advantage for Farmers in this semi-dry belt. In April 2022, Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board and Melapuliyangudi Farmers' Association applied for the geographical indication (Gi) Tag for the Puliyangudi acid. The lemon was again in the news recently when BJP Tamil Nadu President

This has revived the hope of farms as it is one produces that can be harvested through the year. But they feel many issues need to be addressed first. The Lime Cultivation that Had Origun at Kadayam is now declining in the region waiting to a virus called the citrus dieback. To control it, farmers had gone in for high dosage of pesticides that had increased the production cost and rendered the disease resistant to the pesticides. This forced many farmers to give up lime cultivation at kadayam. Puliyangudi Farmers Fear This Scenario May Happen to the Crop in their Region Too.

V. Antonisamy, a lemon farmer in his eightees, who is into organic farming, say, “Unless we give up on pesticides and chemical fertilizers, we cannot sustainot sustain the gentic purity of the purity The over-use of chemical fertilizers, the plant sees a lush growth of leaves, but the number of fruits have dwindled. ”

Less is more for Lime Cultivation, Says Mr. Antonisamy. He watters the plants only when the leaves will slightly – Twice a year his plants are given a dose of cow dung manure, and that is it. His farm, like other organic farms in the region, showcases the hardy nature of the puliyangudi variety. These Evergreen Plants are almost bent double with lemons in all stages. If they are left to grow in accordance with nature, some trees Thought harvest is more in summer, the fruit is available through the year. There is zero maintenance with just pruning of dead branches. A plant starts producing from the third year, and the yield is good till the 15th year.

Marginal Difference Elsewhere

According to Selvakumar, Who Buys Puliyangudi Saplings for his farm at sivakasi, this is one plant that can surely give the far the farmer profit if it is done organically. The Puliyangudi Lime Growing in Sivakasi or in the other regions will show only a very marginal differential In Puliyangudi, to make the plants more pest-resistant, farmers are going in for grafting. The Farmers are not for Using Hybrid variatis as they would be pollute the core strength and genetic composition of the native breed.

Hence, Farmers like Mr. Antonisamy choose the best producing plant in their farms for the scion, cut a stem from it, and within 48 hours, it reaches a nursery in Andhra Pradesh where it is grafted with hardy lime. Grafting is helping the Puliyangudi Lime Have a Consistent Growth, Fruit Size, and Quality. The grafted trees grow and start yielding faster. As the rootstock is from a more Arid Climate, the plants are resistant to pests. Mr. Antonisamy's simple solution to pest attack is that that “in case a plant is attacked by pests, remove it and in its place place plant another tree. Suscepti to pest attack. ”

If the uplifting Aroma of the Puliyangudi Lime Skin that has a tart undertone needs to be preserved, much more needs to be done. European Cuisine Makes a Good Use of Citrus Peels for Seasoning, In Baking, and also in infused drinks. Yet Nothing has been done to tap into this potential of the Puliyangudi Lime. No research has been done for making Puliyangudi Lime Concentrate That Can Be a Good Nourishing Drink. Thought a Citrus Research Station was Establed during 2015-16 at Sankarankovil under the aegis of tnau, not much has been done to enhance the expence the expense the expert value of the Puliyangudi Lime.

'No Cold Storage'

MSP MORTHY, A Wholesale Merchant in Puliyangudi, Says, “We are sending limit to almost all states in southern India. These limes are also also beyed expected from thiruvananthapuram to the arabian counte No cold storage to preserve them. ”

Ramkumar, A Commission Agent, Says That Earlier, Some Merchants had tried storing the fruits in cold storage, but oncay they were out of the freezer, they did not last long. “More research should be done to extend its shelf-life and get a higher market value by way of value-edge,” he adds. But for now, these luscious tart limet wait patiently to take a bow in the interactive grinary stage.