Anacardium occidentale, Linn.
Family: Anacardiaceae

Common Name : Cashew Nut

Telugu Name : Jidi Mamidi, Munta Mamidi
General :
     An exotic from America or West Indies but naturalised now in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh. The tree can be grown on any type of soil except heavy clay, alkaline soils and swampy areas. Recommended for bare sandy soils, hard laterite soils and deep red loamy soils. It avoids brackish soils.

Flowering :

Flowers in trichotomous cyme which appear in December-January
Fruiting :
Nuts ripen in April-May. Only a small proportion of flowers develop into fruit since 96% of the flowers are staminate.
Morphology of the Fruit/Seed :
Drupe, Kidney-shaped, greenish grey in colour, 2.5 to 3 cms long, seated on a fleshy thick hypocarp (which is edible and developed from an enlarged torus and calyx base).
Seed Collection and Storage :
Fruits are collected in April-May. Viable upto 12 months if stored in air tight containers. Completely loses viability after 14 months.
Seed Biology :

No.of seeds per kg.

Purity percent

Moisture percentage

Germination percentage

Plant percent

No.of seedlings per Kg. of seed

Germination period in days

150 to 200

100

6.5

80 to 90

50

150

10 to 25
Pretreatment :

Not required

Nursery Technique :

Seeds are sown in polybags in May with the stalk end facing upwards and in a slanting position, and sowing should be at a depth of 5 to 8 cms. Shade may be given and watering is done to keep the soil moist until 3 to 4 leaf stage.