ADVANCED PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF BAEL

Submitted by :Pawan Kumar Nagar

M.Sc. (Horticulture) Fruit Science04-2690-2015

BAELBotanical Name : Aegle marmelosFamily: Rutaceae

INTRODUCTION

Bael (Aegel marmelos) is an indigenous fruit tree of India. The deciduous tree with trifoliate aromatic leaves is traditionally

used as sacred offering to ‘Lord Shiva’. It is commonly planted in temple garden. As wild Bael is found in Utter Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and

Madhya Pradesh. Fruit is hard shelled berry and very well known for its medicinal

properties due to marmelosin content. The ripe fruit is tonic, restorative, laxative and good for heart an

brain.

CLIMATE

Owing to hardy nature, bael tree has a wide adaptability to adverse soil and climatic condition.

It require subtropical climate where summer is hot and dry, and winter is mild.

Plants can grow even up to an elevation of 1,200m. They are not damaged by temperature as low as -7 C.⁰

SOIL

A well drained, sandy loam soil is ideal. It can thrive even on poor and clay soil. It can stand sodicity up to 30 ESP and salinity up to

9ds/m EC.

VARIETIES

Narendra bael - 5 : The plants are small and semi spreading growth habit,

precocious and prolific in bearing. The budded plants start fruiting in the 4th year, the

average fruit yield of six year old plant is 28.78 kg. fruits are medium in size, round, with smooth surface

and very thin rind, straw yellow at maturity, low in mucilage, moderately fibrous.

Release from N D university Agriculture and technology, Faizabad,UP.

Pant Shivani :

It is a early mid season variety. Trees are tall, vigorous, dense, upright growing,

precocious and heavy bearer. Fruit shape is ovoid, oblong and the size being 18.50

cm × 15.00 cm. fruit weight ranges from 2 to 2.4kg. colour of fruit is lemon yellow and its storage quality

is good. Release from G B Pant university of Agriculture and

technology, Pant Nagar, Uttarakhand.

Goma Yashi :

It is early maturing variety, semi – spreading, dropping growth habit, less lateral branches growth, budded plants of goma yashi start flowering in 3rd year.

Fruit size 13.00cm × 12.50cm. yield 51kg/ tree. Released from Central Horticultural Experiment

Station, Vejalpur.

OTHER VARIETIES: Narendra bael-9 :- N D University Of Agriculture and

Technology, Faizabad, UP.  Narendra bael-7:- N D University Of Agriculture and

Technology, Faizabad, UP. Pant aparna:- G B Pant university of Agriculture and

technology, Pant Nagar, Uttara Khand. Pant sujata:- G B Pant university of Agriculture and

technology, Pant Nagar, Uttara Khand. CISHB-1:- Central Institute for Sub-tropical Horticulture,

lucknow CISHB-2:- Central Institute for Sub-tropical Horticulture,

lucknow

PLANTING

Bael plants should be planted at a distance of 8mˣ8m or 10m x 10m (seedling).

Pits of 90cm x 90cm x 90cm size are dug and filled with a mixture of top soil + 25kg FYM up to level of 6cm from the ground level.

Irrigate the pits to settle down the soil. February-March or July-August is the right time for

planting.

TRAINING AND PRUNING

Young plants are trained with the help of stakes so that they can grow straight.

To provide good framework of the individual tree, the tip of main stem should be removed at a height of about 1m.

Select only 4-6 well spaced branches. Pruning in Bael is normally not done. Dead, diseased, weak and crossing branches are prunned

off.

MANURES AND FERTILIZATION Little or no systematic work has been done on its nutritional

requirements. Apply 10kg FYM, 50kg N, 25kg P, 50kg K/plant to one

year old plants. This dose should be increase every year in the same

praportion up to the 10 year. FYM should be applied in beginning of May. Half dose of N, full dose of P and half dose of K should be

given just before flowering. Remaining half dose of N and K should be given in the last

week of August. Manures and fertilizers should be spread under whole canopy

of the tree.

IRRIGATION

Plants need to be cared for watering. Basin system providing more uniform distribution of

water should be used for irrigation of young plants. Irrigation to young plantation should be given at 20

days interval in summer. In bearing orchard, first irrigation should be given after

manuring and fertilization. Irrigation at monthly intervals should be given after the

rainy season (October-April)

HARVESTING AND POSTHARVEST MANAGEMENT Bael is used for preserve making, hence mature green fruits are ideal

for harvesting. Fruits become fully mature 8 months after fruit set. At this stage shell (peel) changes from deep green to light green and

flesh (pulp) from light yellow to deep yellow. Fruits take about 11 months after fruit set to ripen on the tree. Its ripening can be advance by 45bdays with pre-harvest treatment

of Ethephon (1000ppm) during 1st week of Feb. or 9 months after fruit set.

There is no standard grading of bael fruits. Fruits are mostly packed in gunny bags and some times in basket for transportation and marketing.

YIELD

The number of fruits per tree may vary from 30 – 45 at the age of 6 – 7 years. depending on genotype, soil and climatic condition. However, a seedling tree at the 30-40 years age can yield 500-800 fruit.

USE

Toffee Squash Powder Jam Slab Ready to serve

PEST

1. Termite attack on new saplings is major peoblem. Application of chlorpyriphos @ 2-3 ml/lit/plant has been found effectively to control the termite.

2. Leaf eating cater pillars cause damage to the plant and it can be control by 2-3 spray of dimethoate @ 1.5-2.0 ml/lit at 15 days intervals.

Termites

Leaf eating cater pillars

DISEASE

Fruit rot: Internal rotting of fruit is serious problem, which is

mainly caused by damage to fruits during harvesting, storage and transportation or maintain proper ventilation during storage.

Avoid storage in enclosures especially in polythene. Such disease problem can be avoided by harvesting of fully mature fruits and also to avoid damage to the fruit and wrapped / stored with news paper or phenol papers.

Fruit rot

PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDER

Fruit cracking: Fruit cracking has been observed as a major

physiological disorder and its degree of damage depends according to genotypes / varieties and locality.

The cracking can be minimized by maintaining optimum soil moisture regime and by provision of winds breaks against hot desiccating wind side of orchard.

Fruit cracking

REFERENCES

Handbook of horticulture by K. L. Chadha. Management of horticultural crops (Part-1) by T.

Pradeep kumar, B. Suma, Jyothibhaskar and K. N. Satheesan.

A handbook of fruit production by S. Prasad and U. Kumar.

www. fruitemedia.com