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Essay on Aonla
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Origin and Distribution of Aonla
- Essay on the Area and Production of Aonla
- Essay on the Importance and Uses of Aonla
- Essay on the Choice of Varieties of Aonla
- Essay on the Plant Protection Measures of Aonla
- Essay on the Diseases of Aonla
- Essay on the Physiological Disorder of Aonla
Essay # 1. Origin and Distribution of Aonla:
Aonla or the Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) is an important minor crop grown in sub-tropics and tropics. The cultivation of aonla is highly remunerative due to its high productivity even on marginal lands. The plant is quite hardy, heavy bearer and giving better income to the farmers. The crop is also doing well on wasteland across the country resulted in efficient utilization of resources.
Aonla is native to tropical southeast Asia specially in Central and Southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaya and China. It grows wild in foot hills of northwest Himalayas to eastern Himalayas in Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura and at elevation from 1250 to 1800 MSL in South India.
Aonla is grown and known in India for last 3500 years. Sushruta mentioned its use in Ayurveda during 1500 BC – 1300 BC. It finds a prominent place in ancient India literature especially in Vedas, Ramayana, Padmapuran, Kadambari, Charak Shanghita, Sushrut Shanghita, Askandhpuran etc. Aonla is regarded sacred by ‘Hindus’ and has great mythological significance. Pind Dan is done near the base of the tree to get Mukti (Salvation) of the elders.
Aonla is grown as a commercial fruit crop in many parts of the world. Now it is cultivated in different countries like India, Sri Lanka, Malaya, China, Hawaii, Cuba, Singapore, Pakistan, West Indies, Florida (USA) and Thailand. In India, its cultivation was first started in Varanasi (Banaras). The crop is growing with great success in Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
Essay # 2. Area and Production of Aonla:
India ranks first in the world in area and production. It is found growing in different countries of the world like Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Iran, Iraq, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, USA (Hawaii and Florida), Philippines, Trinidad, Panama and Japan. The cultivation of this crop is very common in India.
Uttar Pradesh is the leading state and commercial aonla orchards spread in Azamgarh, Pratapgarh, Varanasi, Bareilly, Faizabad, Sultanpur, Jaunpur, Kanpur, Agra, Banda and Mathura districts. The commercial cultivation of aonla has come up in some parts of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
The wild aonla is found growing in Himalayas, Chota Nagpur, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Western Ghats.
The total area under aonla cultivation in India is 95000 hectares with annual production of 9.6 lakhs mt. The average productivity is estimated 9.6 tonnes/ha. The Gujarat state has 17000 hectares area under aonla with annual production of 1.5 lakh mt.
The Kandi belt of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh is highly suitable for aonla growing and producing excellent quality fruits. In Punjab, the area under aonla is 271 hectares producing 3680 mt fruits with average productivity of 13.6 tonnes/hec.
Essay # 3. Importance and Uses of Aonla:
Aonla fruit is highly nutritive and popularly known as ‘Amrit Phal’. It is the richest source of vitamin C among the fruits and contains 600-700 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 g of pulp. Aonla is also rich in protein, minerals and iron. The fruit contain carbohydrates 14 per cent, protein 0.5 per cent, iron 1.2 per cent, vitamin B1 30 mg/100 g fruit, mineral matter 0.7 per cent and fibre 3.4 per cent.
It is useful in hemorrhages, diarrhoea, dysentery, diabetes, jaundice, dyspepsia, anaemia and cough. It is main ingredients of Chyawanprash ayurvedic medicine system. Aonla is one of the ingredient in Triphala and used in the treatment of headache, biliousness, constipation and enlarged liver.
The fruits are used as preserve (murabba), pickle, jam, jelly and candy. It can be dried and powdered for off season use. It is commonly used in the preparation of ink, hair oil (amla oil) and hair dyes. Aonla is known to restore health and vitality.
Essay # 4. Choice of Varieties of Aonla:
The varieties like Banarsi, Chakaiya, Kanchan, Francis, Krishna, NA-7 and NA-10 are growing popularly in north India. Varieties are screened and evaluated at various Agricultural Universities and recommended for different regions.
On the basis of their performance, the important characteristics of selected varieties are described below:
i. Banarsi:
It is a seedling selection from Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh). The trees are semi-tall with spreading growth habit. Fruits are large in size, slightly conical at apex and light yellow at full maturity. The average fruit weight is 30g with light stone. Fruits are preferred for making preserve. Shelf life of fruit is poor. It is shy bearing and prone to heavy fruit drop.
ii. Chakaiya:
It is a seedling selection. The trees are tall with upright growth habit. Chakaiya is a prolific and regular bearing variety. Fruit is small to medium in size, flattened at base and have round apex. The average fruit weight is 28 g. Fruit skin is smooth, at maturity appears rusetted, light green in colour. Keeping quality is very good and suitable for pickle and other products. It is a heavy bearer most popular variety but has tendency to bear in alternate year.
iii. Kanchan (NA-4):
It is a chance seedling from Chakaiya. The trees are tall with upright growth habit. Fruit is medium in size having high fibre content. The average weight is 30 g. Fruit skin is smooth, light green. It is preferred by industries for pulp extraction and preparation of various products. The variety is growing well in semi-arid regions of Gujarat. It matures late in mid-December. The average yield is 111 kg fruits per tree.
iv. Francis:
It is also known as Hathi Jhool which originated from Uttar Pradesh. The variety is a seedling selection. The tree is erect and tall with drooping branches. Fruit is large in size weighing about 60 g. The fruits are oval roundish, light green and slightly fibrous. Fruit skin is smooth, thick at upper side and thin at base. It is prolific bearer variety but has serious incidence of fruit necrosis.
v. NA-7:
It is a seedling selection from Francis. The average fruit weight is 40 g, skin is smooth, semi-translucent and yellowish green. Flesh is almost fibreless and soft. Stone medium is size and oval round in shape. It is precocious, prolific and regular bearer promising variety.
Fruit is free from necrosis and is suitable for preservation and processing purposes. It is a mid- season variety, matures in end November. The average yield is 121 kg fruits per tree. It is recommended with the name of ‘Neelum’ in Punjab.
vi. NA-10:
It is a chance seedling developed from cultivar Banarasi. The trees are semi-tall with semi-spreading growth habit and dense foliage. Fruits are moderate in size and flattened round in shape. Fruit skin is rough, yellowish green with pink tinge. Flesh is slightly fibrous, whitish green, soft, juicy and highly astringent. Stone is moderate in size and nearly rectangular in shape. It matures in mid-November. The average yield is 121 kg fruits per tree. It is recommended with the name ‘Balwant’ in Punjab.
vii. Krishna (NA-5):
It is a chance seedling of cultivar Banarsi from Pratapgarh. The trees are semi-tall with spreading growth habit. The average fruit weight is 40-50 g, skin is smooth, attractive, compressed at distal end with red spots. Its pulp is fibreless. The variety is suitable for preservation. It is early maturing variety and has shy bearing habit.
Essay # 5. Plant Protection Measures of Aonla:
Insect-Pests:
i. Bark-Eating Caterpillar (Indarbela Tetraonis Moore):
The pest is very common in aonla plantation. It causes damage by eating the bark and boring holes into the stem. Due to bark eating, shoots and main trunk get girdled and dries up. Under severe attack full grown tree dries up. The infestation of this pest starts in April with the emergence of moths. Remove the webs and inject water emulsion of 0.05 per cent chlorpyriphos and plug the holes.
ii. Shoot Gall Caterpillar- (Betonsa Stylophora Swinhoe):
The insect causes gall formation on stem and shoot from June to August. However, the pest remains active from June to December. The infestation leads to stunted growth of the trees. In the beginning, terminal shoots swell and increases in size later on.
The galls are quite visible in October-November. The pest can be controlled by cutting the galled shoots. Spray 0.05 per cent monocrotophos or chlorpyriphos in beginning of the season. If need arises, repeat spray at fortnightly intervals.
iii. Mealy Bug (Nipaecoccus Vestator Newstead):
Both nymphs and adults feed on tree from April to November and results in drying and dropping of leaves and flowers. Prune the affected parts of the tree and destroy them. Spray 0.05 per cent monocrotophos or 0.05 per cent quinalphos.
iv. Leaf Rolling Caterpillar (Garcillaria Acidula and Tonica (Psorosticha) Ziziphi Stainton):
The pest rolls the leaf and feeds inside; reducing the photosynthetic capacity of leaves and causes leaf shedding. Collect the rolled leaves and destroy them along with the larvae. Spray 0.04 per cent monocrotophos or 0.05 per cent quinalphos.
v. Aonla Aphids [Cerciaphis Emblica (Patel and Kulkarny), Schoutedonia Emblica (Patel and Kulkarni) and Setaphis Bougainvillea (Thunberg)]:
Leaves turn yellow and dry up. Shoots appear bended and twisted at the growing points. The nymphs and adult females suck the sap. Tree growth and vigour is affected. Prune the infested leaf and shoots. The plants should be sprayed with 0.06 percent dimethoate.
Essay # 6. Diseases of Aonla:
i. Ring Rust (Revenelia Emblicae Styd.):
It appears as circular, reddish solitary or gregarious spots on leaves in the beginning of August. Initially few black pustules appear on fruits which later develop a ring. These postules join together and cover large area on the fruit.
The disease can be controlled by giving three sprays of 0.4 per cent wettable sulphur in July. Repeat the spray at monthly interval. Dithane Z-78 @ 0.2 per cent from July to September after 2-3 weeks interval is also effective for checking the disease. Banarsi and Chakaiya cultivars are comparatively free from this disease.
ii. Blue Mould (Penicillium Citrinum):
It causes brown patches and water-soaked areas on the fruit surface. As the rot progresses, three distinct colour zones viz. bright yellow, purple brown and bluish green are seen. There is exudation of drops of yellowish liquid on the fruit. The fruit finally gives a bluish-green, pustuled appearance and emit a bad odour.
Affected fruits should be discarded for marketing. Bruising and injury at the time of harvesting should be avoided. The fruits may be treated with 0.6 per cent borax or 0.1 percent carbendazim after harvesting.
iii. Soft Rot (Phomospsis Phyllanthi Punith):
The fungus causes infection mostly on mature fruits in November – December. Brown to black round lesions develops within 2-3 days of infestation. Later on, lesions show olive brown discolouration with water soaked areas and cover the whole fruit within a week.
Bruising and injury should be avoided to the fruits. After harvesting of fruits, treat them with 0.1 per cent bavistin in November for further spread of the rot.
iv. Anthracnose [Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides State of Glomerella Cingiilata (Stoenm.) Spauld and Schrenk]:
Minute, circular, brown to grey spots appears with yellowish margin on leaves. Depressed lesions are formed on fruits and later on turn dark. Affected fruits become shrivelled and rot. The disease appears during August-September. It is favoured by hot and humid weather. Spray the trees with Bordeaux mixture (2:2: 250) or 50% copper oxychloride (0.3%) or carbendazim (0.1%) when the infestation is noticed.
Essay # 7. Physiological Disorder of Aonla:
Internal Fruit Necrosis:
The symptom starts with the browning of innermost part of the mesocarpic tissues at the time of endocarp hardening in the second and third week of September. Browning of mesocarp extends towards the epicarp resulting into brownish black areas on the fruit in the second and third week of October. In severe incidence, mesocarp of fruit turns black and becomes corky and gummy pockets develop. The deficiency of boron has been reported for the cause of this disorder.
Francis and Banarasi cultivars are highly susceptible to this disorder. Chakaiya and NA- 6 and NA-7 are almost free from this problem. To control the disorder, three sprays of borax @ 0.6 per cent in September and October at fortnightly interval should be given. Zinc sulphate (0.4%) + Copper sulphate (0.4%) and borax (0.4%) in September-October has also been found effective in controlling the internal necrosis.