Chayote is the oldest vegetable that has originated and is being cultivated, and also it is an edible vegetable. It belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae. The chayote scientific name emerged as “Sechium edule”. This chayote is also called christophine, squash, Pipinola, pear squash, Cho-Cho or pear. Chayote spread throughout South America and the Caribbean and then into Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia in the 18th century. This plant is a perennial vine and originated in Central America. This plant is an annual whose natural habitat is in a temperate climate. However, it also grows well in cold regions. Every part of chayote can be consumed. Chayote can also be used for medical purposes.
How to do Chayote Squash Farming ?
Starting commercial Chayote Squash cultivation is easy and simple, just like growing other crops. Chayote Squash plants are very hardy and strong, requiring less care and other handling. When you start growing any plant, you need to know the various most essential tractor equipment that would be useful for profitable cultivation. You should find the tractor according to your budget therefore you can check for a second hand tractor price online.
Chayote Squash Farming – Climate and Soil Requirements
You should keep the soil well-drained for growing soil. You can use soil with more oolitic limestone to generate a better yield. To grow Chayote Squash plants, farmers should keep the soil pH value 6.00 to 6.8. Chayote has always been known as a tropical plant. Chayote plants can thrive in lowlands, but you can see the successful growth only in tropical areas. The temperature required for a chayote plant is 27˚C – 29˚C. Therefore, the crop needs bright sunlight for growth.
Chayote Squash Farming – Land preparation and Planting
You should remove the weeds and stones from the land before preparing the land. Then, you should well-prepare the land well by mixing manure with soil. After that, you should prepare the shallow holes of 1 square foot wide and keep the distance 3m between the holes. Farmers should supply the land with organic fertiliser to make the soil fertile. Then, they should sow the 3 fruit seeds on one hill, leaving ⅓ of the seed exposed. Finally, they should plant the chayote in the rainy season, so much irrigation is not required.
Chayote Squash Farming – Manure and Fertilisation method
Organic manure should be in the form of chicken manure or compost. While doing side-dressing of the plant, basal fertiliser should be applied at the rate of 3-5 tonnes per hectare. Triple 14 or Triple 16 should be applied at the rate of 2 bags per hectare, or alternatively, organic manure should be used for good growth and development of the crop. You should also raise the soil to cover and support the base of the plants and fertilisers applied to them.
Growing Chayote Squash – Irrigation methods
The Chayote plant needs more water while planting. Therefore, you should plant in a place where water is abundant and continuous irrigation without water problems. Farmers should facilitate the plant so that it gets at least 1000-2000 litres in a year. In the case of waterlogging, you should make arrangements to drain the water as soon as possible. The crop should be grown in the rainy season to have no problem with irrigation. Whereas during the summer season, the amount of water for irrigation is generally high.
Fruiting and Flowering in Growing Chayote Squash
Flowering and fruiting occur naturally. The fruits drop when ripe and completely rot in a few days. The fruit seeds do not develop roots and begin to germinate like other fruit crops. The fruit should be cut from the tree and kept in a moist and dark place so that new buds and new leaves can emerge from it. Chayote fruit has a good germination capacity and starts independently without any special place for germination. For example, if you leave the fruit in warmer temperatures, it begins to tenderise the twigs and begin to grow after a few days. When the plant is ready, the stem reaches 20-25 cm.
Growing Chayote Squash – Intercultural Methods
Weed Control:
- Control of weeds in the field also prevents other pests in the field. Following measures can be used for weed control.
- We must use pre-emergent herbicides before planting seedlings to kill emerging weeds.
- The grass around the crop should be killed, but it should not damage the crop. We should choose herbicide in the same way.
- Crop rotation is also helpful.
- Weeds can also be removed by hand.
- Before the plants begin to spread, use contact herbicides if necessary.
- Removal of leaves:
- We should remove all dry and old leaves every 3 months. It makes the tree produce young and active leaves, which are helpful in plant growth, light absorption and good food production. In addition, plants that are infected with disease or any other virus should be removed.
Mulching: The unwanted plants are called weeds. Mulching the base of plants can control weeds and retain soil moisture.
Reticulated: The vine of the plant should be tied with a thread, due to which the creeper grows, and the root development is also good.
Harvesting in Growing Chayote Squash
Farmers should harvest once a week. We should harvest such fruits which are smooth in texture and not fibrous. Harvesting should always be done early in the morning. So that the morning temperature remains low and the fruit remains fresh.
Chayote Squash Farming – Post Harvesting
Storage: After harvesting, You should clean and keep them in cool storage where the temperature is 9˚C to 12˚C, and the humidity maintained at 90% for 6 weeks before they show signs of shrinking. Apart from this, due to low temperature, yellowing and browning of the fruit may occur.
Selection: Fruits should be plucked early in the morning due to low temperature; otherwise, fruits should be pre-cooled with water to 0˚C. They will be classified according to their size, colour, form and health before storage. The colour will be olive green, and they will appear smooth without thorns.
Equipment Requirement
When you want to get information about Chayote cultivation, you should also know the equipment that will help to boost the yield. Cultivators, Tillers and tractors are crucial factors in Chayote farming. You can easily find the tractor dealers in India list online with the help of our website.
For more information regarding chayote squash in India, stay tuned with us.
