Ber Cultivation

Ber is a hardy fruit crop also known as poor man's fruit. Bers are good source of minerals, vitamin C and protein. It is a local fruit of India.

  • India

    1 February - 31 March
  • India

    1 July - 30 September
Bers
Bers

Common name: Ber

Botanical name: Ziziphus mauritiana

Family: Buckthorns

Origin: India and China

Introduction:

  • Ber is the crop suitable for arid conditions.

  • It is quite common fruit in India also known as poor man’s fruit.

  • It is easy to cultivate and requires less maintenance. This is the reason that its commercial cultivation is in demand.

  • Ber is rich in vitamin A, B and C. It is helpful in improving immune system and treating insomnia and anxiety.

  • The main states cultivating ber crop are Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.

Climate:

  • Being a hard plant, ber can grow successfully even in unfavorable climate but arid and semi-arid conditions are the best for its cultivation.

  • Cultivation of ber requires hot and dry climate and sufficient amount of moisture at the time of fruiting.

  • At the time of development it requires dryness in atmosphere.

  • Excessive humidity in atmosphere would affect the productivity of the crop.

Ber Tree
Ber Tree

Soil:

  • Ber is resistant to drought and water logging.

  • Cultivation of ber is possible in wide range of soil ( saline, alkaline, clayey and sandy soils)

  • It performs comparatively well in sandy loam soil.

Season:

  • Sowing time of ber is generally done at the beginning of monsoon.

  • We can also sow the seeds of ber in the months of January-March in the irrigated areas.

Fertilizer and Manure:

Amount of fertilizer and manure differ on the bases of preferred method of cultivation and climatic conditions.

List of fertilizer and manure is given below:

Fertilizer and Manure

Rainfed areas

 

Irrigated areas

FYM

30 kg/tree

60 kg/tree

Nitrogen

100 g/tree

500 g/tree

Phosphorus

50 g/tree

400 g/tree

Potassium oxide

50 g/tree

400 g/tree

 

Land preparation:

  • A proper ploughing, harrowing and leveling should be done before the cultivation of ber.

  • Land should be free from weed.

 

Variety:

Varieties of ber with their yield are mentioned below:

Variety

Yield (kg/tree)

Features

ZG 2

150

Spreading type of tree, medium sized fruits, resistant to powdery mildew disease

Sanaur 2

150

Large sized fruits, sweet in taste, resistant to powdery mildew.

Umran

150-200

Oval shaped fruit, glossy, chocolate brown fruit.

Wallaiti

114

Golden yellow in color, soft pulp.

Plant spacing:

Plant spacing: 7×7 metre in pits of 60cm×60cm×60.

Irrigation:

  • It is essential to irrigate when plant is in stage of dormancy.

  • Established tree does not require frequent irrigation.

  • Fruit developing is another crucial stage when proper irrigation is needed.

  • We can stop the irrigation in second fortnight of March.

Harvesting:

  • It is important to harvest the fruit at the right time of maturity.

  • We can proceed our first harvest within 2 to 3 years after the period of plantation.

  • Harvesting late can cause fruit ripening and can affect the taste of fruit.

Storage:

To increase the life of fruit, pre-cooling of fruit at the temperature of 100c is required.

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