Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana Lamk.)

Abstract

Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.) is one of the ancient and important fruit crops of India as it can stand drought and tolerate salinity to a considerable extent. It is often called the poor man’s fruit. In India out of the 143 million ha of cultivated land, about 57 % is rainfed. Still this area contributes about ½ the food basket of the country. Horticulture can play an important role in rejuvenating the falling incomes of the farmers in these areas. Of late commercial importance of ber has been realized and ber cultivation has received a great impetus in India. The ber fruits are available right from October to May in different regions. It is an ideal fruit tree for growing in arid and semiarid zones of India. Exponential increase in human and livestock population in India has put tremendous pressure on natural resources, owing to not only degradation of principal resources like land, water, and vegetation but also reduced per capita availability of land. The ber is a multipurpose crop as it provides 3F’s, i.e., fruit, fodder, and fuel. Ber fruits are generally consumed fresh, but dried ber, candy, preservers, beverages, etc. can also be prepared from it. Besides being palatable and delicious, the recent research has disclosed its high nutritive value. It is one of the richest sources of vitamin C next only to amla and guava but better than citrus and apple.