ABSTRACT
Pineapple is considered as one of the most important Tropical fruit. The beauty and the virtue of the ‘Golden Queen’ have been explained by many a poet all over the world. According to some author, it symbolizes balmy tropical land and leisurely life of tropical areas. Many farmers in this region also believe that pineapple is a snake loving plant. Obliviously snakes are considered as an evil creature in layman perceptions but there are some more dimensions that we need to care about. Maybe the bushy nature of the plant provides good habitat for snakes and the fragrance of the well ripen uniform cylindrical shape of the crown of the fruit may attract snakes. The rumors and the anonymous saying about the horticultural crops that are prevailed in our society has influenced farmers’ livelihood. It is essential to cut all the curtains of freaky believe and to explore the fact about commercially leading crops in the agricultural market.
Keywords: Pineapple, Snakes, Aroma, Public Perceptions, Farmers’ Decision, Sanitation, Mitigation measures
INTRODUCTION
Being a tropical fruit, Pineapple thrives well in a mild tropical climate. It grows well near the coast as well as interior so as long as the temperatures are not extreme It can be grown up to the elevation of 100 m above the sea level, provided they are free from frost. It requires an optimum rainfall of 150cm which should be well distributed. It can be grown in any type of soil except heavy clay. However, sandy loam with a pH ranges from 5.5-6 is the best. The soil should have the depth of at least 60cm without hardpan beneath or waterlogging. Low lying areas with high water table are not suitable.
Pineapple is a good source of vitamin A and B and is also very rich in vitamin C. In addition, it constitutes an important raw material for the fruit processing and preservation industry. Pineapple is utilized as canned pineapple in the form of slices, rings and in the preparation of jam, manufacturing of alcohol, calcium citrate, citric acid, and vinegar. All the processes involved in cultivation of pineapple including selection of varieties, its propagation, preparation of land and intercultural operations are taken as a piece of cake but when it comes to maturation, it should be harvested with the pinch of salt because people believe that the fragrance of the fruit attracts snakes due to these challenges farmer with small scale refuses to grow pineapple. Generally, the plant flowers at 12 months after planting from February to April. The fruit takes about 135-160 days to be mature and ripen. The volatile constituents of pineapple have been studied for over 60 years by many researchers, and the result has been published in numerous papers reviewed. More than 280 compounds have been found among the volatiles of pineapple so far. Only few of this volatiles have been identified as a contributor to pineapple flavor.
Berger et al identified two minor hydrocarbon compounds, 1-(E,Z)-3,5-undecaterine and 1-(E,Z,Z)-3,5,8-undecatriene which were important contributors to fresh cut pineapple aroma due to their low odor threshold values. Esters such as 2-methylbutanoates and hexanoates give fruity notes fresh pineapple as well as other fruit. 4-Hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone (HDF; furaneol; pineapple furanone), which posses a pineapple and caramel –like the aroma, due to which it gives an attractive smell. Snakes are supposed to be attracted to these smell and they make a temporary or permanent settlement around the pineapple bush which makes a threat to the people residing in the area where there lacks anti-venom of snakes bite.
Fruits are to be grown according to the agro-climatic area. For this, there are some opportunities and constraint parallel to each other. Among them, constraints included are the geophysical situation, biological phenomenon, an extension of the agricultural practices. As an economically backward country, Nepal is victimized with the syndromes of the lack in farmers’ education and the poor extension system of agriculture. The level of the farmers’ education as a continuous variable is expected to have a positive influence on farmers’ decision to adopt new technology or participate in some kind of innovative procedure. Most studies have revealed the positive effect however the few studies have also found the negative effects of influence on farmers towards the selection of crops. Different socio-psychological aspects associated with agriculture, directly and indirectly, influence in decision making of a farmer.
According to Krishna chhetri and Damoder Thapa Chhetri, research conducted in sarlahi district, where three study sites were undertaken for the collection of snake species suggests that highest number of snake species was recorded from Site-II (Hariwon) and least number of snakes was recorded from site I (Lalbandi). In Hariwon, farmers cultivate the sugarcane in most of the land which provides good habitat for snakes. This may be the reason for the highest number of species recorded in this site. But, in Lalbandi, people are engaged in the cultivation of cash crop such as tomato, cauliflower, Eggplants etc. For these crops, they should plow and clean the land several times in a year and comparatively provide less suitable habitat for snake species. This may be the reason for the lowest number of species of snake recorded in Site I (Lalbandi).
Public Understanding of snake and snake bite
Venomous snakebite and its effects are a source of fear for people living in southern Nepal. As a result, people have developed a negative attitude towards snakes and bushy crops, which can lead to human-snake conflicts that result in the killing of snakes. Attempting to kill snakes increases the risk of snakebite, and actual killing of snakes contributes to loss of biodiversity.
People with predisposed negativity towards snakes were not proponents of snake conservation. Fear, negativity, ambivalence towards, and ignorance about, snakes and the need for snake conservation are strong indicators of the propensity to harm or kill snakes. Generally, people cannot distinguish the poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. They think every snake is poisonous. So, they kill snakes whenever they meet them. Thus, the snake species are decreasing day by day. For the conservation of snakes in Nepal, public awareness regarding the importance of snake to keep the ecosystem in balanced condition is essential.
Pineapple does not grow on a tree. As snakes mainly live on ground and pineapple plants are at ground level and often grow in the dense plot, it is a good environment for rats and rodents to hide. Thus snakes come looking for them. Madhav Pandey, locally named as snake man in Nepal speaks on the YouTube channel named Joe Niemczura on the title ‘The truth about venomous snakes’, “if you want to flee a snake add 50:50 percent either phenyl or Kerosene and on spraying snakes will flee away because the smell is very intolerable for them.” It prevents snake bite without killing them.
CONCLUSION
Plants possess several defense mechanisms and special characters that help in attracting their respective organism as well as avoiding their predators. Every plant bears its own protection mechanism but it does not necessarily mean that we should avoid such plant just because of their peculiar character. There are different preventing measures of snakes from the farm where pineapples are grown. If snakes have appeared on the farm where pineapples are to be harvested, there are some mitigating measures. Proper spacing, regular training, and pruning, sanitation of the farm and application of snake repellent oils are recommended.
Snakes have their own important role in balancing the ecosystem. Moreover, inappropriate perception and knowledge about snakes and snakebites may put people at increased risk of venomous snakebite. Therefore intensive, pragmatic educational effort on scientific cultivation of pineapple should be focused. Such types of misguidance should be eliminated through the means of proper extension approach to make farmers realize that snake habitat in pineapple tree is just a coincident that snakes are found in the same agro-climatic region where pineapple can be grown.
REFERENCES
Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai, 2013. Fruit Crop Cultivation, 67-71
Deb Prasad Pandey, Gita Subedi Pandey, Kamal Devkota, and Matt Goode, 2016. Public perceptions of snakes and snakebite management: implications for conservation and human health in southern Nepal. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed ; 12:22 [Published online 2016 jun 2. Doi:10.1186/s13002-016-0092-0]
H. Herman schleich & Kaluram Rai, 2012. AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF NEPAL SNAKES A CHILDRENS BOOK. ARCO-Nepal e.V; 6:48
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kF6446a9wD8
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-snakes-always-found-on-pineapple-farms
Krishna Chettri and Damodar Thapa Chhetry,2013. Diversity of Snakes in Sarlahi District. Nepal Our Nature, 11(2): 201-207 [Accepted: 20.12.2013]
MLA, 2009. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers seventh Edition
Yukiko TOKIMOTO, Martin STEINHAUS, Andrea BUTTNER, and Peter SCHIEBERLE, 2005. Odor – Active constituents in fresh Pineapple (Ananas comosus [L.]Merr.) by Quantitative and Sensory Evaluation. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 69 (7), 1323-1330 [Accepted April 26, 2005]
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