INDIAN GOOSEBERRY (Phyllanthus emblica)Gooseberry (nelli) is quite hardy and can be grown with little care in all types of soil except very sandy type. It prefers a warm dry climate and is found in the dry deciduous forests of Kerala.
Varieties
Much genetic variability exists in this species. However, a high yielding larger fruited variety was located from the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats and popularized as "Chambakad Large". Other varieties are Banarasi, Krishna and Kanchan.
Cultivation
Nelli is usually propagated by seeds and vegetatively by wedge grafting. The seeds are enclosed in a hard seed coat, which renders the germination difficult. The seeds can be extracted by keeping fully ripe fruits in the sun on a flat rock for about 2-3 days till they split open releasing the seeds. The seeds can be directly sown. Gooseberry can be vegetatively propagated through root suckers.
One year old seedlings can be planted in the field during rainy season at a spacing of 8 x 8 m. It can be planted as windbreak around the orchard.
No serious pests or diseases are generally found in this crop.
Harvesting
Planted seedlings will commence bearing from the 10th year. The vegetative growth of the tree continues from April to July. Along with the new growth in the spring, flowering also commences. Fruits will mature by January-February. Yield ranges between 30-50 kg per tree per year when full grown.
1 comment:
Excellent site. Found some very useful information regarding gooseberry cultivation. Now I've to try it out..Keep up the good work.:)
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