NEW ACID LIME VARIETY

National Awards
Antony Samy
City: Tirunelveli District
State: Tamil Nadu
Antony Samy (62) lives in Puliangudi village of Tirunelveli District Tamil Nadu! "e #as two sons
and one daug#ter! "e #as studied u$ to t#e eig#t# standard! "is elder son is a graduate in
Agriculture! Antony Samy owns %& acres of irrigated land wit# t#ree wells and 'oasts a mont#ly
income of (s!2 &&&&&!
Puliangudi village is )nown for t#e cultivation of Acid lime! T#e climate soil and mar)eting
facilities are *uite suita'le for t#e cultivation of t#is cro$ t#us ma)ing t#is village t#e leader in
acid lime cultivation!
Genesis
Antony samy is t#e moving s$irit of t#e Small +armers Agricultural ,ngineering Service Centre
and its activities! T#is organisation w#ic# was founded 'y -omat#inayagam a )avya. as li*uid
fertiliser during t#e time of flowering i!e! /cto'er0 Novem'er! retired teac#er #as 'een active in
Puliangudi village of Tirunelveli01atta'omman district since 2345! T#e centre #as 'een
instrumental in setting an e6am$le for t#e rest of Tamil Nadu t#at if farmers wis# t#ey could
ma)e t#e 'arren land 'loom and mine gold from it wit#out de$ending muc# on t#e government!
T#e centre #as less t#an 5& farmers as its mem'ers and most of t#em #ave very little formal
education! 7ut w#at is most im$ressive is t#at t#ese farmers s$ea) admira'ly of #ow 1oreans
and 8sraelites raise gra$e nurseries in mid c#am'er conditions #ow t#ey manure t#eir vineyards
and #arvest %& tonnes of t#e fruit from 9ust one acre of land! :#en as)ed #ow t#ey )now all
t#is Samy re$lies coolly ;7y <ideo = 8n 23>2 Antony Samy left seed $roduction enter$rise due
to #ig# in$ut cost and started t#e cultivation of acid lime! Since 2362 #e #ad 'een cultivating on
a small scale 'ut from 23>2 onwards #e e6$anded #is cultivation of acid lime to ?& acres of
land and made a good $rofit out of it! T#en #e started facing $ro'lems li)e declining $roductivity
micronutrients deficiency and *uic) wilt $ro'lem in seedlings of acid lime@ w#ic# led to large
scale $runing of t#e cro$! "e found a deficiency of trace elements suc# as Ainc 7oron 8ron and
Co$$er in s$ite of a$$lying mineral fertiliBers to t#e cro$! So #e rus#ed to t#e 8ndian 8nstitute of
"orticulture (88"() "aseragatta for tec#nical guidance and t#ere #e met Dr! ,dward (a9an Soil
Scientist w#o told #im t#at t#e low $roductivity was due to t#e s#allow root system of citrus
$lants! "e also told #im a'out t#e germ$lasm collection (nearly 2>& accessions) of acid lime in
t#e researc# institute and advised #im to graft 'y using locally availa'le rootstoc)!
Accordingly Antony Samy $urc#ased a few rootstoc)s from 88"( and raised t#e seedlings in #is
farm! +rom t#ese #e selected roug#0wild lemon rootstoc)! 8n t#e mean time #e evaluated and
selected two scions out of t#irteen mot#er $lants wit# good $erformance w#ic# #e #ad
maintained in #is farm over many years of o'servations! "e grafted t#is scion to wild lemon
rootstoc)! "e measured t#e ta$ root lengt# of t#e new variety and confirmed t#at t#e desira'le
c#aracteristics and vigour of t#e citrus trees are due to t#e dee$ root system! "e $lanted
country onion and -iant African marigold around eac# $lant to re$el nematodes and ot#er foliar
$ests! T#ere were no intercro$s and t#e fields were weeded regularly! "e used organic $est
re$ellents once a fortnig#t followed 'y a s$ray of fis# ensilage and cow.s urine to $romote $lant
growt#! "e added a'out 4)g com$ost $er $lant every si6 mont#s in t#e initial stages of cro$
growt# and t#is was gradually increased to 2& )g $er tree from t#e second year onwards! "e
used Neem ca)e cow urine and Notc#i (<ite6 negundo) for control of foliage cater$illar! "e also
s$rayed CPanc#a
"e $lanted t#e first 'atc# of 22& $lants using wild citrus rootstoc) in2336! 8n t#e second 'atc#
#e used 2&& wild citrus rootstoc)s grafted wit# t#e first generation citrus $lants (+2 o'tained 'y
grafting wild citrus wit# #ig# yielding ,dward lemon)! T#e second0generation $lants #ave
maintained t#e good *ualities of t#e first! Antonysamy is now $lanning for t#e t#ird generation
grafting 'y using wild citrus rootstoc) of second generation0grafted $lants! T#ere is fruiting all
year around in #is farm and $ea) yields are o'tained in A$ril0Day and AugustESe$tem'er w#en
t#ere are $remium $rices in t#e mar)et!
T#e cost of cultivation of acid lime wor)s out to (s!?4 5&& $er #ectare in t#e first year and t#e
cost for maintenance in t#e second and su'se*uent years would 'e a'out (s!25 &&& $er
#ectare! T#e trees may 'e )e$t in good stead for a'out 25 years! T#e mar)et $rice for t#e fruits
varies from (s!2&& $er 2&&& fruits in $ea) season to (s!5&& in t#e off0season! 8nitially #e #ad a
lot of de't due to ado$ting organic farming $ractices 'ut #e successfully re$aid t#e entire loan
only wit# t#e $rofit out of 'um$er cro$s of acid lime over t#e last ? E 5 years!
A$art from t#is #e designed #is own dri$ system to deliver four litres of water $er day $er $lant
in t#e initial stages of growt#! T#e water delivery is gradually increased to ?&litres $er day as t#e
cro$ reac#es $ea) yield from t#e fift# year of $lanting! "e suggests increasing it to 2&& litres a
day during $ea) summer!
Dass Dulti$lication and $ro$agation of t#e new citrus variety After seeing t#e success of #is
new variety Antony samy wanted to mar)et it! Till date #e #as raised 2&&& grafted $lants 'y
using wild rootstoc)! "e found out t#at #e would not 'e a'le to su$$ly t#e #ig# mar)et demand
and t#erefore #e decided to give t#is $ro$agation wor) to #is friend <i9ay Anand w#o #as
esta'lis#ed a mot#er unit for mass multi$lication and $ro$agation of t#e new citrus variety!
Antony samy is also trying 'udding met#od of re$roduction instead of grafting to underta)e
mass $ro$agation!
Characteristics of the new citrus variety
T#e grafted $lants are not only vigorous in growt# 'ut also disease free $est resistant and 'ear
a #ig#er num'er of violet0tinged flowers in eac# leaf a6is on lengt#y 'racts! T#ey also #ave t#e
desira'le c#aracteristics of 'eing s#orter in stature and #ave a larger surface area for e6$osure
to sunlig#t! T#ese $lants are droug#t tolerant and resistant to *uic) wilt! T#e water re*uirement
is 2& F less t#an t#at of t#e local variety! 3& F of t#e fruits $roduced are first grade fruits
com$ared to only 6& F of t#e fruits of t#e most $o$ular variety! T#e new variety comes to
'earing from t#e ?rd year onwards as com$ared to t#e $o$ular variety w#ic# comes to 'earing
from t#e 5t# year onwards! /nly 2 F of t#e twigs are removed as against 25 026F of twigs
w#ic# need to 'e $runed at t#e end of eac# season in t#e $o$ular variety! T#e yield $er #ectare
is ?55&& )g in com$arison wit# t#e $o$ular variety of t#e region w#ic# #as a yield of 2&5&&0)g!
T#e $roductivity is %&&& fruits $er tree $er year com$ared to 25&&0?&&& fruits in ordinary variety
and it ta)es 2?5 days to mature (from flowering to #arvest in summer) and 25& days in winter!
T#e root system is #ig#ly develo$ed $enetrating t#e soil u$ to five to si6 feet in de$t# com$ared
to a ma6imum of two feet in t#e ordinary grafted variety! T#e lateral roots (s#allow adventitious
roots) are also well develo$ed in t#e new variety! T#e fruits are 'igger more 9uicy and suita'le
for $ic)le and $rocessing industries!
Trying the new variety uner ry !an conitions
Antony samy wanted to cultivate t#is new variety under natural conditions wit#out any watering!
:it# t#is aim #e #as 'een growing a few $lants wit#out watering from 233> onwards !"is
e6$eriment wor)ed and t#e $lants are 'earing fruits wit#out watering! 7ut t#e yield of fruits is
around 25&&02&&& com$ared to 5&&& w#en t#ey get watered regularly!
"earching for other goo root stoc#
A$$reciating t#e successful outcome of using wild citrus rootstoc) #e started searc#ing for
ot#er varieties of wild citrus $lant stoc) even from ot#er states! "e went to And#ra Prades# and
$rocured wild citrus $lants from (ailway -odur village! Now #e is growing different ty$es of
rootstoc) and continuing #is e6$eriments!