VARIETIES AND SUPPORT PLANTS FOR BETEL VINE

S.ESWARA REDDY

Betel Vine varieties can broadly be grouped into two viz., pungent and non-pungent. Several varieties, distinctly differing in respect of morphology, and colour of leaf, taste and aroma are known to exist in different parts of India. The pungent leaves are generally coarse; dark green and of large size, while non-pungent leaves arc fine, silky, smooth, light green and small to medium in size. Pungent types : Chitti Kameru, Bangla, Chanchipan, Kapoori and Khasipan. Non-pungent types : Methapan, Tellaku, Kaljedu, Safcda, Beli & Kalava.

Generally speaking, pugent types are cultivated in North India and non-pungent types in South India.

Bed system of cultivation is followed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, while in Tamil Nadu trench system is followed. In some parts of A.P also trench system is followed. In the bed system (in A.P) the standard bed (locally called pela) is 150' long and 5' wide, there being 10 such beds / acre excluding channels and bunds in the initial stages, after leaving 372' wide betel vine bed. In the trench system, the trench will be 1' deep and 1' wide in the initial stages after leaving 3 wide betel vine bed. It is deepened in course of time as the soil is removed and added to the bunds to strengthen them. Standards: Among the live standards (supports) commonly used in betel vine plantation in the country are 'Avise' (Sesbania grandijlord) 'Nagari Kesari' (Lencina glacucd). Sesbania aegyptiaca and Moringa pterygosperma.

Erythriana indica; and Eiodendaran pentrandrun are also grown as standards in other districts of Slate & Karnataka. In some areas of the slate like in Vijayanagaram bamboo poles are used as standards. In some parts of A.P like SriKakulam & Vijayanagaram pendals are erected with cheap material fixing thin bomboos as standards and wood posts 5' - 6" a part. Sowing of Standards: To ensure that each of the vine gets a support to trail upon the seed of

the live standard is sown rather thickly at first and then they are thinned out later. The supports are thinned to a distance of 6" - 9". In June, ridges are formed at 45 cm in each bed and seeds of standards are sown on both sides of ridges at 45 cm spacing. Planting and planting material: Planting material: The vines are propagated by terminal stem cuttings (setts) obtained from one year old vines or from sufficiently mature plantation. Setts from the lower portions of the vines take longer time to sprout or even fail to do so some times, due to the dormancy of the adventitious roots. Setts from the terminal portions of the vines are easy to root and hence are best for planting. The length of the setts varies from 1' - to 3'. In Andhra Pradesh betel vine cuttings of 1' 1 in length with 5-6 nodes are used and 25,000 cuttings are required per acre at a spacing of 1' to 1',. In Kerala, North Kenara, Parts of Mysore and Assam it is as long as 3'. It is 3' -4' in UP and parts of West Bengal. Planting season: Andhra Pradesh: 1. Telangana January February 2. Other areas - September October Method of planting: Setts with vigorous apical buds and nodal adventitious roots are

selected and planted at the base of the supports or standards by digging pits or trenches. Basal portion of the cutting is buried in the soil. While planting, it is extremely important to press the soil firmly around the cutting, to exclude air pockets and help the setts establish easily and quickly. If the soil is left loose it absorbs excess water & the cuttings fail to establish. For the same reason also the first few irrigations are given by splashsing water on the cuttings. After the cuttings establish, lightfurrow irrigations follow as usual. Training of the live standards: Before the vines establish and begin to creep, the stems of the live supports arc to be kept smooth by cutting down all side branches up to a height of atleast 5' in the first year. When the live supports and shade plants begin to grow to excessive heights, they are topped at a height of about 12 tro encourage them to branch and provide more shade to the plantation. If dead supports are used the problem of thinning and pruning of supports does not arise. 5-8-2012