VIBHA VERMA
PANJIM: Heliconias (lobster claws) are now a new addition to the Goa’s horticulture blossoms as researchers have found that State’s climate is conducive for the growth of this ornamental plant which also fetches good price in the market.
The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Old Goa, has plans to organize ‘Heliconias Day’ to create awareness among flower lovers about this beautiful plant.
ICAR scientists’ four-year research from 2008-12 year concluded that high rainfall and humid lowland in Goa is suitable to grow all 45 different varieties of heliconias having exotic appearance and dazzling colours.
ICAR Director Dr N P Singh said an awareness workshop will be held during this tourist season. “In the workshop, we will not only display the crops and flowers but also keep it for sale. For that, we need to get as many crops of each variety. This is one attempt to encourage heliconia cultivation in the State,” he said.
The heliconias ~ a tropical plant and closely resembles its cousin banana family ~ exhibits a wide array of shades such as red, pink, orange, yellow, green combined in different sizes and shapes.
Scientist Dr M Thangam said, “It fetches premium price in the market and interestingly, leaves of some varieties of heliconia are also sold as cut leaves for flower decoration.”
Goa has a growing market for flowers all round the year. “Goa is an ideal and profitable place to cultivate and export the cut flowers to cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and other places where such flowers are not grown,” he said.
“The cut flower market has grown three fold as they survive for at least 15 days. They look perfect even when dry,” he explained.
Since the crop thrives in the shade, it is planted as intercrop in coconut or arecanut plantations. Singh said the cultivation is financially lucrative, since besides earning from the main plantations, a farmer can use the vacant space to cultivate the tropical plant to earn additional income.
The research, conducted by Dr Singh, Dr Thangam, Dr S A Safeena and Dr S Priya Devi, revealed that heliconias are conveniently multiplied and propagated easily by suckers. Each sucker produces around 20-40 side suckers in one year of planting depending on the variety.
“Hence, cultivation of heliconia for planting material also profitable since suckers are sold anywhere between Rs 25-250 depending on the variety. A well grown sucker with sprout is the ideal planting material in heliconia,” researchers have found.
In terms of spacing and planting, scientists say the spacing should be adjusted in a way that it does not compete with the main crop as these are planted in the inter space of coconut trees or arecanut. Generally, heliconia starts flowering at 6-8 months after planting depending on the variety.
