Field Management Methods and Technical Points for Jackfruit

Jackfruit is actually very similar to durian, with extremely high nutritional value, but both have a peculiar smell. However, I am very curious about one thing: why do some people who don't eat durian like to eat jackfruit, and say that durian smells bad while jackfruit smells good? Why is that? I'm really curious, but today what I want to discuss with you is not whether jackfruit tastes good, but the field management techniques for jackfruit, and I hope it will be helpful to those of you who grow it.

1. Fertilizer and Water Management

Jackfruit is a fruit harvested over many years, so its fertilizer and water management differs at different stages. For example, at the very beginning of planting, we need to apply base fertilizer deeply, that is, dig a hole about 30 cm deep in the prepared ground, pour the fertilizer in, and then plant the tree. For this fertilization, livestock manure or other organic fertilizers are generally used. Next, during the seedling stage, jackfruit trees need to be fertilized once a month on average, mainly with urea and nitrogen fertilizer as a top dressing to promote the growth of branches and leaves. When the jackfruit tree has grown for about two years, it begins to enter the fruiting stage. During this period, it needs to be fertilized at least three times a year. The most important are the flower-promoting fertilizer and the fruit-strengthening fertilizer, generally a compound fertilizer mixed from farmyard manure, potassium fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, and boron fertilizer, used to promote flowering and fruit growth. Remember that each fertilization is done together with watering.

2. Intertillage and Weeding

There are several purposes for intertillage and weeding. First, to avoid unnecessary nutrient consumption. Second, to enhance soil permeability and improve the immunity of the fruit trees. Third, to promote the growth of the fruit trees and shorten the growing period. During the seedling stage, the fruit trees need intertillage and weeding four to five times a year on average, which allows the trees to grow faster. Once the trees are mature, they basically only need weeding three times a year, generally in spring each year, before fruiting, and after harvest, which can improve the fruiting rate and the service life of the jackfruit.

3. Shaping and Pruning

The purposes of shaping and pruning are, first, to enhance light penetration and ventilation in the orchard; second, to improve the fruiting rate; and third, to prevent branch aging and disease infection. Therefore, we need to prune the fruit trees at least once a year. Spring is the most suitable time to prune jackfruit, because cutting off the aged branches and leaves, those damaged by pests and diseases, and those with very weak growth allows new branches to grow in a short time without affecting the fruiting rate. Next, when fruiting, if a single branch bears too many fruits, we should cut off the excess fruits and keep only three or four, so as not to affect the quality of the jackfruit.

4. Disease Control

The common diseases of jackfruit are fruit rot, anthracnose, and fruit cracking. Fruit rot and anthracnose are both caused by relatively high rainfall. Although jackfruit is a tropical fruit that can only grow under high temperature and rainy conditions, excess rainwater still needs to be drained away at ordinary times, which can provide a certain preventive effect. In addition, fruit rot can be controlled by spraying carbendazim, while anthracnose can be controlled with Bordeaux solution. As for fruit cracking, it can be prevented as long as the fruit's water and light remain in a stable state during the growth period. Its main pests are longhorn beetles and scarab beetles, which we can control by spraying trichlorfon or Bordeaux solution, with very good results, basically after two to three applications.

5. Orchard Cleanup

Every year after harvesting jackfruit, we need to carry out orchard cleanup, because the weeds, fallen leaves, and pruned dead branches in the orchard, after accumulating for a long time, are very likely to carry pathogens. To avoid the fruit trees being infected by pathogens, we need to clear all these debris out of the orchard and finally burn them into ashes.