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Management for flowering and yield

Farmers control the yield of the Vanilla vine through the pollination process. The pollination process and after care must be well managed.
If the plant is made to flower when it is still too young, the plant will be exhausted, its future yield will be reduced and it may die early.
The number of beans that a vine produces must be in balance with the size, strength and age of the vine.
A vine that is forced to produce too many beans will have a high number of small-sized beans. Buyers do not want small-sized beans.
Two major management activities are essential:

  • Stimulation of flowering
  • Pollination of flowers

Important: you are in control of the Vanilla plant yield. A plant forced to carry too many beans will become exhausted and its productive life will be shorter.
For a mature (4 – 5 year old) vine, growing strongly, 80 to 120 beans per year is a good yield.
Uganda has two flowering seasons each year. If full yield is taken at one flowering, the next flowering season should be missed.
i). Stimulation of flowering
Three (3) factors stimulate flowering; the dry season; reduction of shade; removal of the growing shoots of hanging vines. Flowering starts 2 – 3 months after stimulation. If all these factors are not present, flowering will be poor.
The two major flowering seasons are September/October and March/April.

  • The dry season. Dry conditions stimulate the plant to flower. The main dry season in the Mukono growing areas is June to August. Thus in Mukono the main flowering season is September/October. The second dry season gives flowers in March/April.
  • Reduction of shade. At the start of the dry season, reduce the shade to one third (30%). This increases light levels (more sunshine gets in). This puts stress on the plant, which prompts flowering. Note: Glyiricidia usually looses all its leaves during the dry season, so it naturally reduces shade. This emphasises the importance of having shade trees that are easy to control.
  • Removing the growing shoots of hanging vines. From each plant select 2 – 4 long vines (depending on size and strength of the plant) that hang to the ground (Plate 1). Do not pass these vines through the mulch. Count back 5 leaves from the growing shoot and cut off this front piece (it can be used as planting material).
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