🌸 Wood Apple and Bael
Production technology, adaptation, uses, and propagation of wood apple and bael.
This lesson groups two hardy underutilized fruits, wood apple and bael, that are important in dryland horticulture and traditional use. The key to studying them is to see them as stress-tolerant, multipurpose fruit crops rather than only as minor orchard species.
VARIETIES, NUTRIENT AND WATER MANAGEMENT, SPECIAL
CULTURAL OPERATIONS, PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS,
PESTS AND DISEASES, MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
WOOD APPLE
Feronia limonia L.
Family: Rutaceae
Wood apple, a native of India and Sri Lanka is one of the hardy trees of arid and semi
arid regions. The fruit is a hard- shelled many seeded berry with its pinkish brown aromatic sour
sweet pulp being the edible portion the seeds embedded in it. The pulp contains 18.1%
carbohydrate, 7.1% protein, 3.7%, fat, 5.0%, fibre and 1.9% mineral matter. The pulp is a rich
source of calcium (130 mg/100g), phosphorus (110mg/100g) and iron (0.48 mg/100g). the
vitamins supplied by one hundred gram of pulp are carotene 61 µg, riboflavin 0.17 mg, niacin
0.8 mg, thiamine 0.04 mg and vitamin C 3 mg. the ripe fruit pulp makes excellent chutney and it
is also consumed afresh along with sugar. It is used as an adjunct in jelly preparation along with
the pulp of guava.
Climatic and soil requirements:
Wood apple can be grown in dry tracts of tropical and sub-tropical regions right from sea
level, upto 1400 m above MSL. It is adapted to a wide range of soil conditions including
degraded soil. It can also tolerate salinity to certain extent. It is an ideal tree to be exploited for
growing in wasteland.
Cultivars and propagation:
No named cultivars are available. However sour and sweet types, high yielders with big
fruit size exist in the variable seedling progenies in nature. High yielders with big sized and
sweet tasting fruits should be selected for propagation through vegetative means. At present
though seed propagation is done mainly, budding has been reported to be successful if done
during late summer and early monsoon. Budded plants are dwarf and precocious in bearing. In
dry regions where irrigation potential is limited. The seedlings can be planted in the field and in
situ budding has to be done on established seedling.
Field preparation ands planting:
Normally wood apple is not planted in fertile or rich soils. In wasteland, if mass planting
is to be done, then pit lines are drawn across the slope and pits can be dug at a spacing of
8Mx8M each pit with a size of 1 Mx1Mx1M. Planting should be done at the onset of monsoon
after filling the pit with 20 kg FYM, sand and top soil. The basins should be formed immediately
after planting in such a way that water harvesting is facilitated.
Interculture:
Training is done by Central leader method allowing well spaced branches in all
directions. Intercrops can be taken during rainy seasons for the first 5 years. In the post monsoon
season, the basins can be mulched with dry leaves. Every year 25 kg of FYM is to be applied for
each tree at the beginning of the monsoon rains. This will help in increasing fruit- size and
quality. During early stages of crop growth, if pot watering is done during summer it will be
beneficial. Being a member of citrus family it is attacked by the leaf-eating caterpillar of citrus
which completely defoliate the plant. Spraying of any contact insecticide should be done after
hand picking and destruction of larvae.
Harvest and yield:
Budded plants come to bearing 3-4 years after planting. But to reach optimum
productivity it will take about 10 years. The crop flowers in February to May depending on the
climatic conditions of a locality and fruits will be available from July to December depending on
the flowering month. A well grown tree will give 200-250 fruits/year.
BAEL
Aegle marmelos Corr.
Family : Rutaceae
Beal, one of the oldest fruits cultivated in India has a mythological significance viz., a
sacred tree whose leaves are used for worship of Lord Shiva. The fruit pulp which is
carbohydrate. One hundred gram of pulp contains 55 µg of carotene, 0.13 mg thiamine, 1.19 mg
riboflavin, 1.1 mg niacin and 8 mg vitamin C. from its pulp sherbet and syrup can be made. The
marmalade prepared from its fruits is used in curing diarrhea and dysentery. From the stem, gum
is obtained. The wood is used for making agricultural implements. The leaves are used as fodder.
All parts of the plant are medicinally important due to a substance called ‘marmelosin’.
Climatic and soil requirements:
A subtropical condition with hot dry summer and mild winter would be ideal for the
cultivation of bael. It can be grown even upto an altitude of 1200 M MSL and it is not damaged
by temperature even as low as -7 [0] C. Since it is a hardy tree, it thrives well in a wide range of
soil right from pH 5 upto pH 10 where many other fruit trees fail. it can tolerate even every
alkaline soil as well as stony soils. however, well drained sandy loam is the best.
Cultivars and propagation:
There are lot of variation seen among the progenies raised from seeds for size and shape
of fruits, bearing habit, pulp quality, colour, texture, sugar percentage etc., Cultivars like
‘Mirzapuri’, ‘Kaghli’, ‘Gonda’ and a few selections from Faizabad like KB 11, KB 1, Dhar
Road and Ayodhya are found to be better. Root stocks are raised from seeds. On 6 months old
seedlings, patch budding is done during June-July.
Planting and interculture:
Pits of size 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 m are dug at spacing of 10 M x M. The top soil should be
mixed with 10 15 kg of FYM and pits filled up. Planting can be done during June-July or at
beginning of monsoon. Every year regular application of 20-30 kg FYM should be done at the
beginning of monsoon. Young plants are irrigated whenever there is monsoon failure. Any
legume or forage crop can be taken as inter crop during early years. Young plants are trained
with the help of stake. No annual pruning. However, criss-cross, weak and broken branches have
to be removed periodically.
Harvest and yield:
Seedlings take 7-8 years for bearing, while budded plants start bearing at the age of 4-5
years. Flowering is seen in May-June and fruits become ready in 8-10 months viz., April-May
matured fruits to be harvested individually along with fruit stalk and they should not be allowed
to fall on the ground. A well grown tree of about 12-15 years age gives 300-500 fruits/year.
Summary Cheat Sheet
| Topic | Key exam points |
|---|---|
| Crop role | Wood apple fits hardy and low-input orchard systems. |
| Adaptation | Tolerates challenging conditions better than many major fruits. |
| Establishment | Proper planting pits, spacing, and initial care improve survival and growth. |
| Productivity | Canopy management and balanced nutrient supply support sustained yield. |
| Exam focus | Emphasis is usually on adaptation, utility, and basic orchard practices. |
References
2 sources • [1] [2]
References
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