🍒 Ber

• Botanical Name: Ziziphus mauritiana
• Family: Rhamnaceae
• Origin: China
• Also known as King of desert/Arid fruits.
• Ber crop is heavily/drastically pruned.
• Best time for pruning: April - May (in Rajasthan).
• Training - Ideal time is March.
• Ber is extremely drought hardy.
• Spraying of 3% thio-urea or KNO₃ once in 2 days before pruning induces bud sprouting from maximum no. of nodes.
• Irrigation during October causes flower shedding and that during March-April causes fruit spoilage and delays ripening.
• Ber also shows strong self-incompatibility (Gametophytic).
• Ziziphus nummularia — dwarfing rootstock for high density planting.
• Illaichi: 90% pollen sterility.
• Umran: Originating from Rajasthan, processed and used as ‘chhuhara’.
• Goma Kirti (Ganesh Kirti): Selection from umran, early variety.
• Maturity: 150-175 Days after flowering.
• Storage temperature: 3 °C + 85-90% RH
• Most common method of propagation of ber is I or T budding (shield).
• Beginning of monsoon is best time for planting.
• In South India, the fruits are harvested during October-November, in North India during February-April.
• Pre harvest spray of 750 PPM Ethephon at colour turning stage induces early maturity.

Varieties

• Sanuar 2: resistant to powdery mildew.
• Dodhia: resistant to fruit fly.

👉🏻 Early varieties (suitable for dry area)

• Gola
• Seb
• Kaithali

• Rashmi
• Mundia
• Banarasi
• Jogia
• Meharun: For humid area

👉🏻 Late maturity

• Umran: Originating from Rajasthan, suitable for dry areas.
• Illaichi: Triplets variety, Found pollen sterility, suitable for dry areas.
• Katha
• Pathani

Diseases

• Powdery mildew: Odium jujube var indica

Insect -Pest

• Fruit fly: Carpomia vesuviana