<p>Nayi Kittale,’ a variety of wild orange found largely in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada, has found a new lease of life with the efforts of the Naada Maavu Mitraru Balaga (NaMaMi), a conservation initiative. The wild species faced an uncertain future, until the first week of December when the group embarked on “Mission Citrus’’. They decided to focus on its conservation by grafting.</p>.<p>“As we delved deeper, we discovered individuals cultivating similar citrus varieties under different names in various districts. This emphasised the potential for broader citrus cultivation, extending beyond Kodagu, once renowned for Coorg mandarin and Nagpur oranges, making our efforts more inclusive and diverse,” says Shree Padre, editor of ‘Adike Patrike’ and the brains behind the wild orange conservation initiative.</p>.<p>Not many are aware that citrus varieties or wild oranges are grown outside Kodagu — especially in Sullia, Sirsi, Sagar and Chikkamagaluru. They are called ‘illi hannu’, ‘chittagittale’, ‘kaadu kithale’ and so on.</p>.<p>While there have been isolated successes in growing oranges with one or two trees, many farmers have not made serious attempts to grow these citrus fruits on their plantations.</p>.<p class="CrossHead Rag">The ‘wilder cousins’</p>.<p>The NaMaMi Balaga in Sullia works on the conservation of local varieties of mangoes and jackfruit. They came across the ‘Nayi Kittale’ wild variety and decided to focus on its conservation by grafting. The idea started with gathering information on ‘wilder cousins of oranges’ to find wild citrus fruits available in the Western Ghats.</p>.<p>“To popularise and revive this variety of citrus fruit, we started collecting details on social media, and the NaMaMi Balaga succeeded in tracing a few trees in Sullia,” Padre says.</p>.<p>On tracking down a few trees of Naayi Kittale, NaMaMi collected scions of the tree for grafting. Already, 70 grafted plants have been given away to those interested.</p>.<p>“Now, we are planning to graft at least 200 saplings,” says Jayaram Mundolimoole, a core member of the group and an agriculturist. “I had tasted ‘Nayi Kittale’ many years ago and was keen on grafting a plant for a long time. Now, the dream has been realised. In fact, the fruit tastes the same as it did when I had it a few years ago,” Jayaram recollects.</p>.<p>Similarly, Natesh Sagar, an enthusiastic grafter from Sagar says having consumed “illi hannu” in the past, he wanted to graft the plant. “After several searches, I found this rare variety of citrus fruit tree inside the Mavinasara forest near Konanakatte and brought the rootstock for grafting and planted a sapling. After four years, the tree has borne over 500 fruits this year,” he says proudly and adds that he has grafted over 200 plants of the species. </p>.<p class="CrossHead Rag">Wild citrus varieties</p>.<p>The momentum for the community-driven conservation of wild oranges in Sullia is growing steadily. The latest addition to this conservation movement is Chittagittale, a wild citrus variety rarely found in Chikkamagaluru district.</p>.<p>Along with the community, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Mudigere has also joined the cause. “Using a WhatsApp group, we connected with a few individuals who have this endangered variety of citrus fruit in their plantation or backyard. Efforts are underway to conserve it,” says Padre. It is also known as Mangana Kittale and Kaadu Kittale in some places, he adds. </p>.<p>Krishnamurthy A T, head of KVK in Mudigere, says the group is planning to organise a discussion with farmers on preserving the Chittagittale species. A survey to identify the existing number of trees in the area will be taken up, he adds. “Individuals who have Chittagittale trees in their backyard have enthusiastically joined the cause,” he says.</p>.<p>Ramakrishna Puranik from Kalasa, who has three trees in his estate says, “I plan to develop saplings using seeds during the next season and distribute them among those interested.” </p>.<p>The peak season for Chittagittale fruit variety is between July and November. Depending on the shade, age of the tree, some trees yield nearly 5,000 fruits a year, says Ramakrishna. “The tree in my plantation is around 50 years old. If anyone wishes to graft, I will extend all support to them, so that this variety which is on the verge of extinction is saved,” he adds.</p>
<p>Nayi Kittale,’ a variety of wild orange found largely in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada, has found a new lease of life with the efforts of the Naada Maavu Mitraru Balaga (NaMaMi), a conservation initiative. The wild species faced an uncertain future, until the first week of December when the group embarked on “Mission Citrus’’. They decided to focus on its conservation by grafting.</p>.<p>“As we delved deeper, we discovered individuals cultivating similar citrus varieties under different names in various districts. This emphasised the potential for broader citrus cultivation, extending beyond Kodagu, once renowned for Coorg mandarin and Nagpur oranges, making our efforts more inclusive and diverse,” says Shree Padre, editor of ‘Adike Patrike’ and the brains behind the wild orange conservation initiative.</p>.<p>Not many are aware that citrus varieties or wild oranges are grown outside Kodagu — especially in Sullia, Sirsi, Sagar and Chikkamagaluru. They are called ‘illi hannu’, ‘chittagittale’, ‘kaadu kithale’ and so on.</p>.<p>While there have been isolated successes in growing oranges with one or two trees, many farmers have not made serious attempts to grow these citrus fruits on their plantations.</p>.<p class="CrossHead Rag">The ‘wilder cousins’</p>.<p>The NaMaMi Balaga in Sullia works on the conservation of local varieties of mangoes and jackfruit. They came across the ‘Nayi Kittale’ wild variety and decided to focus on its conservation by grafting. The idea started with gathering information on ‘wilder cousins of oranges’ to find wild citrus fruits available in the Western Ghats.</p>.<p>“To popularise and revive this variety of citrus fruit, we started collecting details on social media, and the NaMaMi Balaga succeeded in tracing a few trees in Sullia,” Padre says.</p>.<p>On tracking down a few trees of Naayi Kittale, NaMaMi collected scions of the tree for grafting. Already, 70 grafted plants have been given away to those interested.</p>.<p>“Now, we are planning to graft at least 200 saplings,” says Jayaram Mundolimoole, a core member of the group and an agriculturist. “I had tasted ‘Nayi Kittale’ many years ago and was keen on grafting a plant for a long time. Now, the dream has been realised. In fact, the fruit tastes the same as it did when I had it a few years ago,” Jayaram recollects.</p>.<p>Similarly, Natesh Sagar, an enthusiastic grafter from Sagar says having consumed “illi hannu” in the past, he wanted to graft the plant. “After several searches, I found this rare variety of citrus fruit tree inside the Mavinasara forest near Konanakatte and brought the rootstock for grafting and planted a sapling. After four years, the tree has borne over 500 fruits this year,” he says proudly and adds that he has grafted over 200 plants of the species. </p>.<p class="CrossHead Rag">Wild citrus varieties</p>.<p>The momentum for the community-driven conservation of wild oranges in Sullia is growing steadily. The latest addition to this conservation movement is Chittagittale, a wild citrus variety rarely found in Chikkamagaluru district.</p>.<p>Along with the community, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Mudigere has also joined the cause. “Using a WhatsApp group, we connected with a few individuals who have this endangered variety of citrus fruit in their plantation or backyard. Efforts are underway to conserve it,” says Padre. It is also known as Mangana Kittale and Kaadu Kittale in some places, he adds. </p>.<p>Krishnamurthy A T, head of KVK in Mudigere, says the group is planning to organise a discussion with farmers on preserving the Chittagittale species. A survey to identify the existing number of trees in the area will be taken up, he adds. “Individuals who have Chittagittale trees in their backyard have enthusiastically joined the cause,” he says.</p>.<p>Ramakrishna Puranik from Kalasa, who has three trees in his estate says, “I plan to develop saplings using seeds during the next season and distribute them among those interested.” </p>.<p>The peak season for Chittagittale fruit variety is between July and November. Depending on the shade, age of the tree, some trees yield nearly 5,000 fruits a year, says Ramakrishna. “The tree in my plantation is around 50 years old. If anyone wishes to graft, I will extend all support to them, so that this variety which is on the verge of extinction is saved,” he adds.</p>
