🍏 Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana)

Particular	Answer
Scientific Name	Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. ⭐⭐⭐
Family	Rhamnaceae ⭐⭐⭐
Chromosome Number	2n = 48
Fruit Type	Drupe ⭐⭐⭐
Edible Portion	Mesocarp (Fleshy Pulp)
Pollination	Cross-pollinated (Insect pollinated)
Propagation	T-budding / Patch Budding ⭐⭐⭐
Economic Life	40–50 years

Particular	Answer
Centre of Origin	India ⭐⭐⭐
Secondary Centre	China

Parameter	Requirement
Climate	Tropical & Subtropical
Temperature	20–35°C
Rainfall	300–500 mm
Drought	Highly tolerant ⭐⭐⭐
Frost	Young plants are susceptible

Parameter	Requirement
Soil Type	Sandy loam to loam
Soil pH	5.5–8.5
Salinity	Tolerant
Waterlogging	Not suitable

Particular	Recommendation
Planting Season	July–August
Spacing	8 × 8 m ⭐⭐⭐
Plant Population	156 plants/ha
Propagation	T-budding / Patch Budding

Particular	Answer
Best Method	Drip Irrigation ⭐⭐⭐
Critical Stage	Flowering & Fruit Development
Water Requirement	Low

Practice	Purpose
Annual Pruning ⭐⭐⭐	Encourages new shoots and fruiting
Training	Open centre system

Particular	Recommendation
Best Time for Pruning ⭐⭐⭐	May–June (Immediately after harvest)
North India	May–June
South India	April–May
Pruning Severity	Moderate to severe annual pruning
Fruiting Habit	Fruits are borne on current season’s new shoots ⭐⭐⭐

Memory Trick: 👉 Harvest in March–April → Prune in May–June → New shoots → Flowering → Fruiting.

Disease	Causal Organism
Powdery Mildew ⭐⭐⭐	Oidium erysiphoides f.sp. ziziphi
Leaf Spot	Cercospora spp.
Fruit Rot	Alternaria spp.

Pest	Scientific Name
Fruit Fly ⭐⭐⭐	Carpomyia vesuviana
Fruit Borer	Meridarchis scyrodes
Bark-eating Caterpillar	Indarbela quadrinotata
Aphid	Aphis spp.

Disorder	Cause
Fruit Drop	Moisture stress
Fruit Cracking	Irregular irrigation
Poor Fruit Set	Lack of pollination

Particular	Recommendation
Bearing Starts	3–4 years
Harvesting Season	January–March
Harvesting	Fully mature fruits

Type	Yield
Average	80–120 kg/tree/year
Orchard Yield	10–15 t/ha

Parameter	Recommendation
Temperature	0–2°C
Relative Humidity	90–95%
Storage Life	2–4 weeks

Sorting, Grading, Packaging, Cold Storage, Processing (Candy, Pickle, Powder)

Variety	Feature
Umran ⭐⭐⭐	Commercial, large fruits
Gola ⭐⭐⭐	Round fruits
Seb	Apple-shaped fruits
Kaithli	High yield
Banarasi Karaka	Popular
Narendra Ber Selection (NBS-1)	Improved variety

Institute	Location
ICAR-Central Institute for Arid Horticulture (CIAH) ⭐⭐⭐	Bikaner, Rajasthan
ICAR-IIHR	Bengaluru

Particular	Answer
Largest Producer	India ⭐⭐⭐
Major Producing States	Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh

Term	Meaning
Drupe ⭐⭐⭐	Fruit type
Current Season Shoots	Fruiting habit
Annual Pruning	Essential for fruit production
T-budding	Most common propagation method

Question	Answer
Scientific Name	Ziziphus mauritiana
Family	Rhamnaceae
Fruit Type	Drupe
Origin	India
Propagation	T-budding
Spacing	8 × 8 m
Major Disease	Powdery Mildew
Major Pest	Fruit Fly
Fruiting Habit	Current season shoots
Major Variety	Umran
Round Fruit Variety	Gola
Research Institute	CIAH, Bikaner
Largest Producer	India
Drought Tolerance	Very High

Question	Answer
Scientific name of ber	Ziziphus mauritiana
Family	Rhamnaceae
Fruit type	Drupe
Best propagation method	T-budding
Major disease	Powdery Mildew
Major insect pest	Fruit Fly
Fruiting occurs on	Current season shoots
Best commercial variety	Umran
Research institute	CIAH, Bikaner
Largest producing country	India

Topic	Remember
Scientific Name	Ziziphus mauritiana
Family	Rhamnaceae
Fruit Type	Drupe
Origin	India
Propagation	T-budding / Patch Budding
Spacing	8 × 8 m
Fruiting Habit	Current season’s new shoots
Major Disease	Powdery Mildew
Major Pest	Fruit Fly (Carpomyia vesuviana)
Best Variety	Umran
Round Fruit Variety	Gola
Research Institute	ICAR-CIAH, Bikaner
Largest Producer	India
Special Character	Highly drought- and salinity-tolerant