Ziziphus Mauritiana | Ber | بیر

Planting and care

Z. mauritiana is now found throughout the arid and semi-arid tracts of much of Asia and Africa, also the Americas and Australasia. The trees grow well in abandoned agricultural fields and on marginal lands, requires little rainfall.

Caring for Ziziphus Mauritiana

• If left to itself ber trees would attain bushy, large unmanageable form but the production per unit area is quite low.
• In order to keep the plant in manageable shape and size, trees are trained properly during first 2-3 years to build a strong framework.
• By providing support with a bamboo stick to the new growth of sprout from either in situ or transplanted seedling, vertical growth is encouraged Once the growth is about 1-1.5 meter, the terminal growth Is pinched, allowing lower buds on the main stem to sprout and form main branches.
• After sufficient growth, these primary branches be pinched to develop secondary branches. Thus plants are trained by pruning and kept in manageable shape, size with well-developed framework.
• Pruning is an essential operation in ber production as fruits are borne in the axil of leaves on the young shoots of the current season. Pruning is, therefore, done every year to induce a maximum number of new healthy shoots which bear good quality fruits.
• The best time for pruning was observed to be 15th April to 15th May under a prevailing climatic condition of Maharashtra.

Harvesting

Seedlings take two to three years to start fruit production.

Typical uses of Ziziphus Mauritiana

Special features: Special Horticultural practices: Attempts to increase fruit set, fruit size and early/delayed maturity through application of growth regulators proved to effective. The growth regulators like GA, NAA, CCC and Ethephon were used. GA (10 ppm) and NAA (10 ppm) during fruit development and Ethephon one month before harvesting were sprayed. Application of NAA increased the yield of fruits with cost benefit ratio of 1:3:30.

Culinary use: Root, leaf, Fruit

Ornamental use: NA

Medicinal use: Used in pharmaceutical preparations.

References

• http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2470728
• https://www.indiaagronet.com/horticulture/CONTENTS/ber.htm
• http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/cultivation/ber-cultivation-in-india-production-area-climate-harvesting-and-fruit-handling/24684/