Tata Coffee's in-house research and development (R&D) on crop diversification on its estates is paying dividends.
As part of crop diversification, the company planted arecanut along the valleys and marginal areas in its estates. “The area under arecanut is small but has started giving economical yield,” said a senior company official.
Similarly, horticulture crops such as sapota, avocado and tree spice - nutmeg are also tried on experimental basis. It is yet to take a call on largescale cultivation.
Tata Coffee is also experimenting on commercial crops and has selected for cultivation oil palm, vanilla and natural dye plants — Indigo and Bixa Orellana (Annatto dye plant), medicinal plants, and edible bamboo and fruit trees.
As part of in-house R&D, the company has initiated experiments to improve crop varieties on its estates. Currently, field assessment of high yielding and disease tolerant selection of coffee, pepper and cardamom plants are on.
The company under coffee varietal trial experiment is identifying location-specific high yielding and disease tolerant selection for planting.
Crop Nutrition
Tata Coffee is also monitoring soil fertility on its estates through soil and leaf analysis and the results are calibrated to formulate optimum fertiliser recommendation and soil amendment application.
“Our fertiliser programme is rationalised based on soil nutrient status, which is optimum and adequate to enhance crop production and productivity,” explained the official.
The company is also monitoring the availability of micronutrients such as ‘zinc, copper, iron, manganese' and secondary nutrients such as ‘sulphur, calcium and magnesium' to improve coffee, pepper and cardamom productivity.