🥑Bael

• Botanical Name: Aegle marmelos
• Family: Rutaceae
• Origin: India
• Other names: Bengal quince, Indian quince, Golden apple, Wood Apple. Bael is one of the few fruit crops that is indigenous to India and holds immense cultural, religious, and medicinal significance.

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• It is a sacred tree for Hindus. Leaves are used to offer ‘Lord Shiva’. The trifoliate leaves of bael are considered auspicious and are an essential offering in Shiva worship, making this tree a protected species near temples.
• Unripe or half ripe fruit contains 31.3% - 31.8% carbohydrates, 1.8% proteins and 2.9% fibre. This rich nutritional profile makes bael a valuable functional food, especially in rural areas where it grows abundantly.
• Richest source of Vitamin-B₁ (Riboflavin). Among all fruits, bael stands out for its exceptionally high riboflavin content, which is essential for energy metabolism and maintaining healthy skin and eyes.

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• Marmelosin - Active ingredient present in Bael, extracted from bark. Marmelosin is a coumarin compound with potent anti-diarrhoeal and anti-dysenteric properties, making bael a highly valued fruit in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.
• It can withstand sodicity upto 30 ESP and salinity upto 9 EC. This remarkable tolerance to adverse soil conditions makes bael an ideal fruit crop for cultivation in salt-affected and alkaline wasteland areas where most other fruit crops fail to survive.

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• Varieties: Kagzi Gonda, Kagzi Etawah, Kagzi Banarasi, Mitzapuri. These are the major cultivated varieties of bael, primarily selected for their fruit size, pulp quality, and shell thickness. The prefix “Kagzi” refers to varieties with a thin, paper-like shell, which are preferred by consumers.
• Mature green fruits are ideal for harvesting. At this stage, the fruit has accumulated maximum nutrients and bioactive compounds while still being firm enough for transport.
• Ripe fruits are used for beverage making, hence they should be harvested at ripe stage. Ripe bael pulp is used to prepare sherbet (a popular summer drink in India) and squash, valued for their cooling and digestive properties.
• Mature green or raw fruits are most suitable for making preserve. The firm texture of unripe fruits holds up well during the preservation process, producing high-quality murabba (a traditional Indian preserve).

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• Storage temperature: 9 °C + 85-90% RH. Maintaining this temperature and relative humidity combination prevents moisture loss and microbial spoilage, extending the shelf life of harvested bael fruits.

Summary Cheat Sheet

Concept / Topic	Key Details
Bael botanical name	Aegle marmelos
Family	Rutaceae
Origin	India (indigenous)
Also known as	Wood apple, stone apple, Bengal quince
Religious significance	Sacred to Lord Shiva (trifoliate leaves)
Propagation	Seeds, root suckers, budding
Climate	Hardy; tolerates drought and poor soils
Fruit type	Berry with hard woody shell
Medicinal uses	Dysentery, diarrhoea; marmelosin (active compound)
Varieties	NB-5, NB-7, NB-9, Pant Aparna, Pant Sujata
Nutritive value	Rich in riboflavin, vitamin C, mucilage
Processed products	Bael sherbet, murabba, squash, powder
Harvesting	Fruits harvested when shell turns yellowish-green
Bearing habit	Bears on current season’s growth
Soil	Grows on marginal, alkaline soils; very hardy