Varieties & propagation of rootstocks of Ber

Varieties

 

           More than 300 varieties have been listed but only a few are commercially important. They are Umran, Banarasi Kadaka, Mundia, Seb, Gola and Kaithali. Ber Gola, Seb and Mundia are suitable for extremely dry areas, whereas Banarasi Kadaka, Umran and Meharun for the dry regions and Sanaur 2, Meharun and Umran for comparatively humid regions. In northern India, Gola is earliest to ripen, Kaithali and Mundia are mid-season and Umran late cultivar. An early-maturing selection from Umran, known as Early Umran or Gohma Kirti has been identified at Godhra (Gujarat). Gola ber is tolerant to saline soils.

Propagation and Rootstocks

          Most common method of propagation of ber is by I or T (shield) budding. Rootstock seedlings are raised by sowing seed kernels extracted by breaking the stone (endocarp). These germinate in about one week. The seed stones can also be sown as such but take nearly one month to germinate. Germination of seed stones can be improved by soaking them for 48hr in water or for 6hr in concentrated sulphuric acid or in 200ppm Gibberellic acid. Seeds of any locally adapted and vigorous ber trees can be used for raising rootstocks.

         Seeds should be sown in a well-prepared nursery bed at 30cm × 30cm spacing and at 2cm depth during March–April. These seedlings could either be transplanted in the field during July–August for in-situ budding or can be budded in the nursery beds. The budlings can be transplanted in bare rooted condition during January–March after treatment with 12 % Waxol or after defoliation. This is, however, possible only in irrigated areas.

          In rainfed areas, seeds should be sown in 300 gauge polythene tubes of 25cm length and 10cm diameter, filled with a 1:1:1 mixture of farmyard manure, sand and clay. Sowing is done during April in north India so that the seedlings become buddable during July. The budlings become ready for transplanting 1–2 months after budding. The budlings raised by this technique retain their deep rooting tendency and prove the most suitable under the low rainfall drylands. In drylands, ber orchard can also be raised by transplanting tube-raised ber seedlings with the onset of monsoon, leaving them to grow in the field until the forthcoming summer for budding in situ.