Botanical Characteristics and Ecological Requirements
Bixa orellana is a resilient, fast-growing evergreen shrub that attains a height of 3 to 6 meters, bearing attractive pink or white blossoms and clusters of heart-shaped prickly seed capsules.
- Climatic Adaptability: Thrives in warm, humid tropical and subtropical climates with annual rainfall between 1,000 and 1,800 mm and temperatures of 20°C to 38°C.
- Soil Requirements: Well-drained sandy loam, red lateritic, or alluvial soils with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5; highly tolerant of poor marginal soils but sensitive to stagnant waterlogging.
- Seed Capsules (Pods): The tree produces clusters of reddish-brown, bristly capsules containing 30 to 50 small seeds coated with a scarlet waxy pulp rich in bixin dye.
- Agroforestry Suitability: Excellent for boundary fencing, wasteland reclamation, and intercropping inside coconut or arecanut plantations.
Propagation, Sowing and Field Management
Commercial plantations are established through certified seeds or vegetative stem cuttings.
- Seed Germination: Soak fresh seeds in cold water for 24 hours to break seed coat dormancy; sow in polybags filled with soil, sand, and FYM (1:1:1 ratio) during March to April.
- Field Spacing: Transplant 3 to 4 month old healthy seedlings into pits (45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm) at a spacing of 3 meters x 3 meters or 4 meters x 3 meters (approximately 800 to 1,000 plants per hectare).
- Manuring and Irrigation: Apply 5 to 10 kg of farmyard manure per tree annually before the monsoon onset; irrigate every 10 to 14 days during dry summer establishment phases.
- Pruning: Prune lower branches and remove dead wood annually to maintain a balanced bush canopy and encourage prolific new flowering flushes.
Harvesting, Dye Processing and Market Value
Trees begin flowering and bearing seed capsules from the second to third year after planting, remaining productive for over 20 to 25 years.
- Harvesting Indicators: Harvest capsules when they turn reddish-brown and begin drying on the tree, just before the pods split open.
- Drying and Threshing: Sun-dry harvested pods on clean tarpaulins for 3 to 5 days, then beat gently with sticks to release the dye-coated seeds.
- Seed Cleaning and Storage: Winnow seeds to remove chaff and store in clean, moisture-proof bags in a cool, dark room to prevent sunlight-induced degradation of the bixin pigment.
- Market Linkages: Sell cleaned annatto seeds to pharmaceutical firms, natural food coloring processors, and state forest development corporations.
Official source
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National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) ↗Related on KisanPe
Common questions
Why is Bixa orellana called 'Lipstick ka ped'?
It is called 'Lipstick tree' because the bright red-orange pigment (bixin) extracted from its seed pulp has traditionally been used in natural lipsticks, cosmetics, and body paints.
What is Annatto dye primarily used for commercially?
Annatto is widely used as a natural, safe food colorant in dairy products (butter, cheese, margarine), bakery items, confectionery, cosmetics, and fabric dyeing.
How many years does an Annatto (lipstick) tree take to produce seeds?
A seed-grown Annatto tree begins flowering and producing harvestable seed capsules in 2 to 3 years after field planting.
General guidance, not personal advice. For your farm, ask your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or agriculture officer.
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