A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cashew Growing Conditions and Environmental Requirements
The cashew is one of our relatively favorite nut foods. It is rich in nutritional value, can be stir-fried and eaten, and can also be used medicinally, making it one of the world's four major dried fruits. In recent years, its market has been on a steady upward trend, with good market prospects, which has also attracted many growers, but it is somewhat strict about the growing environment and is not suitable for all environments. Below, Qinnong Web brings you the growing environment for cashews. Let's take a look.
1. Temperature
The cashew is a tropical seasonal fruit tree, native to the Brazil region, and is a tree species that loves warmth and sunlight. It is suitable for growing in environments with an average temperature of 24-28 degrees, and with air temperatures between 25-30 degrees, it grows extremely rapidly and flowers and fruits normally. It is not cold-tolerant, but as the tree age grows, its cold tolerance gradually increases. When the temperature is below 10 degrees, one- or two-year-old fruit trees will dry up and die, while trees over three years old can tolerate cold slightly. But whether old trees or young trees, they are all relatively sensitive to temperature, especially in low-temperature environments.
2. Light
The cashew is a tree species that loves light. In an environment with sufficient sunlight, it grows well and has more flowers and fruits. If there is too little light and it remains in a relatively shady environment for a long time, it will grow poorly and have fewer flowers and fruits. In its place of origin, Brazil, the annual sunshine duration can reach 1500-2000 hours, so in China only Hainan or the southwestern region can satisfy its sunshine duration. These areas can reach 1500-2500 hours of sunshine per year.
3. Soil
The cashew has strong environmental adaptability and is not strict about soil requirements. It can grow normally in arid and barren red soil, sandy soil, or rocky mountain land, but its growth and number of flowers and fruits are not as good as in fertile soil. It prefers to grow in soil with good aeration, fertility, looseness, and good drainage. It avoids low-lying land with poor drainage or soil with relatively high salinity and alkalinity. Generally, it grows and fruits best in areas below 400 meters above sea level.
4. Moisture
The peak growing season for cashew trees is in the early rainy season, so it still has relatively high water requirements. With sufficient moisture, it grows quickly. Areas with annual rainfall of 1000-1600 mm are most suitable. It avoids areas with year-round rainy seasons or relatively high groundwater levels, as this will cause the root system to be soaked in water for a long time, leading to root rot and possibly plant death.
The above are the cashew growing conditions brought to you by Qinnong Web. From the several conditions above, it can be seen that the cashew prefers warm areas with sufficient sunlight and suitable rainfall. In China, only provinces and cities such as Hainan and Guangxi meet the requirements.