Cashew is the most important cash crop in coastal Kenya. It is grown in Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Mombasa and Lamu Counties.
Oil from the shell is used as medicine, preservative and water proofing agent, manufacture of insulating varnishes and acid proof cements, tiles and inks.
The raw cashew nut apple is edible and is a valuable source of sugar, minerals and vitamins.
The wood and shells are used as fuel.
Improved Cashew Nuts varieties
Improved Cashew variety A75/83
Source : www.tridge.com
Improved Cashew variety A100
Improved Cashew variety A81
Improved Cashew variety A82
Source : www.tridge.com
High quality kernels and short maturity duration.
Improved Cashew variety A90
Source : www.tridge.com
Improved Cashew variety A41
Source : www.tridge.com
Improved Cashew variety JK 90
Improved Cashew variety JK460
Improved Cashew variety JK228
Source : www.tridge.com
Improved Cashew variety JK292
Source : www.tridge.com
Improved Cashew variety T83
Improved Cashew variety A47
Improved Cashew variety MT10
Cashew Variety JK411
Where to Grow
Land Preparation
Pre-Planting.
Planting
Crop Managements
Cashew coppicing: Reviving aging cashew trees through cutting the stump (part of the tree that remain in the ground) at 1.5m above the ground. The old wood can be used for timber wood, fuel other purposes
Cashew tree coppicing
Cashew Pruning: Remove the interlocking, low lying and unproductive branches of a mature cashew tree
Prunning materials
Water Management
Legume intercropping
Zai pit
Zai pit
Contour bunds
Contour Bunds
Stone lines
Grass strips
Soil Fertility
Manure (10-15kg tin) |
CAN (g) |
||||
Year |
Long rains |
Short rain |
DAP( g) |
Long rain |
Short rains |
1 |
2 |
1 |
150 |
180 |
180 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
520 |
360 |
360 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
780 |
540 |
540 |
Above 3 years |
2 |
2 |
780 |
540 |
540 |
Fertilizer and manure rates for cashew nut
Weed Management
Some of the major weeds in cashew production include:
Wondering jew
Double thorn
Gallant Soldier
Black ack
Diseases
Powdery Mildew
(Oidium anacardii F. Noack)
Source: Infonet Biovision.Org
Management
Cultural control
Chemical control:
Anthracnose
(Colletotrichum gloespoides)
Source: TNAU Agric portal.
Damage Symptoms:
Management:
Pests
Helopeltis (Helopeltis schoutedeni) bugs
Source: TNAU Agric portal
Damage symptoms
Management
Coconut Bug (Pseudotheraptus wayi)
Source : https://infonet-biovision.org
Damage symptoms
Management options
Predatory Weaver ant (Oecophylla longinoda)
Source: weaver wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaver_ant
Cashew weevil (Mecocorynus loripes)
Source: infonet Biovision.Org
Damage symptoms
Presence of cashew nut weevil:
Management Options
Red banded thrips (Selenothrips rubrocinctus)
https://infonet-biovision.org/PlantHealth/
Damage Symptoms
Management
Mealybugs (Pseudococcus longispinus)
Source: https://infonet-biovision.org/plant_pests
Damage Symptoms
Management
Chemical control:
Maturity
Harvesting
Storage
Drying of cashew nuts kernels
Cashew kernel modified atmosphere packaging
Roasted Cashew nuts
Roasting cashew nut enhances aroma and taste of cashews and reduces post-harvest losses.
Cashew nut butter
Cashew nut toffees
Cashew apple juice, Juice prepared from ripe cashew apple.
Cashew Wine
Source: Internet
Motorised Sprayer
Used to apply herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers on agricultural crops.
Hole digger
Is a machine that digs holes in rows on equal distances.
Disk harrow
Used to plough land to break up clods,
remove weeds, and cover seed used primarily for breaking up and smoothing the soil in preparation of a seedbed for small sized grain planting.
A Power Tiller can be used in seedbed preparation, sowing seed, planting seed,
spraying fertilizer, herbicide and even irrigation.
A wheeled tractor can be used in seedbed preparation soil, sowing seed, planting seed, spraying fertilizer, herbicide and even irrigation. In addition, it can also be used for transporting produce.
A mouldboard plough does four jobs namely a) cutting the furrow
slice, b) lifting the furrow slice.
c) inverting the furrow slice and
d) pulverizing the furrow slice. Ploughing accounts for more
traction energy than any other field operation.
Francis K. Muniu, Stella Mwashumbe and Pole Finyange, Christine Kasichana and John Ndungu 2020 Cashewnut growing manual www.kalro.org Cashew_Nut_Propagation_and_Growing_Guide_2_Sept_2019_DRAFT_ed_LW[1].pdf. www.kalro.org.
PCPB 2020 List of registered pesticides in Kenya. www.pcpb.go.ke
C. K. Katama, W. Mwinga, and F. N. Pole. HOW TO GRAFT CASHEW-NUT SEEDLINGS www.kalro.org
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization
P.O. Box 57811-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
Call: 0111010100