Orchid farming is a hobby and an income-generating activity for many. For V.U. Sabu, an innovative farmer at Pothukety in Wayanad, it is a mission to collect and propagate wild orchids.
He has conserved over 60 varieties of wild orchids, including 16 vulnerable varieties mentioned on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “I started orchid cultivation five years ago as a hobby with a few cultivars and it helped me learn about wild orchids through journals,” says Sabu.
The 38-year-old has a collection of over 200 varieties of orchids, including the 16 vulnerable varieties such as Acampe rigida, Bulbophyllum careyanum , Clesostoma discolor Lindl, Cymbidium aloifolium, Dendrobium eriiflorum, Dendrobium macrostachyum Lind, Gastrochilus dasypogon, Oberonia gammiei King and Pantl, Pholidota imbricata, Plocoglottis javanica Blume, Vanda pumila Hook, Vnda spacthulata, and Vanda testacea.
He has collected many of the orchids during his floristic explorations across the Western Ghats. The majority of orchids in his collection is from the Wayanad region of the Ghats.
“Deforestation and anthropogenic activities have caused the destruction of many species of wild orchids, which prompted me to conserve the species,” he says.
On finding a new wild variety, he collects and propagates it in an artificial habitat set up near his house. After propagation, he replants it in its original habitat. “I will monitor the plant for six months after replanting,” says Sabu, who works at a private medical college in Wayanad.
He also keeps a data sheet on each wild plant to record details such as the date of discovery, time of replanting, and change in growth of the plant after replanting.
Sabu sells the saplings of common orchids such as Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, Vanda, Mukkara and Oncedium. The price varies from ₹150 to ₹3,000. “However, I never sell the saplings of the wild orchids. Monsoon time is the best season for collecting wild orchids,” says Sabu
“Though Wayanad district is suitable for commercial cultivation of orchids owing to its favourable climate, it is yet to be tapped properly owing to various reasons, including apathy of agricultural department officials,” he says.
Sabu has won many awards such as the Young Scientist Award of the Indian Society of Agriculture and Horticulture Research Development; Innovative Farmer Award from the International Conference of Innovative Approaches in Agriculture; and the Young Horticulturist Award from the 4th international Conference of Innovation to Transform Agriculture, Horticulture and Allied Sectors for his conservation efforts.
