Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EFFECT OF PRUNING INTENSITY ON FLOWERING AND FRUITING BEHAVIOUR OF BER (ZIZYPHUS MAURITIANA LAMK.) CV. GOLA

Anuj Kumar, Bhanu Pratap and Govind Vishwakarma

Abstract

The present investigation entitled “Effect of pruning intensity on flowering and fruiting behaviour of ber (Zizyphus mauritiana Lamk.) cv. Gola” was carried out at the Main Experiment Station, Department of Horticulture, Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Narendra Nagar (Kumarganj), Faizabad (U.P.) during the year 2009-2010. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with four treatments and replicated four times. Yield attributing parameters viz.; flowering and fruiting have been affected by employing various pruning intensities in ber crop. Days taken to flower initiation and 50 % flowering were affected non-significantly by various pruning intensities. Early flower initiation was observed with unpruned shoots (control) as compared to pruned shoots and similar observations have been recorded in case of 50% flowering. The maximum fruit set and retention, number of fruits per tree, fruit yield, fruit weight and fruit length have been recorded with 50%pruning intensity as compared to other pruning intensities. The standardized package and practices (involving optimum level of pruningbetter approached) in ber fruit crop cv. Gola could be helpful in expansion of new areas of ber in Uttar Pradesh and other states through diversification of waste land/marginal land (particularly arid and semiarid areas).