Cashews are one of the main commercial crops in the country. Currently, this crop is cultivated mostly in the Southern regions of Tanzania, namely Lindi and Mtwara followed by Ruvuma, Pwani and Tanga Regions.
The seed
Measuring Soil
Cashews grow well in areas with PH 5.6 sandy soil and sandy soil.
Field Preparation
like other crops, the cashew field needs to be cleaned, leveled and weeded well for planting cashews. and in the holes you are going to dig, you can put cow manure and mix it with the soil beforehand to increase the fertility.
Weather
rain; Cashews grow well in areas with 840 mm - 1250 mm of rain per year, and also grow well in areas 0-500 m from sea level.
Use of Inputs
Planting
It is very important to choose the best seeds for planting, it will show you how much you will harvest, after buying the seeds, you take water and 100g of salt, you put in 5 liters of water, you stir well and you take your seeds, you put in the water the ones that will mature are the seeds with a high possibility of a nest, after that you give them good air so that they can dry, and you are advised not to plant seeds that are more than one year old, the planting space is 12m x 6m in wet areas and the amount of trees will grow 139/hectare in areas that do not have enough rain it is 12m x 12m and the amount of trees is 69/hectare
IMPORTANT
There are two types of sowing cashew seeds to plant directly; This is a method that is very risky and needs attention because there is a high possibility of the seeds dying. If you use this method, you have to plant three seeds in one hole and after 3-4 months, peel the plants and leave one healthy and good-looking one. the way of the car; this is the second method and it is good because you are free to choose a seedling that has flourished and has a good appearance, you have to move the seedling to the field when it is 6 weeks old and consider choosing a healthy seedling. and later you have to cut the leaves 60-90 cm from the ground and also remove all the leaves that seem affected by diseases or insects and those that are dry.
Pesticides And Insects
DISEASES
Anthracnose powdery mildew These are diseases that affect cashew nuts INSECTS Cashew stem girdler cashew weevil coconut bug heliotropes bug meal bug trips aphids
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
in order to prevent diseases and insects, you need to weed early, keep the field in a clean state, use the method of mixing crops with cashews, you can plant cotton or beans, it helps chase away other insects that are not compatible with those crops, use pesticides to treat diseases, use insecticides to kill harmful insects.
Weeds
Harvesting
Cashews reach fruiting stage when they are 2 1/2 years old to three years old and the fruits are ripe when they are 9 to 10 years old, the possibility of cashew nuts living is 30 to 40 years and harvesting starts from October to December