lemon farming profit per acre | Lemon farming project report

Farmers are planting 500 to even 1000 plants in 1 acre. It is recomended to plant 210 to 300 or 350 plants in 1 acre. It is required for better quality fruit development. 

1 tree produce around 50 to 75 fruits in the 5th year and it keeps producing this much fruit every 3 months that means lemons can be harvested 4 times in a year. 

Lemon tree information

Lemon tree is a small and evergreen tree native to South Asia, Northeast India, Assam. It belongs to the flowering plant family Rutaceae. Citrus lemon is the binomial name of it. Usually, the fruit turns green to yellow when it ripe. Yellow fruit is used for culinary and non culinary purposes in the entire world.

The fruit is primarily used for its use that has both culinary and cleaning usage. Its juice contains 2.26 % citric acid along with pH around 2.2 that enables the sour taste in lemon. Lemon pulp and rind (outer protective layer of fruit) are also used in cooking and baking. Due to distinctive and high-quality sour taste, lemon is also applied in food and beverages such as lemon meringue pie and lemonade.

While talking about fruit crops, lemon is one of the most important fruits in the world. However, bananas and mangoes are in the top 5 but we can't neglect the presence of lemon. It holds the 6th position in the world. Lifespan of lemon tree is nearly 15 to 20 years. Generally, the tree starts producing the fruit from the fifth year.

It has lots of medicinal and nutritional properties and it also adds value to our food and Juice by the tremendous flavor. One great advantage is the tree produces fruits through out the year. Therefore its cultivation is one of the most important cultivation. It can grow easily in any soil but prefers the soil pH range with 5.5 to 7.0. The temperature required is 25° C to 30° C. 

History

The origin of lemons is unknown. It is said that they are first grown in the North East Asia region primarily in Assam(Northeast India), Burma. The first sustainable cultivation of lemons in Europe started in the Genoa region this occurred in the middle of 18th century. In 1493 it was first introduced to America by Christopher Columbus when he brought seeds of lemon to Hispaniola during his voyage. Florida and California have increased its plantation in the 19 century and are still doing lemon tree cultivation on their way.

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How to start lemon farming in India

All the information for growing lemon trees is given below in detail. 

Varieties 

• Malta.
• Eureka.
• Italian.
• Assam.
• Pant.
• Lucknow seedless.
• Lisbon.
• Rasraj.
• Punjab baramasi.
• Punjab galgaj.
• PAU Baramasi.
• PAU Baramasi - 1.

Temperature requirements

1. Ideal temperature is 25° C to 30° C.
2. Temperature tolerance is not more than 40° C. It will stop growing above 40° C.
3. Minimum temperature - below 10° C lemon tree will go into dormancy.

Water requirements

• Watering should be done on the weekly basis or 10 days (don't go above 10 days). The tree requires consistent water in order to grow and bloom healthy. 
• Summer - 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) water is required per month.
• Winter - 1 inch water is weekly required for young trees (nov-feb). Provide 1 to 2 inches of water on a weekly basis for more mature trees.

Irrigation

• Provide water to the lemon crop in regular intervals of seven days or maximum 10 days. You should lower down the frequency of watering plants in winters because it can cause root rot and collar rot. Apart from winters you shall provide water in good frequency because this plant need sufficient water to thrive best. 

Soil needs

• These plants can grow in almost any soil, for better growth and good quality fruit production one should select the best soil for trees. Light loam and well drained are most suitable soil for its cultivation. Add mulch around the tree because it can decrease moisture evaporation and the soil temperature too.

Note - Lemon trees don't like soggy soil; it can cause root rot.

Soil pH

The soil ph level should be between 5.5 to 7. The soil pH range between 6.0 to 6.5 is the best ph level for the tree.

Land preparation

Ploughing should be done twice to level the land properly while ploughing you should remove tiny stones along with weed. 60 x 60 x 60 cm pit size needs to be dug for the plant seedlings and you should add 10 kg of FYM and 500 gram of single superphosphate to the pits. Remember FYM needs to be added before planting the seeds.

Lemon plantation spacing

Seeds can be sowed with various spacings 4.5 x 4.5 m in normal spacing and in heavy rainfall areas you can increase spacing i.e 5 x 5 meter.

Planting season

June to August is the best time for lemon plantation whether you are planting saplings or sowing seeds.

lemon plants per acre

210 to 250 plants in 1 acre are good enough. For best lemon yield per acre one should maintain the plant density.

Fertilizer required

Fertilizer required for citrus is mentioned according to the age of the tree in the below table.

Note - Do not fertilize the tree as long as leaves remain bright medium-green

It is recommended to apply urea in two parts, first one in February and second part in April or May month. If excess fruit drop occurs then spray 2, 4-D @ 10 gram in 500 ltr water apply this in March end and other one in April end.

Best fertilizer

Farmers who tried aquaponic fertilizer such as fish eggs, fish pond water and fish residue are producing good yield from long time. 

Pruning

One should perform pruning time to time. You should not wait for the lemon pruning season; instead when shoots are observed 45 to 50 cm from the ground level you should remove them without any hesitation. Remove all the dried leaves, infected parts, and dead yellow leaves of the tree periodically. Proper pruning of lemon tree is necessary for the growth of strong stems and branches so that it can produce high yield.

Disease 

• Leaf miner.
• Citrus black fly.
• White fly.
• Citrus psylla.
• Citrus thrips.
• Anthracnose.
• Citrus canker.
• Aphids and mealybugs.
• Citrus greening.
• Phytophthora gummosis.
• Bark eating caterpillar.
• Trunk borer.

Harvesting time

The tree produces fruits 3 to 4 times in a year however, lemon takes 150 to 160 days to reach the maturity level and starts bearing fruits in the fifth year. Harvesting is done three to four times in a year.

Lemon yield per acre

Lemon trees start bearing fruits from the fifth year with 50 to 75 fruits per tree. Whereas in the seventh year a single tree can produce 600 to 1000 fruits in a year.

Lemon benefits

fresh lemon water image credit - pixabay.com

1. Lemon fruit and water are good source of vitamin C.
2. It is helpful in weight loss.
3. Its water improves skin quality. 
4. Its warm water help to improve digestive system.
5. Its raw water prevents constipation.
6. It freshens breathe. 
7. The citric acid may help in preventing kidney stones.
8. It contains antibacterial qualities that helps in clear skin by removing black heads.
9. Its fresh water without sugar helps to maintain diabetes. 
10. You should replace the morning tea with lemon tea by adding 1 or 1/2 spoon bee with half slice of lemon in 1 glass warm water it will reduce extra body fat. 

Side effects 

• Its too much consumption or technically too much citrus can weaken your enamel.
• Over consumption can increase tooth decay. 
• Citrus can cause problems for people who are suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

FAQ

Do lemon trees need water everyday?

Yes they need frequent water supply however, it does not demand for water on a daily basis but it needs regular water in the intervals of 7 to 10 days.

How long does lemon tree live?

Lifespan of a lemon tree is around 15 to 20 years

How long this tree take to grow?

The trees take more than 3 years to mature and start bearing fruits from the 5th year.

How long the tree produce fruit?

Generally they starts bearing fruits from the 5th year (60-75 per tree) however, it starts bearing more fruits from 7th year (1000-1500 per tree)

What temperature is required?

25 degree to 30 degree celsius.

What should be the lemon plantation per acre?

210 to 250 trees in 1 acre are considered for healthy yield.

What is the lemon tree yield per tree per year?

Between 5 to 15 years one tree produces 84 kg to 250 kg lemons and after 8-10 years 1 tree produces 600 to 1500 lemons.

How many days lemon can be stored?

Lemon juice can be stored for 6 to 8 days and 10 to 11 degree Celsius. Waxing treatment might extend their shelf life. Don't store them below 7 degree Celsius; they might start pitting. Lemon can easily transported to other places, they are capable of remaining fresh under variant temperatures.

Is lemon farming profitable

• Yes certainly, lemon farming is a profitable business but you should plant the required amount of plants in 1 acre i.e 250 - 300 plants only so that they can produce more fruits. Lemon yield increases during summer season, usually lemon price rises in summers and goes down in winters.
• Apart from this, always intercrop with such plants that are grown for long periods. Intercropping provides a good opportunity to earn more income. Mix cropping should be done according to your region's atmosphere and both plants' suitability with each other so, do check that as well. 
• To get 3 in 1 benefit you should try multilayer farming along with intercropping it will provide extra earning opportunity. By performing three types of farming together you can earn 3 times for example 1st intercrop earning, 2nd multilayer crop earning and 3rd your regular crop like lemon that will produce result after 5 years but after 5 years you can earn 3 times in a year with 3 to 4 crops in same farm. Thus you can multiply your earning 3 times, to read more about multilayer farming click on the link.
• In initial days you can try to store harvest rainwater in your self made ponds this will decrease your irrigation cost. 
• Lemon production per acre may vary according to the region, lemon yield per acre in Taminadu may not be similar to Maharashtra as it depends on the climate and good farming practice. Therefor farming profit may be slightly up or down accordingly. 
• However, you have to pay a good amount while installing mulching and drip irrigation systems but these are one time smart investment and both these techniques have much more benefits as well; such as save water, decrease in weed removing cost, protection from various insects, decrease labour cost, decrease irrigation cost moreover, they result in better fruit quality production. 

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