Vanilla Specialty Crop

7/31/2019 Vanilla Specialty Crop

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Farm and ForestryProduction and Marketing Profle or

Vanilla(Vanilla planifolia)

By Janice Y. Uchida

Specialty Crops or Pacifc Island Agroorestry (http://agroorestry.net/scps)
http://agroforestry.net/scpshttp://agroforestry.net/scpshttp://agroforestry.net/scps


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Farm and Forestry Production and Marketing Profle or Vanilla by Janice Y. Uchida 2

USES AND PRODUCTS

Te highly aromatic, cured pod (or bean) o the vanillaorchid (Vanilla planifolia) is the primary product. Vanillaowes its properties to vanillin, a compound that is ormedduring pod maturation and in the curing process. Vanillinis believed to be one o most popular scents in the world.Natural vanillin is expensive by weight, but when used as aavoring it is aordable.

Vanilla is used extensively to avor ice cream, chocolate, bev-erages, candies, cakes, puddings, custards, and many otherconections. In Hawaii, ches add it to seaood dishes andother non-dessert dishes. Commercial products include:

Whole cured vanilla beans

Extractions (usually in a minimum 35% alcohol)

Powder o ground, cured beans

Paste (minimum 12.5% ground cured beans with sugarsyrup, starch, or other ingredients)

Seeds

As an aromatic, vanilla is included in products such as per-umes, cosmetics, lotions, detergents, abric soeners, airresheners, aroma therapy, and many others. It is also widelyused in rubber manuacture and in the abrication o otheritems with unpleasant odors.

While the traditions surrounding vanilla are lled with re-erences o the ritualistic and healing powers o this spice,there are ew well documented studies to veriy these char-acteristics. Recently, some evidence o anticarcinogenic(intererence with cancer ormation) and anticlastogenic(promotion o chromosome repair) activity o vanillin has

been ound. Te anticlastogenic eect o vanillin has beendocumented in the protection that it provides to cells thatare exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and X-rays. When

vanillin was added to cell cultures, mutation was signicantly reduced ollowing exposure to radiation. Tis studyclearly provides evidence that there are antimutagenic properties o vanillin.

In addition, there is evidence that vanillin has strong anti

microbial properties(Bythrow 2005). Tis may open doorsor the use o vanillin as a natural ood preservative. Whethersynthetic vanillin can be used in this way needs to be tested

SCALE OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION

Lubinsky et al. (2008) estimates that 5,00010,000 metric tons (M) o vanilla beans are produced annually withabout 95% derived rom V. planifolia. In 2006, Madagascar and Indonesia accounted or about 81% o the vanillaproduced worldwide. onga produced 144 M and FrenchPolynesia (ahiti) produced 50 M (Lubinsky et al. 2008)

Te U.S. is the largest importing country.Te scale o annual worldwide commercial production varies greatly with the weather conditions in the Indian Oceanand in Indonesia. Political turmoil can also aect productionWhen the weather is poor, such as with strong hurricanes, orollowing other natural disasters such as earthquakes, theproduction in Madagascar and Indonesia is greatly aectedTe world supply crashes and prices increase.

Le: Beans in the process o curing to develop optimum favors and aroma. Right: Well labeled bottles o extract (oreground) andvials o single beans (background).


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Specialty Crops or Pacifc Island Agroorestry (http://agroorestry.net/scps) 3

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Preerred scientifc name

Vanilla planifolia Jacks.

Family

Orchidaceae

Subamily

Vanilloideae

Non-preerred scientifc names

Vanilla fragrans Salisb.

Common names

English: vanilla, Bourdon vanilla, Madagascar-Bourbonvanilla, and Mexican vanilla (Lubinsky et al. 2008)

French Polynesian: tumuvaniraFrench: vanille,goussedevanille (idiom)German: vanille, vanilleschote (idiom)Italian: vaniglia, baccellodivaniglia (idiom)Portuguese: baunilha,favadabaunilha (idiom)Spanish: vainilla, mantecado, vainadelavainilla (idiom)

Related species

Over 100 species oVanilla are reported(Bory et al. 2008).Most o the cultivated vanilla is Vanilla planifolia althoughlesser amounts o Vanilla tahitensis and Vanilla pomponaare also grown. Vanilla tahitensis is known as ahitian va-nilla and V. pompano produces West Indian vanilla. Otherspecies have importance to the vanilla industry, as somemay have characteristics that could provide viral or ungaldisease resistance, higher productivity, or increased vinestrength.

BRIEF BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Te vanilla plant is a eshy vine, which produces elongateleaves and aerial roots at the nodes. Te vine or stem isgreen and also photosynthesizes along with the lea. Oneor two aerial roots are ormed at each node, enabling theplant to take up water and nutrients and allowing the vine toclimb on supporting trees or other structures. Healthy vinesgrow or many years and can reach lengths o more than 60m. In nature, vines grow ar into the canopy o trees. Flowers are ormed on short branches or racemes, with ew tomany owers per cluster. Te owers are about 6 cm to 8cm in length, wavy, pale yellowish green to green with three

sepals and two petals that are pale yellowish green to greenand with a third petal that is modied into the lip. Te lipsurrounds the column, which bears the pollen masses (pollinia) and the sticky stigma. Pollination requires the polliniato be placed on the sticky stigma. Te ruit is a long capsulewhich is known as a bean and when mature contains thousands o tiny black, round seeds.

DISTRIBUTION

Native range

For years there has been high interest in the origins o thevanilla that is grown in many parts o the world. In recentchromosome and DNA studies, plants collected rom commercial operations throughout the world (Mexico, CentralAmerica, Caribbean, South America, Madagascar, and Indonesia) were discovered to be very similar geneticallyTese studies showed that cultivated vanilla rom dierentparts o the world were all V. planifolia. Within Mexico andthe Papantla region, there is a greater variation in the Vanilla genus, and since genetic variation is typically greater

Le: Vanilla tahitensis has smaller and more pointed leaves compared with V. planifolia. Middle: V. planiolia growing on physic nut(Jatropha curcas). Right: Two clusters oV. planiolia buds, one with two open fowers.
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at locations closer to the origin o a species, this region isconsidered the center o origin o all cultivated V. planifo-lia. Researchers believe that V. planifolia originated rom thePapantla region o Mexico and cuttings were taken to otherparts o the world such as Madagascar (Lubinsky et al. 2008).

Te relationship between V. planifolia and V. tahitensis hasbeen investigated. In some older literature, V. tahitensis isbelieved to be a hybrid oV. planifolia and V. pompona. Cur-

rently, the combined results o several molecular analysessuch as UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method withArithmetic mean) clustering reveals that V. planifolia and V.tahitensis specimens are more closely related to each otherthan to V. pompona (Besse et al. 2004). Similar results wereobtained by microsatellite markers (Bory et al. 2008), RAPD(Random Amplication o Polymorphic DNA), and ISSR(Inter Simple Sequence Repeat) also support this nding.

Current distribution worldwide

Vanillais grown pantropically inMexico, Central America(Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize), the Caribbean (Jamaica,

rinidad, obago, Puerto Rico), South America (Ecuador,Brazil, Paraguay), Arica, India, Madagascar, Reunion Isles,Mauritius, Seychelles, Southeast Asia, the Pacic region (In-donesia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Niue, onga, Cook Islands, Samoa,French Polynesia, Hawaii), and in other countries (Lubin-sky et al. 2008). V. pompona is grown in Paraguay and in thePhilippines, while V. tahitensis is primarily grown in FrenchPolynesia.

ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENCES AND

TOLERANCES

Warm tropical climates are ideal, with annual rainall o1,5002,500 mm per year. A prolonged period o drought,or low temperatures (


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Top le: It is essential to propagate vanilla only rom disease-ree cuttings. Top right: Tom Kadooka, a pioneer in commercial vanillacultivation in Hawaii, shows his propagation benches in Kainaliu, Hawaii. Middle le: Six-month-old vines. Middle right and bottomle: Progression o vine growth on wood supports in containers. Bottom right: Healthy vines growing on untreated wood poles undershade cloth in other commercial operations.


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Organic amendments

Organic matter can be used directly as a growth medium(e.g., coconut husk, banana trunk) or composted (e.g.,leaves, twigs, grass trimmings, ood waste). Vermicompost(worm compost) can also be a valuable addition to ertilitymaintenance.

Fertilization

Fertilizer rates depend on the environment. Plant growthshould be kept vigorous and leaves a uniorm green. Gran-ular N-P-K ertilizer (10-10-10) is oen added once permonth or a slow release ormulation every 3 months. I avail-able, sh emulsion or oliar ertilizer can be applied every 2weeks. Foliar ertilizers eed the aerial sections o the vine,which is especially benecial or long vines on supports.

Flowering and ruiting

Flowers orm on mature vines aer at least 2 years o growth.Flower initiation can be the most difcult part o growing

vanilla. Continuous watering and ertilization will keep the

plant growing vegetatively without ower ormation. Someexperimentation may be needed by growers in new environ-ments. In rain-ed outdoor cultivation, a dry period o 12months will initiate ower production. In container culture,growers can reduce water and eliminate ertilizer or 12months during the autumn period (OctoberDecember in

Hawaii). Flowers are initiated and racemes will orm 12months later.

AMelipona bee is the only insect known to pollinate vanillaowers in Mexico. In Hawaii and other areas o the PacicwhereMelipona are absent, a ew beans sometimes orm on

vines high in trees, suggesting that other insects or organisms also pollinate vanilla owers, but at a very low rate. Forcommercial production, owers must be hand pollinated

preerably in the morning just aer the ower opens.

Pollination tips

1. Find the anther with the pollen sacs. Remove the twopollen sacs using a toothpick, small bamboo stick, directly on a ngertip, or another convenient means.

2. Move the rostellum away and place the pollen sac gentlyon the stigma. Te pollen sac will adhere to the stigma

3. Te pollen grains germinate and carry the male nucleusto the emale egg nucleus in the ovary. Te ertilizedovary becomes the seedpod or vanilla bean.

CULTIVATION

Prepare holes or pits 3045 cm wide and 60 cm deep. Keepthe holes at least 2030 cm away rom the base o supporttrees. Place a layer o volcanic cinder or rock on the bottomo the hole and ll with loose clay loam soil, organic matterand compost. Te top layer o most orest soils is ideal. Poles

Le: Hand pollination is necessary or production o beans. Right: A bean orms soon aer successul pollination.


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and other support structures should be surroundedwith humus and mulch. However, when using sup-port trees, keep the mulch closer to the vanilla vineand not around support trees. Roots do not pen-etrate deep into the soil but at least 3045 cm o san-dy clay loam is recommended. As the plant grows,the addition o mulch such as coconut leaves andhusks, and other leaves and small twigs at the baseo the plants is valuable.

For greenhouse cultivation, the use o well drained,high organic matter potting mixes is recommend-ed. Some growers use commercial potting mixesbased on peat or coconut husk (salt ree). Te eldor greenhouse should provide good drainage, evenaer prolonged rains.

In cultivation, vines must be kept within reach toallow the armer to hand pollinate the owers andharvest pods. Tus vines must be kept low or easeo management.

Basic crop management within greenhouses

In many countries, vanilla cultivation has moved rom theorest into covered greenhouse structures. A structure with5070% shade cloth is commonly used. Irrigation is o-ten necessary or optimal growth and to control owering.Within the greenhouse, the ground should be kept ree romweeds and algae with a synthetic weed mat or a thick layero sand or gravel.

Planting methods

Tese methods are applicable to both greenhouses and un-

der living trellis trees. Large containers. Te containers are lled with an ap-

propriate potting or compost mix. Te vines are trainedonto a supporting pole. I one vine becomes diseased,the vine can be removed together with the growth me-dium, allowing or relatively easy sanitation.

Raised beds. Using lumber or concrete or sidewalls,beds are built about 3550 cm deep. Te beds are lled20 cm deep with clean rocks or gravel. Plastic pipingcan be inserted in the medium or vine support. Plantsare spaced at least 90 cm apart.

Cylinders. Cylinders about 811 cm in diameter and 2m tall are ashioned with a wide-mesh wire ence mate-rial (e.g., chicken wire) and lled with coconut huskand other large pieces o organic matter. Metal bars setin the ground or concrete oundation hold the cylinder

vertical. Te vanilla vines grow in the organic materialswithin the cylinder.

VALUE-ADDED PROCESSING

In some environments, beans are ready or harvest 7 monthsaer pollination but usually require 89 months, with moretime required in cooler environments. Beans should bechecked daily and as soon as part o a bean begins to yellowit should be harvested with a knie or clipper. I beans arenot harvested on time, they will split and their value will begreatly diminished. Harvested too early, the rich avor andaroma o the bean will not develop during curing.

Processing

Immature beans are uniormly dark green and the tip be

comes slightly yellow when the bean begins to ripen. A smalamount o reddish-brown liquid called balsam o vanilla isexuded under high humidity. Such beans are strongly scented. I le on the vine a ew weeks or months, beans dry completely, becoming brittle, with diminished scent.

o optimize development o aroma, beans are careully harvested, cured, and stored. During the curing process, vanillin is ormed by enzymatic action on the glucosides in thebeans. High quality, cured beans are at least 16 cm longeshy and supple with slightly oily, unblemished and unscarred epidermis, whole (not split), strongly aromatic, and

dark brown to almost black. Undesirable beans are hardbrittle, very so or moldy, thin, brown or uneven in coloror weakly aromatic.

Curing

Several curing methods have been developed using variations o our undamental processes:

1. Killing or wilting. Tis process kills the cells, turns thepod brown, and initiates the enzymatic reactions.

Le: Vanilla grown in cylinders. Right: Close up o a cylinder.


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2. Sweating. Te sweating process keeps the temperature

warm to encourage the enzymatic process. Aer thesweating stage, the beans are supple and the vanillaaroma develops.

3. Slow drying. In the slow drying stage, the beans areplaced in the shade in a well ventilated, clean area to pre-

vent mold growth or contamination with dust. Whenthe beans have lost about two-thirds o their moisture,they are placed in boxes or 3 or more months or theconditioning stage.

4. Conditioning. During this last phase, the beans devel-op their ull aroma and vanillin content.

Bourbon method

Te Bourbon curing method was developed on Reunion Is-land in the Indian Ocean. It is widely used in Madagascarand the Comoro and Reunion Islands. Given the reputation

o the Madagascar vanilla beans or high quality, this meth

od has been widely adopted.Beans arrive at the curing actory and are separated by sizestage o maturity, and epidermal integrity and quality. Beansare bundled, placed in open net cylindrical baskets, andblanched by dipping into 6365C hot water or 23 minutes. Small and split beans are immersed or less than 2 minutes. Te warm beans are quickly drained, wrapped in darkcotton cloth, and are placed in a box or sweating. In Hawaicamping coolers and similar boxes have been used. Aer 24hours, the beans are inspected, with uniormly brown beansseparated and moved to the sun-drying phase. Te heating

process is repeated or beans that are not uniormly brown.Te sun-drying phase places the beans on a dark cloth indirect sunlight on a raised surace (table or bench) withgood air movement and a clean environment ree o insects. Aer an hour in the sun, the beans are covered with

Le: Young pods with dried fowers. Middle: Close up o mature beans. Right: Brown mature beans, le too long on the vine ordemonstration.

Le: Sweating a small batch o beans in a plastic bag in the sun. Middle: Beans at the beginning o the sweating process. Right: Beanspread out in the sun or warming aer sweating is complete.


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a blanket or towel and le in the sun or another 2 hours,then they are rolled inside the blanket to retain heat, andmoved indoors. Tis process is repeated or 68 days untilthe beans are supple. In the third stage, the beans are spreadout in an indoor environment with good air circulation, reerom insects, dust, and other potential contaminants. Com-mercially, beans are kept on racks or tables or 23 monthswithin large warehouses that are built or this purpose. I theweather becomes wet or more than a ew days, the beanscan be placed in ovens at 4550C.

In the nal conditioning phase, beans are grouped by lengthand straightened by hand. Tis helps to spread the oil thatis released rom the beans. Te beans are tied in groupso 2550 with a sturdy string, wrapped in wax paper, andplaced in a wax paper lined metal conditioning box. At least3 months are required or this stage with the beans checkedrequently to remove any that develop mold. Beans that arenot progressing well are returned to the sunning step. Beansthat have lost about o their weight or can be bent aroundthree ngers are ully cured and can be bundled or sale.

Product quality standards

Bourbon vanilla is classied by International Standardsbased on the Madagascar Classes o vanilla as ollows:

Grade Standard

FirstLonger than 14 cm, blemish ree, supple, ull, tan-brownuniorm color, good avor, and moisture content o lessthan 25%

SecondLonger than 14 cm, some scratches or spots, good avor,moisture content o 2528%

TirdLonger than 14 cm, good avor, some blemishes and spots,red blemishes and moisture content o 30% or more

FourthShorter than 14 cm, broken or cut, have red blemishes,and with moisture content o 30% or more

Te standards or Australian vanilla also include the Austra-lian Food Standard Code that requires testing o all beansor bacteria (Salmonella and Escherichia coli) and chemicalresidues. For large sales, the seller oen provides a represen-tative sample to the prospective buyer or conrmation othe grade.

Product storage requirements and shel lie

Stored in airtight containers and kept below 20C, curedbeans will last or 12 years. Other products with longershel lie include vanilla paste (ground cured vanilla withsugar syrup); honey-inused with vanilla (whole curedbeans placed in honey); vanilla powder (ground curedbeans); vanilla powder or seeds mixed with coee; vanillaextracts; and cured beans in alcohol (e.g., vodka).

Recommended labeling

Labeling should include the country o origin, grade, promotional material, and contact inormation. Labeling iscrucial or regions that are establishing a unique identity orbrand or their product. Many Pacic island nations havegovernment agencies that help communities to grow, process, and market new crops. Individual growers should alsodevelop their own labels or the retail market. Promotion o

the source location (e.g., Grown in Hawaii) can enhanceproduct value and market potential.

AGROFORESTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL

SERVICES

In several Pacic island communities, it is common or vanilla to be grown under coconut palms. Since coconuts maynot provide enough shade or the vanilla plants, other typeso shade trees may need to be planted to protect the vanillaplants. Tis practice is being used in Papua New GuineaVanuatu, Fiji, onga, Samoa, and ahiti. In ahiti, Tecoma

trees are commonly used as the support plants while in onga, it is physic nut (Jatropha curcas). In addition, nitrogenxing trees such as Gliricidia sepium are excellent supportplants. Such support trees can also provide trimmings ormulch, composting, and animal odder. Other potentialsupport trees are citrus, mango, bamboo, neem (Azadirachta indica), Ficus spp., Plumeria alba, jackruit (Artocarpusheterophyllus), and areca nut palms (Areca catechu). Tetype o support tree selected varies with the environment(Anadaraj et al. 2005).

Support plants can help prevent erosion, and, when planted

densely along the contour, contribute to terracing slopesTe brous roots help to retain soil and moisture. In someareas, another cash crop is grown with the vanilla, such as

vegetables or other plants that will not compete with the vanilla or light. Tese can be grown as a border around theeld or between the rows o trellised vanilla.

Recommended planting density

Depending on the type o support tree used, they are grownin rows that are 12.5 m apart and 2.53 m between rowsDepending on the species selected, 1,5002,000 supportplants can be grown per hectare and one to three vines can

be planted per support plant.

Advantages and disadvantages o polyculture

Advantages o polycultures such as vanilla growing on support trees include suppression o rapid disease spread andreduced movement o insect pests. Support trees also pro

vide shade, add organic matter, and reduce soil erosion. Ingeneral, support trees cost less than large greenhouse structures. Te shade provided to the working environment is alsocomortable or employees and enhances the physical and


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psychological environment. Disadvantages include somecompetition among the support plants and vanilla vines ornutrients, water, and space. Support trees also require prun-ing, which is additional eld maintenance cost or a grower.Te biggest disadvantage maybe that the support trees canharbor slugs, snails, insect pests, and are nearly impossibleto clean i the crop becomes inested with a pathogen. Also,support trees may encourage mosquito populations.

Special horticultural techniques

Commercial production begins with disease ree plants thatare trained on a support tree or articial trellis. I supporttrees are used, they need to be planted 36 months beorethe vanilla. A cluster with about 10 beans will usually ormmostly long beans (which have the highest market value)depending on the environment and the health o the vanillacrop. Many growers pollinate all owers and are happy withshorter beans in the early crop cycle.

PESTS AND DISEASES

Pests

Occurrence o pests depends on the region. Pests includeslugs and snails, which are common in many orests andecosystems with support trees. Tese pests eed on the tender shoots, oral buds, young beans, and roots o vanilla

vines. Tey have been reported rom Arica, the South Pacic, India, and are likely to occur everywhere in moist en

vironments. Insects such as the Lamellicron beetle (Hoplia

retusa) and the ashy-gray weevil (Cratopus retuse) produceholes in owers, preventing bean ormation. Te suckingbug (Halyomorpha sp.) inests young shoots and oral budsand kills them (Anandaraj et al. 2005). Scales and thrips canalso cause damage. However, most insects can be controlledwith appropriate insecticides, with availability varying bycountry. Chicken, snakes, and crabs have been reported tocause damage to vines also. Many o these pests also spread

viral diseases.

Top le: Vines growing on physic nut cuttings in agroorest o bananas, coconuts, and other species on Tongatapu, Tonga. Bottom leYoung vines establishing on physic nut cuttings, interplanted with taro on Savaii, Samoa. Right: Young vanilla vine planted under aneem tree.


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Diseases

Diseases are caused by viruses, ungi, bacteria, and nema-todes. Viruses and ungi cause the most serious problemsor vanilla.

Viruses

Six viruses have been reported or vanilla, although notall are severe. Both Cymbidium mosaic virus (CyMV) and

Odontoglossum ring spot virus (ORSV) are common on or-namental orchids in many parts o the world. Vanilla vinescan be inected with CyMV, but show virtually no symptomsand remain highly productive, or the virus can be associatedwith chlorotic and necrotic ecks on leaves (Grisoni 2004).In French Polynesia and in Reunion, 44% and 32% o theplants, respectively, were inected with various potexviruswith CyMV present at both locations and ORSV, a tobamo-virus, ound on Reunion only (McGrath 2008).

Vanilla mosaic virus (VanMV)causes lea mosaic and severemalormations on V. tahitensis and V. pompona in FrenchPolynesia. VanMV causes a severe mosaic, blistering, andlea distortion with over 30% o the elds in French Polyne-sia inected (Wisler et al. 1987). Tis virus is serologically re-lated to Dasheen mosaic virus (DsMV), extremely commonin taro (Colocasia esculenta), but has a dierent host range.

Pearson and Pone (1988) reported another potyvirus inonga, the Vanilla necrosis potyvirus (VNV) that causedsignicant losses in the South Pacic in 1988. Wang et al.(1993) reported that the protein coat gene o VNV had a97% sequence homology with watermelon mosaic virus II(WMV-II) rom the U.S. and 93% sequence homology withwatermelon mosaic virus rom Australia. Te name Water-

melon mosaicVirus II onga (WMV II onga) was suggested.

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) was recently ound in vanil-la causing lea distortion and stunting. In French Polynesia,23% o plants surveyed showed virus-like symptoms andcontained CMV. Te Vanilla tahitensis plants were severelystunted with distortions o the leaves and stems. Flowerswere sterile and production was greatly impacted. Tis vi-rus has an extremely large host range and inects over 800plant species, with the vanilla isolates able to inect Cheno-podiaceae (Chenopodium), Cucurbitaceae (cucumber), Fa-baceae (mung bean), and Solanaceae (pepper, tomato, and

tobacco). CMV is divided into two major subgroups (I andII) and subgroup I is urther divided into two groups (IAand IB) by phylogenetic analysis. Te V. planifolia isolatesbelong to subgroup IB in India (Madhubala) and subgroup Irom French Polynesia and Reunion Island (Farreyrol) or V.planifolia and V. tahitensis, respectively. An unknown rhab-dovirus-like particles or bullet shaped virus has also beenound in vanilla rom Fiji and Vanuatu.

Management of viral diseases

A viral inection means that the entire plant has the virusand it is incurable. Viral diseases must be detected and anyplants with CMV, VanMV, or WMV-II should be destroyedimmediately and new plantings should be started with virus-ree stock plants. Keep all ornamental orchids and cropssuch as cucumber, mung bean, pepper, tomato and tobaccoaway rom vanilla elds. Older vines should be tested or

viral diseases beore using or propagation.

Top: Young shoot eaten by caterpillar. Middle: Scales on leaBottom: Slug damage.


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For many viral diseases, the virus is present in the sap andmovement o this sap rom a diseased plant to a healthy plantwill transer the disease. When trimming vanilla vines, washthe clipper or knie between vines and dip in a 20% solu-tion o bleach. I washing the blade is not practical, then theblade should be wiped dry beore dipping into the bleach,otherwise sap will prevent sterilization. I any plant is ob-served with lea mottling, blisters, or deormity, it shouldbe tested or virus. In general, because there are many un-known viruses, any plant with deormities or blisters shouldbe destroyed.

Vanilla plants that have CyMV can still produce top qual-ity beans with high vanillin content. In Hawaii, billions oVanda (now Papilionanthe) orchid blossoms have been pro-duced on CyMV-inected plants. Tese plants have no de-ormities or distortions and are known as symptomless car-riers o the virus. It is important to know i vanilla plants areinected to avoid transmission o the virus to other orchidsthat will show symptoms. However, total eld destruction oplants with this virus is not warranted at this time.

Fungal diseases

In general, ungal diseases present the greatest problems tovanilla crops and occur throughout the world. Commonpathogens are discussed below.

Fusarium

Fusarium species cause the most destructive diseases o va-nilla in the world. Oen undiagnosed, these diseases willkill many plants beore the problem is recognized. Growersbelieve that their plants are in decline. Beginning in thelate 1980s, millions o orchids were exported rom South-east Asian countries. Tis introduced several Fusarium spe-cies into the orchid trade in Hawaii, but the diseases theycaused were not recognized. On some o the orchids, suchas Cattleya, Fusarium blackens the sheath but requentlydoes not do more damage.

Fusarium orms an abundance o spores on the surace odiseased tissue, which look gray, grainy, or mealy. Tesespores splash or are blown to healthy leaves and other plantssuch as vanilla. Te ungus spore germinates when moistureis present. Te entire vanilla plant is susceptible to inection,with disease requently beginning on the aerial roots. Inect-

ed aerial roots become brown and die but do not look verydierent rom roots that have died rom injury or lack omoisture. Fusarium enters the stem rom the inected rootsand causes stem rot. With time, movement o nutrients andwater is inhibited by a section o dead vine and the rest othe vine, although not inected, has pale, o-green leaves.Tese vines can be used or propagation but only the tipsare taken and absolutely no part o propagation material canhave a brown spot or blemish o any kind.

Fusarium can survive in dead vine and root tissues or overa year. Tus, all inected vine material should be gatheredand burned or discarded. Never add diseased plants to thecompost pile. Growers who have Fusarium disease shouldbuild a small greenhouse and process cuttings as describedbelow and start a new population o clean, healthy plants.

Colletotrichum spp.

Colletotrichum species have been reported to cause rots associated with lea and stem spots. Spores o this pathogenorm on lea spots and are splashed to healthy tissue. Tisungus can reduce plant vigor i many leaves are aectedWet, cool seasons avor this disease.

Sclerotium sp.

Tis species rots leaves, stems, and roots, requently producing a thick mat o white ungal threads. Aer a ew daystiny, round mustard-seed-like bodies are ormed. Tese arethe spores that spread the disease and enable the ungus tosurvive dry periods without a host. Sclerotium is a known

wound pathogen, so growers need to check their transplantsand new cuttings or symptoms. Te white to pink mycelia(thread) mats are a clue to its presence.

Phytophthora spp.

Tese species cause lea, stem, oral, bean, and root rotsTe lea and bean rots are requently black and expand rapidly. White uy cotton-like growth is oen ormed on thesurace o rotted tissue in moist weather. Phytophthora rooand stem rots weaken and kill vines. Tis pathogen growsrapidly in wet weather and thousands o spores are ormedin a ew hours. Root rots increase i heavy rains lead to

standing water in the eld. Phytophthora also produces another type o spherical spore called the chlamydospore, thathas a thickened wall which allows the spores to persist insoil or up to a year. When plants are replanted in an areacontaminated with chlamydospores, the nutrients releasedby the roots stimulate the chlamydospores to germinate andinect the roots. Inected plants should be gathered, burnedburied deep in the ground, or removed rom the eld.

Management o ungal diseases

Plants should be careully inspected or symptoms beorepurchase. issue cultured, virus-ree plants may be the best

option. New plants that are brought onto a arm should bekept away rom any established plants.

Plants should always be propagated using tip cuttings romhealthy plants. I using 23 node cuttings, growers shouldselect material that is blemish ree, as even small rots can indicate the presence o pathogens. Cuttings should be dippedin a 10% solution o household bleach (one part bleach tonine parts water) with a little detergent added, or 3060seconds. Cool, clean ltered water can be used to rinse the


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cutting, although rinsing is not necessary. Te bleach willkill spores on the surace o the plant. However, any Fusar-ium or other pathogens living within the plant will survivebleach treatment. A ew disease-ree plants rom which torestart the eld are more important than many plants with aew that are contaminated. Contaminated plants insure thatthe problem will recur.

New elds should be started at least 12 kilometers romold diseased elds. Be sure water does not run o rom anold or existing eld to a new eld. Even clean pieces o vinerom an old, diseased eld should not be introduced directlyinto a new eld. Instead, cut into 23 node pieces, suracedisinect in bleach, and root in pots beore replanting intothe new eld.

Pest and disease prevention

Vanilla plants should have good air circulation and reelydraining, well aerated growth media. A gentle slope usuallyensures good drainage when planted in soil. Areas with po-tential or standing water should be avoided or drains needto be built. Te growth medium should be loose and high inorganic matter. Plants should be protected rom high windsand direct sunlight.

For commercial operations, certied virus-ree plantsshould be used or the eld establishment. Pathogens thatmay be present on plants propagated rom cuttings will dis-seminate to the tissue-cultured vines. Tis has happened

or growers and tender tissue-cultured plants were killed inhigh numbers.

Other orchid species should not be grown in the samegreenhouse with vanilla. Even orchids that appear to behealthy, such as Cattleya,are requently contaminated withFusarium and other pathogens.

Sanitation

All diseased vines should be removed rom the cultivationarea, burned, or buried in a deep pit. Items used in the

eld such as baskets, gloves, clothing, aprons, and ootwearshould be washed with bleach. Washing and soaking in saltwater will also kill pathogens, reducing the need or bleachtreatment. Both prevention and sanitation are sustainablemethods to control disease.

Chemicals

In some countries, ungicides are permitted or use on vanilla. In India, carbendazin at 0.2% is sprayed on the plantor Fusarium rots, and roots are drenched with 0.2% carbendazim, 0.25% copper oxychloride, or a mixture o 0.25%carbendazim and mancozeb. Phytophthora is treated with a1% bordeaux mixture or mancozeb. Metalaxyl is highly eective or Phytophthora but is allowed only in certain countries.

Fungicides registered or orchids may not be allowed or va

nilla since systemic ungicides could remain in the vanillabean aer harvest or others may adhere to the bean suracecontaminating it or ood uses.

Growers who spray herbicides or weed killers need to beaware that some o these poisons will harm their vanillaplants. Glyphosate, or example, can cause damage when thewind carries a mist o the spray onto the vanilla plant oliage

Potential or invasiveness

Potential or invasiveness is low. However, vanilla vines dopersist aer a plantation is abandoned. It has naturalized in

several countries but growth is slow and non-problematic.

SMALL SCALE PRODUCTION AND

SPECIALTY MARKETS

Because vanilla can grow in shallow soils and containers, itis an ideal crop or small arms having poor soils. Home gardens and small urban lots can produce a steady supply obeans. Growers can cure, add value in various ways, and selbeans or other products at retail. Because o the high value

Lef: Fusarium inection o a young cutting. Middle: Advanced rot or blight caused byFusarium. Right: Phytoxicity damage rom useo pesticides.


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o each bean, this can be protable, especially i the productline is diversied.

Communities can also work together on processing, mar-keting, and product development. For the export market,small growers may have a greater chance or success by col-laborating on processing and marketing as a group.

It is difcult to estimate the comparative values o green andcured beans. For the household producer who is selling va-

nilla beans directly to consumers, the value o cured beanscan be high, especially with high-quality processing andpackaging. Good quality beans can be stored or months.For growers who sell green beans to a processor (commod-ity market), the value is much lower than or cured beans,but the work and time involved in curing is avoided.

ourists are ascinated by the vanilla vine, and how the beansare produced. A successul model is a acility tour with a re-

tail area or sale o vanilla products as well as other productssuch as chocolate, coee, nuts, jellies, and jams.

Some vanilla growers also sell plant materials to new growers. Products include small rooted plants and long cuttings

Import replacement

Locally grown vanilla could easily replace most o the vanilla imported to the Pacic islands. Since local consump

tion is a small part o the amily ood budget, homegrownvanilla would presumably have minimal impact on amilyeconomies, unless it is sold or traded.

YIELDS

Expected range o yields per plant

Yields vary tremendously over time depending on thelength o the vine used to initiate the crop, environmentalconditions, maintenance, and attention to pollination andharvesting. In some Asian countries, the crop produces500800 kg/ha/yr o cured beans and the expected crop lie

is 7 years. In India, 300600 kg/ha/yr o cured beans areproduced in elds up to 1214 years old, while in Uganda400600 kg/ha/yr o cured beans are produced and the eldremains productive or 68 years.

MARKETS

Local markets

Vanilla can be sold to local restaurants, retailers, organicproduce stores, bakeries, county retail outlets, and at armers markets. Some vanilla growers also sell small rooted

plants and longer cuttings. Plants in small pots generally retail or $1215 with higher prices or larger plants. Qualityis essential or direct retail sales. Unblemished pods etchpremium prices. Beans that are short or blemished can bemade into other value-added products or sold in bulk.

Export markets

Te U.S. is the largest market or vanilla and imports morethan hal o world vanilla production. France, Germany, andthe United Kingdom are other top importers.

Branding and labeling possibilities

Several vanilla growing regions have developed their ownbrand identity. Hawaii is the only place in the U.S. where

vanilla is grown commercially, and the Grown in Hawaiiname carries the Hawaii mystique and a perception o quality. However, delivering consistently high quality and reliable supply are the most important selling eatures o anyspecialty crop.

Top: For small-scale production, it is easy to keep an eye out orfowers to pollinate when the plant is situated right outside thehome. Bottom: A large number o beans can be produced evenon one healthy vine.


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Potential or Internet sales

For armers in Hawaii and regions with good Internet ser-vices, potential or Internet sales is excellent. Vanilla prod-ucts are generally lightweight, o high value per unit weight,and non-perishable.

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

ExpensesCosts to establish a vanilla arm vary tremendously. House-holds and small growers who own their land and use supporttrees will have the lowest cost. Expenses include cost o sup-port trees, mulch or planting, poultry manure or ertilizer,organic matter, tools, vanilla cuttings, and possibly encingto keep out animal or human intruders. Labor will likely beprovided by the amily, including clearing the planting area,preparing the ground, planting the support trees and vines,removing weeds, maintaining the vines, pollinating owers,harvesting, curing, packaging, and marketing.

For those growers who decide to grow vanilla in green-houses, inrastructure costs are higher, including groundclearing and grading, greenhouse and vine support struc-tures, organic matter or compost, the vanilla plants, tools(hoes, clippers, etc.), and possibly encing. Te groundmust be kept clean, thus sand, gravel, or weed mat shouldbe used. Maintenance includes irrigation, ertilization, cropmonitoring and cleanup o diseased plants, placing vines onsupports, pollination, monitoring o the pods, harvesting,curing, packaging, and marketing. In general, vanilla hasseasonally high labor demands.

FURTHER RESEARCH

Potential or crop improvement

Many aspects o vanilla culture need to be addressed. Ag-ronomic research or growing plants under support trees isneeded. Te amount o shade and best shade trees or eachenvironment should be identied.

Improving potential or amily or community

arming

Governments should und and support propagation o vi-

rus-ree plants to help small landholders. Disease preven-tion and availability o ungal ree propagation material isextremely important. A program to encourage communitydevelopment o compost production and vermiculture arealso critical. Any other community-based support suchas nancial aid or initiating a vanilla arm or low interestloans or supplies will help this industry.

Genetic resources

A healthy collection o dierent species is needed to preservegenetic diversity. Hybrids and cultivars should be identiedcollected, and maintained. A breeding program to developcultivars with viral or ungal disease resistance and highquality beans is desperately needed by this industry.

Policy

Global movement o propagation materials accelerates themovement o pests and pathogens. International regulationsneed to be developed and implemented to prevent the movement o serious viruses such as the Cucumber Mosaic VirusNew policies could proactively prevent pathogen spread.

REFERENCES CITED AND FURTHER

READING

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Ackerman, J. No date. Vanilla in Flora o North America. http://www.eoras.org/orataxon.aspx?oraid=1&taxon_id=134375 [accessed December 8, 2010]

Anadaraj, M., J. Rema, B. Sasikumar, and R. Bhai. 2005. VaVanilla. Printers Castle, Kochi, India.

Anilkumar, A. 2004. Vanilla cultivation: A protable agri

based enterprise. Kerala Calling: 2630.

Besse, P., D. Da Silva, S. Bory, M. Grisoni, F. Le Bellec, andM.-F. Duval. 2004. RAPD genetic diversity in cultivated

vanilla: Vanilla planifolia, and relationships with V. tahitensis and V. pompona. Plant Science 167: 379385.

Bory S, D. Da Silva, A.-M. Risteruccic, M. Grisonia, PBesseb, and M.-F. Duvald. 2008. Development o microsatellite markers in cultivated vanilla: Polymorphism andtranserability to other vanilla species. Scientia Horticulturae 115:420-425.

Bythrow, J. 2005. Vanilla as a Medicinal Plant. Semin IntegrMed 3:129131.

Clarke, W.C., and R.R. Taman. 1993. Agroorestry in thePacic Islands: Systems or Sustainability, United Nations University Press, okyo.

Farreyrol, K., Pearson, M., Grisoni, M., and Quillec, F. Leciercq-Le. 2000. Severe stunting o Vanilla tahitensis inFrench Polynesia caused by Cucumber mosaic virus(CMV) and the detection o the virus in V. fragrans in
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Reunion Island. New Disease Reports. British Society orPlant Pathology.

Geetha, S., and S. Shetty. 2000. In vitro propagation oVanil-laplanifolia, a tropical orchid. Current Science 79:886889.

George, P., and G. Ravishankar. 1997. In vitro multiplicationo Vanillaplanifolia using axillary bud explants. PlantCell Reports 16:490494.

Grisoni, M., F. Davidson, C. Hyrondelle, K. Farreyrol, M.Caruana, and M. Pearson. 2004. Nature, Incidence, andSymptomatology o viruses inecting Vanilla tahitensis inFrench Polynesia. Plant Disease 88:119124.

Grisoni, M., M. Moles, K. Farreyrol, L. Rassaby, R. Davis,and M. Pearson. 2006. Identication o potyviruses in-ecting vanilla by direct sequencing o a short R-PCRamplicon. Plant Pathology 55:523529.

Havkin-Frenkel, D., J. French, and D. Joel. 2004. Interrela-tion o curing and botany in vanilla (Vanillaplanifolia)bean. Proc XXVI IHC Future o Medicinal and Aromatic

Plants. Acta Hort 629:93102.

Kalimuthu, K., R. Senthilkumar, and N. Murugalatha. 2006.Regeneration and mass multiplication oVanillaplanifo-lia Andr.a tropical orchid. Current Science 91:14011403.

Kartesz, J. No date. Vanilla mexicana P. Mill. axonomicSerial No.: 505644. IIS Standard Report Page: Va-nilla mexicana. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=SN&search_value=505644 [accessed December 8, 2010]

Korthou, H., and R. Verpoorte. 2007. Vanilla. In: R. Berger(ed.). Flavours and Fragrances. Springer, Berlin.

Le Roux, K. 2005. Characterisation and detection o viruses(Cucumovirus, Potyvirus) inecting vanilla in ReunionIsland and Polynesian Islands. PhD Tesis. University oAuckland. http://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/1289?mode=ull&submit_simple=Show+ull [ac-cessed December 8, 2010]

Lubinsky, P., S. Bory, J. Hernandez, S.-C. Kim, and A. Go-mez-Pompa. 2008. Origins and dispersal o cultivated

vanilla (Vanillaplanifolia Jacks. [Orchidaceae]). Econom-ic Botany 62:127138.

Madhubala, R., V. Bhadramurthy, A.I. Bhat, P.S. Hareesh,S.. Retheesh, and R.S. Bhai. 2005. Occurrence o Cu-cumber mosaic virus on vanilla (Vanilla planifolia An-drews). India. J. Biosci. 30:339-350.

McGrath, P. 2008. Vanilla viruses. New Agriculturist. http://www.new-agri.co.uk/02-1/ocuson/ocuson5.html [ac-cessed December 8, 2010]

Minoo, D., V.N. Jayakumar, S.S. Veena, J. Vimala, A. Basha,K.V. Saji, K. Nirmal Babu, and K.V. Peter. 2007. Genetic

variations and interrelationships in Vanilla planifolia andew related species as expressed by RAPD polymorphismGenet Resour Crop Evol 55:459470.

Nzou, G. 2008. Malindi armers commercialize vanilla. Pressrelease. Kenya Horticultural Development Program. USAID. Nairobi, Kenya.

Pearson, M., and S. Pone. 1988. Viruses o vanilla in theKingdom o onga. Australasian Plant Pathology 17:59

60.Purseglove, J., E. Brown, C. Green, and S. Robbins. 1981

Spices. Volume 2. Longman, London.

Wang, Y., D. Beck, R. Gardner, and M. Pearson. 1993. Nucleotide sequence, serology and symptomatology suggestthat vanilla necrosis potyvirus is a strain o watermelonmosaic virus II. Archives o Virology 129:93103.

Wisler, G., F. Zettler, and L. Mu. 1987. Virus inections oVanilla and other orchids in French Polynesia. Plant Dis

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http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=505644http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=505644http://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/1289?mode=full&submit_simple=Show+fullhttp://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/1289?mode=full&submit_simple=Show+fullhttp://www.new-agri.co.uk/02-1/focuson/focuson5.htmlhttp://www.new-agri.co.uk/02-1/focuson/focuson5.htmlhttp://www.new-agri.co.uk/02-1/focuson/focuson5.htmlhttp://www.new-agri.co.uk/02-1/focuson/focuson5.htmlhttp://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/1289?mode=full&submit_simple=Show+fullhttp://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/1289?mode=full&submit_simple=Show+fullhttp://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=505644http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=505644


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Specialty Crops or Pacifc Island Agroorestry (http://agroorestry.net/scps)

Farm and ForestryProduction and Marketing Profle or

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)

Author: Dr. Janice Y. Uchida, Department o Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, ropical Plant Pathology Program, 3190Maile Way, St. John Hall 304, University o Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822; el: 808-956-2827; Email: [email protected].

Recommended citation: Uchida, J.Y. 2011 (revised). Farm and Forestry Production and Marketing Prole or Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia).In: Elevitch, C.R. (ed.). Specialty Crops or Pacic Island Agroorestry. Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR), Holualoa, Hawaii.http://agroorestry.net/scps

Version history: December 2010, February 2011

Series editor: Craig R. ElevitchPublisher: Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR), PO Box 428, Hlualoa, Hawaii 96725, USA; el: 808-324-4427; Fax: 808-324-4129;

Email: [email protected]; Web: http://www.agroorestry.net. Tis institution is an equal opportunity provider.Acknowledgments: Manuscript review by Scot C. Nelson, Marty Parisien, and Jim Reddekopp is greatly appreciated. Photo contributions

by Chris Kadooka and Scot C. Nelson are grateully acknowledged.Reproduction: Copies o this publication can be downloaded rom http://agroorestry.net/scps . Except or electronic archiving with

public access (such as web sites, library databases, etc.), reproduction and dissemination o this publication in its entire, unaltered ormor educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission rom the copyright holderprovided the source is ully acknowledged (see recommended citation above). Use o photographs or reproduction o material in thispublication or resale or other commercial purposes is permitted only with written permission o the publisher. 201011 PermanentAgriculture Resources. All rights reserved.

Sponsors: Publication was made possible by generous support o the United States Department o Agriculture Western RegionSustainable Agriculture Research and Education (USDA-WSARE) Program and the County o Hawaii Department o Research and

Development in partnership with the Big Island Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council. Tis material is basedupon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department o Agriculture, andAgricultural Experiment Station, Utah State University, under Cooperative Agreement 2007-47001-03798.
http://agroforestry.net/scpsmailto:[email protected]://agroforestry.net/scpsmailto:[email protected]://www.agroforestry.net/http://agroforestry.net/scpshttp://agroforestry.net/scpshttp://www.agroforestry.net/mailto:[email protected]://agroforestry.net/scpsmailto:[email protected]://agroforestry.net/scps

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