Comparative study of varietal performance and spacing on the physico-chemical attributes of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) under various planting densities

A field trial was carried out at the AICRP on Cashew, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cropping seasons to evaluate the effect of cashew varieties and planting densities on the physio-chemical attributes of cashew. Three cashew varieties viz., VRI-3, NRCC Selection-2 and Balabhadra were evaluated under three different planting densities (2.5 m × 2.5 m, 3.0 m × 3.0 m and 7.5 m × 7.5 m). The results revealed non-significant variations of physio-chemical attributes within the planting densities. The highest physio-chemical attributes of both cashew apple and kernel viz., Total Soluble Solids (TSS) (12.47 °Brix), TSS: acid (32.04), ascorbic acid (192.35 mg/100 g), total sugar (11.20 %), reducing sugar (9.30 %), non-reducing sugars (1.77 %), protein (20.74 %), carbohydrates (21.29 %), fat (43.89 %) and calcium (0.039 %) were observed in the normal densities (7.5 m × 7.5 m), while the highest titratable acidity (0.42 %) was recorded at the closer spacing (2.5 m × 2.5 m). Genetic factors were found to be the primary drivers of variation in the quality of cashew apples and kernels. Among the tested varieties, VRI-3 variety exhibited highest TSS (12.58 °Brix), total sugar (11.18 %), reducing sugar (9.25 %) and non-reducing sugars (1.78 %), but highest ascorbic acid (199.15 mg/100 g) and calcium (0.39 %) was noted in Balabhadra variety. NRCC Selection-2 demonstrated highest protein (21.25 %), carbohydrates (21.62 %) and fat (44.40 %). These findings highlight the importance of variety selection in enhancing the quality of cashew production under ultra-high-density planting systems.