·       BAEL BELONGS TO CITRUS FAMILY AND IS CONSIDERED AS A MEDICINAL FRUIT PLANT, WHICH CAN THRIVE WELL UNDER WATER SCARCE CONDITIONS. THE PLANT SHEDS ITS LEAVES DURING SUMMER MONTHS. ITS FRUITS ARE RICH IN RIBOFLAVIN, VITAMIN A AND CARBOHYDRATES. THE FRUITS AND OTHER PLANT PARTS ARE ALSO USED IN THE PREPARATION OF SEVERAL AYURVEDIC MEDICINES SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. THE PULP OF FRESH RIPE FRUITS HAVE LAXATIVE PROPERTIES AND GOOD FOR HEART AND BRAIN. FRUIT PULP IS USED FOR PREPARING SHERBET AND IS COOL AND REFRESHING DRINK DURING SUMMER MONTHS.

 

CLIMATE AND SOIL

·       THE BAEL TREE GROWS SUCCESSFULLY IN SUB-TROPICAL CLIMATE WHERE SUMMER IS HOT AND WINTER IS MILD. IT HAS A WIDER ADAPTABILITY TO ADVERSE SOIL AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS. IT CAN THRIVE WELL EVEN IN SALINE AND ALKALINE SOILS, WHERE MANY OTHER FRUIT TREES FAIL TO ESTABLISH. HOWEVER, WELL-DRAINED SANDY LOAM SOIL IS IDEAL FOR RAISING BAEL ORCHARDS.

RECOMMENDED CULTIVAR

·       KAGZI (2017) :TREE ARE SEMI-VIGOROUS, MEDIUM TO LARGE WITH DARK GREEN LEAVES. THE FRUITS ARE MEDIUM TO LARGE SIZED (1.18 KG) WITH THIN SHELL AND CONTAIN 28-32 % TSS. FRUIT MATURES BETWEEN MID-APRIL TO MID–MAY. ITS AVERAGE YIELD IS 107 KG PER TREE.

PROPAGATION

·       FOR RAISING ROOTSTOCK SEEDLING, THE SEEDS ARE SOWN IN NURSERY BEDS, AFTER FRUIT HARVEST IN MAY. THE SEEDS DO NOT UNDERGO DORMANCY AND GERMINATE WITHIN 12-15 DAYS AFTER SOWING. THE PENCIL THICKNESS, SEEDLING OF ONE YEAR ARE PATCH BUDDED IN JUNE.

PLANTING

·       THE BAEL CAN BE PLANTED DURING FEBRUARY-MARCH AND AUGUST-SEPTEMBER WITH EARTH BALLS IN THE PITS. THE PLANTING IS DONE OF 6 M×6 M SPACING FOR THE BUDDED PLANTS AND AT WIDER SPACING FOR SEEDLING PLANTS.

 

TRAINING AND PRUNING

·       TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER FRAMEWORK OF A TREE WITH WELL-SPACED PRIMARY SCAFFOLDS, THE PLANT MUST BE TRAINED DURING YOUNG AGE TO HAVE NO BRANCHES UPTO 75 CM FROM GROUND LEVEL. PRUNING IN BAEL IS USUALLY NOT REQUIRED. HOWEVER, THE DRIED, DISEASED AND CRISS-CROSS BRANCHES SHOULD BE REMOVED WHEN PLANTS ARE DECIDUOUS, PREFERABLY AFTER FRUIT HARVEST.

 

MANURING AND FERTILIZATION

·       APPLICATION OF MANURE IS DONE IN JUNE AFTER FRUIT HARVEST AND BEFORE THE ONSET OF RAINY SEASON. APPLY 10 KG FYM AND 40:50:30 G N: P: K/PLANT/YEAR RESPECTIVELY. THESE DOSES SHOULD BE INCREASED EVERY YEAR IN THE SAME PROPORTION UP TO THE AGE 10 YEARS. FURTHER, 100 KG FYM, 900 G UREA, 3000 G SUPERPHOSPHATE AND 500 G MURATE OF POTASH SHOULD BE ADDED EVERY YEAR AFTER AGE OF 10 YEARS. WHOLE OF FYM, HALF DOSE OF N, WHOLE OF P AND K SHOULD BE APPLIED BEFORE FLOWERING IN JUNE AND THE REMAINING DOSE OF N SHOULD BE GIVEN AFTER FRUIT SET IN OTHERS. THE FERTILIZERS SHOULD BE APPLIED IN AND AROUND ACTIVE ROOT ZONE AREAS.

 

IRRIGATION

·       THE PLANT IS HARDY IN NATURE AND ONCE ESTABLISHED CAN WITHSTAND INTERMITTENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS, HOWEVER, YOUNG PLANTS NEEDS TO BE WATERED AT FREQUENT AND REGULAR INTERVALS. DURING SUMMER PERIOD, WHEN TREES SHED THEIR LEAVES, REQUIREMENT OF WATER IS CONSIDERABLY REDUCED.

 

FRUIT MATURITY AND HARVESTING

·       BAEL FRUITS REMAIN ON THE TREE FOR A LONG TIME. THE TREE FLOWERS IN MAY-JUNE AND FRUITS BECOME READY FOR HARVEST AFTER ONE YEAR IN APRIL-MAY. IT IS CLIMACTERIC FRUIT WHICH MATURE WHEN FRUIT SKULL COLOUR CHANGE FROM LIGHT GREEN TO CREAM TINGE AND FLESH COLOUR BECOME LIGHT TO DEEP ORANGE. AT THE TIME OF RIPENING, THE TREE GENERALLY SHEDS THEIR LEAVES AND FRUITS BECOME EXPOSED COMPLETELY. MATURE BAEL FRUITS ARE HARVESTED INDIVIDUALLY FROM THE TREE ALONG WITH A PORTION OF FRUIT STALK. HARVESTING OF FRUITS BY SHAKING THE TREE SHOULD BE DISCOURAGED TO AVOID CRACKING OF FRUITS.