The botanical name of Cinnamon is Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume.; it belongs to the family Lauraceae
Varieties: YCD 1, SL 63.
Soil and climate: Sandy or lateritic soils with high humus are suitable. Requires a sheltered situation, can be grown up to an altitude of 800 - 1000 m from MSL receiving an annual rainfall of 150 to 250 cm.
Season: June - December.
Planting: Cinnamon seedlings or rooted cuttings are planted under partial shade. Pits are dug at a distance of 2 m either way filled with top soil and FYM 10 kg at 1:1 ratio. One year old seedlings or rooted cuttings are transplanted.
Irrigation: Protective watering during summer in beneficial.,
Aftercultivation: Immediately after transplanting, the plants are provided with temporary shade by erecting a small pandal. Weeds are removed as and when necessary. Young trees are cut
close to the ground to produce side shoots. This process is called “Coppicing”. By stooling around the stumps, more side shoots are encouraged from the base of the trees.
Plant protection against Pests
Shoot borer: Smear stem and branches with carbaryl 50 WP 2 g/lit of water once in a month.
Coffee red borer: Trunk injection of monocrotophos 36 WSC 1 ml/bore hole with a waiting period of 20 days to be allowed between application and harvest of the bark.
Leaf eating caterpillar, red ants and termites
Dust lindane 1.3%.
Protection against Diseases
Leaf spot: Spray 1 % Bordeaux mixture.
Harvest: The harvesting starts from 4th or 5th year after planting. The shoots are cut for the extraction of bark once in May and again in November. As soon as rain ceases, cutting of shoots for peeling of bark is commenced. After cutting, young shoots spring up from the stump which will be ready for removal in subsequent season within 18 months. The bark is peeled from the selected shoots of 18 to 24 months old, which are usually one metre long and 1 to 2 cm thick. Shoots ready for peeling are removed from the stumps and terminal ends of shoots are
also removed. Peeling is done by knives after scraping off the outer bark. From leaves, Cinnamon oil can be extracted by steam distillation. Harvested produce is called as ‘Quills’.
Yield:
100 g of dried bark/bush.
35 kg of leaf oil/ha/year
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