Cashew, Kaju - 0.5 kg Seeds

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale), known in India as Kaju, is a spreading evergreen tree grown for its prized kidney-shaped nut, which hangs below a swollen, fleshy cashew apple. It has leathery, rounded leaves and a low, dense canopy, and is an important plantation crop along India's coasts as well as a useful tree for greening dry, lateritic wastelands.

Native to north-eastern Brazil, it is cultivated extensively in the coastal belts of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where it tolerates sandy, poor and drought-prone soils. The nut is roasted and eaten worldwide, the cashew apple is used for juice and feni, and the shell yields industrially valuable cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL).

• Family: Anacardiaceae
• Native region: North-eastern Brazil
• Mature height: 8-12 m
• Growth rate: Moderate

Use plump, mature, fresh nuts and soak them in water for one to two days, discarding any that float. Sow the seed on its side about 5 cm deep, ideally directly in the field or in deep polybags, as cashew dislikes root disturbance; germination usually takes 2-3 weeks. Plant out or thin the seedlings early while the taproot is still short, at the start of the rains.