Standardization of Optimum Harvest Stage of Tender Cashew Kernel for Culinary Purposes

Siddhesh Pradip Salvi^1*, Laxmi Narayan Mahawer¹ Heera Lal Bairwa¹ Ram Hari Meena²and Pokhar Rawal³

¹Department of Horticulture, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur (Raj.), India

²Department of Soil Science, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur (Raj.), India

³Department of Plant Pathology, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur (Raj.), India

Corresponding Author E-mail: salvisidhesh@rediffmail.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CARJ.14.1.13

Article Publishing History

Received: 04 Jan 2026
Accepted: 11 Mar 2026
Published Online: 26 Mar 2026

Review Details

Reviewed by: Dr. Samir Albadri
Second Review by: Dr. Aadil Farooq Shah
Final Approval by: Dr. Ajit Arun Waman

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Abstract:

Cashew is dollar earning plantation crop commercially cultivated in India, even though it is not a native species. Various pre-harvest factors could lead to significant reduction in cashew yield. In west coast region, the harvesting green cashew nuts for tender kernels for culinary purposes is a common practice, which provides appreciable returns to the growers. This research was conducted for standardizing optimal harvest stage to achieve quality tender kernels. The five growth stages according to Biologische, Bundesanstaltscale, Bundessortenamt and Chemische industry (BBCH) scale were studied as treatments with four replications in Randomized Block Design. Hand pollination was carried out and various growth parameters of cashew nut, apple and kernels along with their proximate composition and sensory attributes were determined. The cashew apple length, diameter and weight increased throughout growth stages; however, cashew nut and cashew kernel length, breadth, width and weight were found to be the highest in treatment T₃ (BBCH 719) and thereafter decreased due to moisture loss. The highest moisture content of 92.40% was observed in T₁(BBCH 715), while, protein, fat and carbohydrates were recorded to be the highest in T₅ (BBCH 7813).  The highest overall organoleptic sensory score of 8.83 was observed for treatment T₃ due to tenderness.

Keywords:

Mature green nuts; Maximize returns; Pre-harvest factor; Reduce losses; Traditional ingredient

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