Karpurakodi, Kallarkodi, Revesi, Karpuri, SGM 1, SGM (BV) - 2, Vellaikodi, Pachaikodi, Sirugamani 1, Anthiyur kodi, Kanyur kodi and Bangla type are under cultivation.
1) Soil and Climate
Well drained fertile clay loams are suitable. It does not tolerate saline and alkaline conditions. Betelvine require a cool humid with considerable humidity and regular supply of moisture in the soil is essential.
2) Seeds and sowing
The vines are propagated by terminal stem cutting or setts about 30 - 45 cm long. Setts obtained from the top portions of the vines are easy to root and hence best for planting. On an average 1, 00,000 setts are required for planting one hectare. Setts with vigorous apical buds and nodal adventitious roots are selected and planted at the base of the live supports, which are to be planted 4 to 5 months earlier.
| Row spacing |
Vines/hectare |
| Single vine |
Double vine |
| 20 cm |
50,000 |
1,00,000 |
| 30 cm (1 ft) |
30,000 |
60,000 |
| 45 cm (11/2 ft) |
22,500 |
45,000 |
3) Season
November - December and January – February are optimum for cultivation
4) Preparation of field
The field is prepared to a fine tilth and beds of 2 m wide are formed to a convenient length. Provide drainage trenches of 0.5 m width by 0.5 m depth in between two adjoining beds. Plant the seeds of the live supports i.e. Agathi (Sesbania grandiflora) in long rows. About 750 banana suckers are planted at the edges of the beds, which are used, for tying the vines on the live support and for packing the betel leaf. When the Agathi plants reach 4 m height, they are topped off for maintaining the height. The crop is planted in two rows in beds of 180 cm width on Agathi plants with a spacing of 45 cm between plants in the row.
5) Irrigation
Irrigate the field immediately after planting and afterwards once in a week.
6) Aftercultivation
Training of the live standards
Before the establishment of vines, the side branches of Agathi trees upto a height of 2 m are removed for early creeping of the vines.
Training of the vines
Training is done by fixing the vine at intervals of 15 to 20 cm along the standards loosely with the help of banana fibre. Training is done at every 15 - 20 days interval depending upon the growth of vines.
Lowering of vines
Under normal cultivation, the vines grow to height of 3 m in one year period. When they reach this height their vigour to produce normal size leaf are reduced and they need rejuvenation by lowering during March - April. After the vine is lowered, the tillers spring up from the nodes at the bends of the coiled vines at the ground level and produce many primary vines. Irrigation should be given after each lowering.
Apply 150 kg N/ha/year through Neem cake (75 kg N) and Urea (75 kg N) and 100 kg P2O5 through Super phosphate and 30 kg Muriate of potash in three split doses first at 15 days after lifting the vines and second and third dose at 40 - 45 days intervals. Apply on beds shade dried neem leaf or Calotropis leaves at 2 t/ha and cover it with mud (2 t in 2 split doses).
| Time of application |
N |
P |
K |
| (kg/ha) |
| Basal dressing |
37.5 |
100 |
50 |
| Top dressing @ 3 split doses |
112.5 |
0 |
0 |