Bay leaves are cultivated for spice crops. Its leaves are dry and fragrant, mainly used to make food tasty. Apart from this, it is also used as a medicine for treating diseases, but very few people know about this. Bay leaves are cultivated worldwide in Russia, France, Italy, India, Belgium, North America and Central America. Bay leaves have been produced in India for years. The cultivation of bay leaves is also commonly done in the hilly areas of northeastern India, including the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Bihar of India. It is a plant full of medicinal properties, whose leaves can be used with cinnamon to reduce weight quickly. For the cultivation of bay leaves, up to 30 per cent subsidy is being provided to the farmers by the National Medicinal Plants Board. Farmer brothers are also earning more profit by doing bay leaf cultivation.
What is bay leaf
Bay leaf is an evergreen tree whose height is found up to 7.5 metres. The bark on its stems is dark brown, slightly rough, dark brown, faint in taste, and less fragrant than cinnamon and the outer part is light pink. On top of which, there is a red-white stripe. The texture of its leaves is effortless, 10 to 12.5 cm long, opposite alternate, different widths, notched, shiny, oval and with 3 veins, fragrant and spicy. The flowers coming from its tree are light yellow, and the new leaves are pink in colour. The shape of its fruit is fleshy, red in colour, oval and 13 mm long.
Suitable Land
Fertile land is suitable for bay leaf cultivation. Apart from this, bay leaf trees increase the land containing organic matter. The land with a 6 to 8 pH value is suitable for its cultivation. Bay leaf plants can be grown successfully in hot and cold climates. Moreover, Swaraj 855 is a best tractor model for farmers.
Transplanting
The sowing of bay leaves is done by preparing the seedlings instead of in the form of seeds because it is tough to grow crops from seeds. It isn’t easy to sow as seed because the germination rate of partially seeded seeds, the germination rate of fresh seeds with pods removed and the more extended germination method are usually up to 40 per cent. In addition, the germination rate of dried seeds is further reduced. It can take 50 days or more for its origins to germinate.
There is also the risk of the seed rotting before seed germination. Given these problems, it is best to transplant the plant. For planting plants, pits are prepared in the field, where a distance of 4 to 6 meters is kept between plants. There should be proper arrangement of water in its cultivation, and plants have to be protected from frost falling in winter. Additionally, neem oil is sprayed on the plants weekly to prevent insect diseases.
Irrigation
Very little irrigation is required in the bay leaf crop. However, in the summer season, its plants have to be watered once a week, and during the rainy season, irrigation should be done only if there is no rain in time; otherwise, do not do it. In the winter, light irrigation can be done as needed, but plants need to be protected from frost falling. Also, the John Deere 5310 tractor model has amazing capability of completing farming tasks.
Diseases
Very few pests and diseases are seen in bay leaf plants, but some common problems are moths, which can be seen in the bay leaf crop. This includes hard-shelled scales, aphids, and mites.
To save the plants from the infestation of these pests, sprinkle neem oil on the crop and do not allow weeds to grow near the plants. The crop should be cleaned after weeds are seen apart from this, prune the plants from time to time for the best yield.
price of bay leaf
Bay leaf plants are ready for harvesting after 6 years of sowing. During that time, its leaves are cut, kept in a shady place, and dried adequately. If you want to get the production of oil, then you have to use a distillation machine. The market price of the bay leaf varies approx. from Rs 2100 to Rs 2300, which can be a more profitable crop for farmers.
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