• Sporophytic self-incopatibility is present in Amla.
• Maximum area and production is from Uttar Pradesh.
• Flower bud differentiation in Amla takes place in March-April.
• Triphala and Chavan Prash is famous indigenous medicine in Ayurvedic system using Amla.
• Training – Modified Central Leader System.
• Irrigation should be avoided during flowering (mid-March – mid April)
• Pruning is done during March-April (height 0.75 – 1 m)
• Amla is a deciduous tree with deep roots and sparse foliage.
• Fruiting – After the third year of planting.
• Vitamin C content in Amla is 600 mg/100 g edible part.
• Heavy frost in winters is not suitable for its cultivation.
• Propagated through patch/modified ring budding during mid-May to September in North India.
• In the amla orchard, plum, guava and lemon are ideal filler plants.
• The large sized healthy fruits are mostly used for preserve and candy.
• Necrosis – physiological disorder is seen in amla varieties.
• The fruit pulp contains 14 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g protein, 1.2 g iron, 0.3 mg vitamin B and 600 mg vitamin C per 100 g.

Varieties

• Banarsi – Early maturity, Best for Muramba.
• Francis (Hathijhool) – Suffers from severe incidence of fruit necrosis.
• Chakiya – Alternate bearer, free from necrosis.
• Kanchan (NA-5) – seedling selection from chakiya, Regular Bearer.
• NA – 6 – Seedling selection from chakiya, ideal for candy.
• NA – 7 (Amrit) – Seedling selection from Francis.
• NA – 9 (Neelum) – Early maturing, selection from Banarsi.
• NA – 4 (Krishna) – Seedling selection from Banarasi.
• BSR-1 – ARS, Bhavanisagar (TN), suited for accommodating more number of trees per unit area (6m X 6m).

Soil

• It can be grown in almost all types of soil except sandy soil.
• Well-drained, fertile loamy soil is best.

Climate

Subtropical fruit but cultivated in tropical also. aonla is a hardy drought resistant fruit tree. If young plants are protected from both extremes of temperature, the mature trees can tolerate right from freezing (0°C) to as high as 46°C. 

Propagation

Aonla is commercially propagated by “T” budding (shield) or patch budding using one-year-old rootstocks. In-situ budding is preferable to nursery budding and transplanting of budded plants. For growing rootstock plants, seeds are extracted from fully matured rootstocks mechanically or by sun drying. Seeds are hard and take a long time to germinate. Hence, seeds should be treated with concentrated H₂SO₄ for 3 minutes and then washed with water and soaked in 500 ppm gibberellic acid for 24 hours. Such treated seeds can be sown in nursery beds or polybags. The budding time is from May to September.

Planting

• Pits are dug at 1m³ sized in the month of May – June.
• Spacing 9x12m or 8x8m.
• Generally planting is done in July.

Manures & Fertilizers

• FYM 30-40 kg/tree during September-October.
• 680-900 Nitrogen : 1 kg Superphosphate : 1-1.5 kg MOP/tree/year is given.
• The above fertilizers are given in two equal parts, once during September-October and second time during April-May before the monsoon.

Training and pruning

Initially, during training, all sprouts originating from the rootstock should be cut and removed. Plants should be pruned to a lower height. At a height of about 75 cm to 1 m, the first two main lateral branches are allowed to grow. Five to six such lateral branches with wide-angle crotches should be allowed to grow at a sufficient distance on the trunk. After fruit harvesting, when the plant starts bearing fruits in the early years, dead, diseased, weak and crisscrossing branches should be pruned. The water sprouts and growth on the rootstock should be monitored and removed from time to time. 

Irrigation

Irrigate at least twice a day after fruiting during the winter season. Young plants require water even during the summer months. However, during April-June, irrigation once every 15 days will help in fruiting and prevent fruit drop. 

Interculture & Intercropping

• The orchard soil should be hoed twice a year, especially at the time of manure application.
• In the early stages of crop growth, inter-crops like cowpea, green gram can be grown for 4-5 years.
• Black polyethylene mulch is most effective in reducing irrigation requirement (60.86%) in aonla varieties.

Flowering

• Male and female flowers appear on mature branches in late spring (March).
• Male flowers appear in clusters along the leaf axils all over the branch, while female flowers appear only at the upper ends of some branches..

Harvesting

• Trees start yielding 8-10 years after planting. Grafted or budded plants will yield from the 5th or 6th year.
• Flowering occurs in spring, and fruits ripen in the following winter. Fruits are available from November to February.
• When mature and ripened, the colour becomes light, greenish yellow or sometimes brick red.

Yield

200-300 kg fruit / year

20-30 tonnes / hac.

Pest Control

1. Bark-eating caterpillar (Inderbella sp.)

It infests the main stem of the plant, creating tunnels.

Control

• Spray 0.03% Eldrin or Furadan.
• Use cotton soaked in kerosene or petrol to close the tunnels.

2. Shoot Gall maker (Betousa stylophora)

The young caterpillars bore into the plant and reached the pith. The damaged region develops gall-like formations.

Control

• Pruning of the affected plant part.
• Spray Dimethoate @ 2ml/litre.

Disease

1. Aonla Rust (Ravenellia emblica)

Brown pustules form on both leaves and fruit, and eventually, these pustules become dark brown.

Control

Spray – Dithane Z-78 (0.02%)

2. Blue Mold (Penicillium islandicum)

Water-soaked brown spots form, and the fruit eventually becomes covered with blue-green pustules.

Control

Treat the fruit by spraying with a weak borax or sodium chloride solution and strict hygiene practices.