Betel leaf: Piper betle L.
Family: Piperaceae.
Introduction:
Betel Leaves
Today betel is grown for local consumption and
exports. Major betel leaves growing countries are Sri
Lanka, India, Thailand and Bangladesh.
Uses of Betel leaves
Pan is considered to be one of the ingredients for
social entertainment
People chew it to sweeten the breath and colour
(crimson) the lip and tongue and also to have some
narcotic pleasure
The Betel is the leaf of vine. In Bangladesh, it is
known as paan . Betel leaf is an important cash crop
in our country.
Betel vine is a perennial, evergreen climber with
glossy heart-shaped leaves which grows in tropics
and subtropics.
Betel leaf is mostly consumed in Asia and elsewhere
in the world by some Asian emigrants.
Normally pan is chewed with shell-lime paste (chun)
and areca nut or betel nut (supari).
It has a sharp taste and good smell, improves taste
and appetite.
In festivals and dinners, in pujas pan is a necessary
item.
In Bangladesh, various types of consumers eat
different varieties of pan. Among those, Dhakai
Khilipan, a ready pack of betel leaf processed in
Dhaka is famous in the sub-continent.
Important Varieties:
Based on shape, size, brittleness and taste of leaf blade,
betel vine is classified into pungent and non-pungent
varieties
Bangla, Mitha, Sanchi, Korpuri, Ujani, Maghi, Deshi,
Barisal, Jali, BARI Paan 1, BARI Paan 2, BARI Paan
3.
Soil Requirements: Soil with good organic matter (i.e.
C:N ratio) and drainage system is best suited for betel
vine growth. However, it can be grown on different types
of soils such as heavy clay loam and sandy loam soils.
Soil preparation: Soil should be prepared well by 4 5
ploughings and land should be raised by 5 10cm from
the adjacent areas, providing proper gradient on both
sides for quick drainage. Afterwards, field beds of
suitable size (15cm high and 30cm broad) are prepared.
Before planting the cuttings, soil should be sterilized
thoroughly
Cultivation
Climatic Requirements:
Tropical climate, high rainfall and a shady place are
best for its vigorous growth.
Betel is a sun loving plant but produces better quality
leaves in the wet zone and intermediate zones rather
than in the dry zone.
Appropriate shade levels and irrigation are essential
for successful cultivation of the crop. Hot dry winds
are harmful and retard the growth of the vine.
Soil Sterilization:
During hot summer months (March May), when the
soil temperature rises sufficiently, soil is covered
using polyethylene sheet in order to destroy inoculum
of soil- borne pathogens.
For new plantations, application of Carbofuran 3G @
1.5 kg/ha or neem cake (0.5 tonnes/ha) + Carbofuran
(0.75kg/ha) is also recommended to minimize initial
soil nematode population.
 However, Carbofuran should not be recommended in Propagation and planting:
established gardens at any stage because a time gap Stem cuttings having 3-5 nodes are used for
of 65 70 days as safe waiting period is required propagation and these are planted in such a manner
between application and harvesting of leaves. that 2-3 nodes are buried in the soil.
Cuttings of the apical and middle portions of the vine
Planting time : are used for planting.
The monsoon season is ideal for planting betel The plants are neatly arranged in parallel rows about
leaves plants under closed system cultivation. two feet apart, and they are twined around upright
However, planting season of betel leaves varies from sticks of split bamboo and reeds.
region to region.

There are 2 types of betel leaf cultivation is practiced in

India and Bangladesh.
1) Open system cultivation using support plants.
2) Closed system cultivation using rectangular structures
(artificial) called boroj.
Growing of support plants for natural support and
shade:
Plants of Moringa or Sesbania are raised to provide
support and shade. These support plants are sown in
45 to 60 cm rows at least 45 days before planting the
Betel leaf cultivation with support tree
cuttings of betel leaf.
 Building boroj for artificial support and shade:
Boroj are normally made on slightly sloppy field, near
to a source of water at a higher level than the
adjoining place. Boroj are just rectangular structures
made up of sticks or bamboo which are normally
having a height of 2 to 2.5 meters. These rectangular
structures are covered with using straw or coconut
leaves or similar kind of material.

Fertilizer Application
After care
Betel leaves are picked once in every 3-4 weeks and
Sets establishes within 3 weeks. The first leaf comes
with that substantial quantity of nutrient is removed
within a month. From this time, it requires constant
from the field. Therefore application of chemical
cutting by expert hand.
fertilizer is essential for higher yield and better
Irrigation:
growth.
Since betel vine requires high soil moisture, frequent
Fertilizer recommendation
light irrigation depending upon the season is to be given.
Urea 195g
Irrigation should be need-based and proper drainage is
TSP 65g
essential for draining of excess water. Water should be
MoP 100g
clean and free from microbial contamination.
magnesium sulphate 60g
 Lowering of vines
420g of above mixture should be applied to 100
Under normal cultivation, the vines grow to height of 3
betel vines in every three weeks intervals.
m in one year period.
Organic fertilizer
When they reach this height their vigour to produce
Initially cow dung or compost should be applied to normal size leaf are reduced and they need
the bed after about one month and it should be rejuvenation by lowering during March - April.
mixed well with soil without damaging to the newly is a process in which vines are untied from
planted cuttings. their support & their lower portion is coiled up carefully
leaving 1 or 2 feet growing end free and buried in the
soil.
Before lowering all the leaves should be harvested

Lowering of vines Training and pruning :

After the vine is
One month after the plantation of betel leaf, young
lowered, the tillers
shoots begin to appeared. Training is done by fixing
spring up from the
the vine at intervals of 15 to 20 cm along the support
nodes at the bends of
loosely with the help of banana fibre or jute fibre.
the coiled vines at the
Training is done at every 15 - 20 days interval
ground level and
depending upon the growth of vines.
produce many primary
vines. Irrigation should
be given after each
lowering.
Plant protection
Pests
Scale insects:
Select scale-free seed vines.
Spray Malathion 50 EC 1 ml/L
Mites:
Mites can be controlled by spraying wettable sulphur
50 WP @ 1 g/L or Dicofol 18.5 EC 0.5 ml/L.
Nematode:
Application of Neem cake @ 1 t/ha to soil for
controlling the nematode populations.
Anthracnose
Spray 0.2 % Ziram or 0.5% Bordeaux mixture after
plucking the leaves after the first appearance of the
symptom
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew can be controlled by spraying 0.2%
wettable sulphur after plucking the leaves.
Diseases
Phytophthora Wilt
Integrated method for the management of Phytophthora
wilt.
Soaking well matured seed vines for about 30
minutes in Bordeaux mixture 0.5 % before planting.
Drench Bordeaux mixture 0.25% in basins formed
around the vine at monthly intervals starting from
October January, three times soil drench and six
times spray from June - July.
Removal and burning of the affected vines
Harvesting and Post Harvest practices
Harvesting is started when the betel vine is grown up
to 1.2-1.8m in length.
Initially matured leaves are removed in lower parts of
the main stem 2-3 times.
After that betel leaves are harvested from both main
stem and lateral stems.
For export market betel is harvested from three weeks
intervals and for local market in two weeks intervals.
 Betel vine leaves Harvested leaves are washed, cleaned and graded
according to their size and quality.
Then they are packed after cutting a portion of the
petiole and rejecting the damaged leaves. The picked
leaves are sorted into different grades according to
size, colour, texture and maturity.
Betel leaves in the After that, they are arranged in numbers for packing.
market
For packing mostly bamboo baskets are used and in
many places straw, fresh or dried banana leaves, wet
cloth etc. are used for inner lining.

Standard quality specifications Processing of Betel leaves

There are no specific quality parameters for betel
Usually betel leaves are used for chewing as fresh
leaves. But for export quality following criteria is
unprocessed.
considered:
But in certain areas, leaves are subjected to
Size of the leaf At least 20cm in length and 15cm in
width processing known as bleaching and curing. There is a
Colour well matured dark Green coloured leaves good demand for such leaves which get higher prices
High pungency in the markets.
Freshness of the leaves
Stem of the leaf must be 2.5-3cm
Yield:
About 75 to 100 lakh leaves/ha/year can be obtained.
Bleaching and curing:
Thus the temperature inside the room is regulated for
Generally bleaching and curing procedure of leaves is
improving organoleptic qualities and ultimately the
done in a closed room.
green leaves are converted to white or yellowish
The room can be made up of mud, cement, brick or
white colour leaves.
any other materials available locally.
The basic principle of curing process is that the green
This process is done by alternate heating of 6 hours
leaves are treated with smoke, high temperature and
at 50-60 C and cooling of 12 hours, two to three
pressure in a closed room with little or no ventilation.
times followed by aeration of leaves by turning and
stored under dark condition.

It takes 15-20 days for making complete white or After completion of the curing process, the leaves are

yellowish from green betel leaves. graded, spoiled leaves are discarded, cured leaves

In this process, the shelf life of betel leaves is are taken out and the uncured green leaves are cured

extended up to one month. again for 8-24 hrs depending upon the colour of the

The superior quality bleached leaves are very soft leaves.

and a uniform yellow colour is formed. Changes occurred in sweetness of leaves after curing

This process increases flavour, which is due to the leads to earn more money by the farmers.

presence of volatile oils. The processed leaf also imparts a sweet taste,
making it a favourite among experts due to its high
quality.