Fig & Jamun | Subtropical and Temperate Fruit Production (HOR-MA201) - Unit 5 Notes - Chapter 21

Subtropical and Temperate Fruit Production

HORMA 201 - M.Sc. (Ag.) Horticulture

UNIT V: Minor fruits- Mangosteen, Carambola, Bael, Wood Apple, Fig, Jamun, Rambutan, Pomegranate

Table of Contents Commercial varieties of regional, national and international importance, Ecophysiological requirements, recent trends in propagation, rootstock influence, planting systems, cropping systems, root zone and canopy management, nutrient management, water management, fertigation, bioregulation, abiotic factors limiting fruit production, physiology of flowering, fruit set and development, abiotic factors limiting production, physiological disorders-causes and remedies, quality improvement by management practices; maturity indices, harvesting, grading, packing, precooling, storage, transportation and ripening techniques; industrial and export potential, Agri Export Zones(AEZ) and industrial support.

Chapter 21 - Fig & Jamun

🟤 FIG (Ficus carica L.)

Family: Moraceae
Origin: Western Asia
Chromosome number: 2n = 26
Edible part: Fleshy receptacle and achenes (true fruits)

🔹 1. Commercial Varieties (Regional, National, International)

India:

• Poona Fig: Widely grown in Maharashtra; medium fruits, good for table & drying
• Dinkar: Selection from Poona Fig with bigger fruit size
• Conadria: Introduced variety; large size, good for drying
• Deanna: High yield, white skin, yellowish pulp
• Excel: Yellow skin, pink pulp
• Brown Turkey: Common in South India
• Guler: Wild fig used as rootstock

International:

• Calimyrna (USA): Large, nutty flavor, drying variety
• Kadota (USA): Light green skin, suitable for canning
• Mission Fig (USA): Blackish-purple, very sweet, used for drying
• Smyrna (Turkey): Requires caprification; used for drying and export
• Adriatic (Italy): Green skin, red pulp, drying/table use

🔹 2. Ecophysiological Requirements

• Climate: Tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate
• Temperature: Optimum 15–25°C; tolerates heat and short droughts
• Rainfall: Low rainfall (less than 750 mm) areas ideal
• Soil: Well-drained loam or sandy loam, neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.5–7.5)
• Sensitive to waterlogging and high humidity (which favors fruit splitting and fungal diseases)

🔹 3. Propagation & Rootstock Influence

Propagation:

• Mainly through hardwood cuttings (20–25 cm, pencil thickness)
• Air layering also practiced
• Grafting used in limited cases (e.g., on Ficus glomerata for nematode resistance)

Rootstocks:

• Ficus glomerata – Nematode resistance
• Ficus palmata – Used in North India

Cuttings treated with IBA (1000–2000 ppm) for better rooting

🔹 4. Planting System

• Spacing: 5 × 5 m or 6 × 6 m
• Planting time: Monsoon (July–August) or late winter (February–March)
• Pit size: 1 × 1 × 1 m filled with FYM and topsoil
• Training: Modified leader system (open center also practiced)
• Planting system: Square system common

🔹 5. Cropping Systems, Canopy & Root Zone Management

• Cropping: Grown as a pure orchard or with short-duration intercrops
• Canopy:
• Regular training and pruning essential for open sunlight and uniform fruiting
• Fruits borne on current season’s growth
• Root zone:
• Mulching improves soil moisture retention and root health
• Avoid deep tillage near root zone

🔹 6. Nutrient Management

• FYM: 20–25 kg/tree/year
• Fertilizer (mature tree/year):
• N: 500–600 g
• P₂O₅: 300–400 g
• K₂O: 300–400 g
• Apply in 2–3 splits (before growth, flowering, fruiting stages)
• Micronutrients: Foliar spray of ZnSO₄ and FeSO₄ helps improve growth and yield

🔹 7. Water Management & Fertigation

• Shallow-rooted crop; frequent irrigation needed during fruiting
• Irrigation interval: 7–10 days during summer
• Excess moisture causes fruit cracking and poor sweetness
• Drip irrigation: Efficient and recommended
• Fertigation with soluble NPK increases fruit yield and TSS

🔹 8. Bioregulation

• NAA @ 10–15 ppm: Reduces premature fruit drop
• GA₃ @ 20 ppm: Enhances fruit size and uniformity
• Ethephon/Ethrel @ 100–150 ppm: Helps in uniform ripening
• Pruning also acts as a bioregulator (stimulates fruiting shoots)

🔹 9. Flowering, Fruit Set & Development

• Inflorescence: Hypanthodium (enclosed inflorescence)
• Pollination:
• Common fig: Parthenocarpic
• Smyrna fig: Requires caprification by fig wasp (Blastophaga psenes)
• San Pedro type: 1st crop parthenocarpic, 2nd needs caprification
• Fruit set: On current season’s growth
• Time to maturity: 2–3 months from fruit set
• Fruiting season:
• South India: 2 crops (June–July, Jan–Feb)
• North India: Single crop (July–August)

🔹 10. Abiotic Factors Limiting Production

Factor	Effect
High rainfall/humidity	Fruit drop, fungal rots
Waterlogging	Root rot
Heat waves	Leaf burn, poor fruit quality
Drought	Fruit drop, smaller fruits

🔹 11. Physiological Disorders – Causes & Remedies

Disorder	Cause	Remedy
Fruit drop	Moisture/nutrient stress	Timely irrigation, NAA sprays
Fruit cracking	High humidity or sudden rain	Regulated irrigation, mulching
Sunburn	High temperature	Shading, whitewashing trunk

🔹 12. Quality Improvement by Management Practices

• Pruning: Annual pruning ensures better light penetration and enhances quality of new shoots (which bear fruits)
• Balanced nutrition: Increases TSS, improves color and pulp texture
• Irrigation management: Avoid overwatering during fruit development to prevent cracking and poor flavor
• Mulching: Conserves moisture and improves soil microbial activity
• Pest & disease management: Prevents quality deterioration (e.g., stem borers, rust)
• GA₃ and NAA sprays: Improve fruit size and reduce drop
• Training system: Open center allows uniform ripening and better airflow

🔹 13. Maturity Indices, Harvesting & Post-Harvest Handling

✅ Maturity indices:

• Softening of fruit
• Color change (varies with variety)
• Neck wilting/drooping
• Fruit bends at stalk when ripe
• Latex secretion stops when mature

✅ Harvesting:

• Manual harvesting; fruit is delicate
• Multiple pickings needed as ripening is non-uniform
• Yield: 10–15 t/ha in well-managed orchards

✅ Grading:

• Based on size, shape, and skin color
• Grades: A (large, uniform), B (medium), C (small, cracked)

✅ Packing:

• Perforated plastic trays or shallow boxes
• For export: Individual wrapping and cushioning essential

✅ Precooling:

• Immediately after harvest to reduce field heat
• Delays spoilage and retains firmness

✅ Storage:

• Short shelf-life: 3–4 days at ambient temp
• Cold storage at 0–1°C and 90–95% RH can extend shelf life up to 7–10 days
• Controlled Atmosphere (CA) packaging further extends storage

✅ Ripening techniques:

• Generally ripens on tree
• In some cases, ethylene (100 ppm) is used to induce uniform ripening post-harvest

🔹 14. Industrial and Export Potential

• Industrial uses:
• Dried figs, jams, juices, wines
• Confectionery industry uses dried fig pulp
• High in sugars (16–20%), calcium, iron, fiber, antioxidants
• Medicinal use:
• Laxative, cholesterol-lowering, used in Ayurvedic formulations
• Export:
• Dried figs exported to the Gulf, Europe, and South-East Asia
• Major competitors: Turkey, Iran, USA
• Processing units exist in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu

🔹 15. Agri Export Zones (AEZ) and Industrial Support

• No dedicated AEZ for figs, but supported under:

• MIDH (Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture)

• PMFME scheme (One District One Product – ODOP in Maharashtra for dried fig)

• NHB and APEDA provide assistance for cold storage, processing, and export

• FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations) encouraged to take up fig processing for export

🟣 JAMUN (Syzygium cumini L. Skeels)

Family: Myrtaceae
Origin: India, Myanmar, East Indies
Chromosome number: 2n = 40
Edible part: Fleshy pericarp
Other names: Black plum, Java plum, Jambul

🔹 1. Commercial Varieties (Regional, National, International)

India:

• Goma Priyanka (released by CIAH): Dwarf, precocious, suitable for HDP
• Narendra Jamun-6: Regular bearer, medium size
• Ra Jamun: Large-fruited, seedless to partially seedless
• Paras: Table variety with sweet taste
• Dandak: From Chhattisgarh; good pulp and sweetness
• Konkan Bahadoli: High TSS, soft pulp
• Local seedling types widely cultivated in UP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka

International:

• Cultivated in limited regions of Southeast Asia, South Africa, and the Caribbean
• No major standardized international cultivars

🔹 2. Ecophysiological Requirements

• Climate: Tropical to subtropical; thrives well in semi-arid and humid regions
• Temperature: 10°C – 40°C; highly heat tolerant
• Rainfall: 500–1000 mm well-distributed is ideal
• Soil: Deep loam to sandy loam, well-drained; tolerates poor soils, salinity, and alkalinity
• Elevation: Grows well up to 1,200 m MSL

🔹 3. Propagation & Rootstock Influence

Propagation methods:

• Seed propagation: Traditionally used but results in variability
• Vegetative propagation:
• Softwood grafting on 6-month-old rootstocks
• Patch budding
• Air layering (less common)

Rootstocks:

• Jamun seedlings commonly used
• No major rootstock influence studies yet standardized

🔹 4. Planting System

• Spacing:
• Normal: 8 × 8 m
• High-density: 5 × 5 m (for dwarf varieties like Goma Priyanka)
• Pit size: 1 × 1 × 1 m, filled with FYM + neem cake
• Planting time: July–August (monsoon season)
• Training system: Central leader system during early years

🔹 5. Cropping System, Root Zone & Canopy Management

• Cropping: Intercrops like legumes, vegetables in early years
• Canopy management:
• Annual pruning in young trees to shape canopy
• Remove water shoots and crisscross branches
• Root zone management:
• Shallow root system; avoid deep hoeing
• Mulching helps conserve moisture

🔹 6. Nutrient Management

• FYM: 25–30 kg/tree/year
• Fertilizer (per mature tree/year):
• N: 500–600 g
• P₂O₅: 250 g
• K₂O: 300 g
• Apply in two splits: before monsoon and post-fruit set
• Micronutrients like Zn, Fe (foliar) beneficial in poor soils

🔹 7. Water Management & Fertigation

• Drought-hardy, but irrigation during flowering and fruit development improves yield
• Irrigation:
• Young plants: every 10–12 days
• Bearing trees: During flowering and fruiting
• Fertigation:
• Suitable in HDP orchards with drip system
• NPK water-soluble fertilizers can be used for uniform feeding

🔹 8. Bioregulation

• GA₃ (25–50 ppm): Improves fruit size
• NAA (20 ppm): Reduces flower and fruit drop
• CCC: Applied at 500 ppm to manage vegetative growth in HDP
• No established standard protocol, but trials show benefits in fruit retention

🔹 9. Flowering, Fruit Set & Development

• Flowering time: March–April (North India), February–March (South India)
• Type: Panicle inflorescence; small, light yellow-green flowers
• Pollination: Entomophilous (insect-pollinated, especially bees)
• Fruit set: 20–30% of flowers develop into fruit
• Fruit development: 3–4 months
• Bearing: Begins from 4th to 6th year (earlier in vegetative propagation)

🔹 10. Abiotic Factors Limiting Fruit Production

• Water stress during flowering leads to poor fruit set
• High winds during flowering can damage flowers
• Frost in northern plains can affect young plants
• Heavy rains during fruit maturity cause fruit cracking and drop
• Soil salinity/alkalinity in extreme cases reduces nutrient uptake and stunts growth
• Temperature extremes (>45°C or <5°C) affect photosynthesis and pollen viability

🔹 11. Physiological Disorders – Causes and Remedies

Disorder	Cause	Remedy
Fruit drop	Nutrient imbalance, water stress, poor pollination	NAA 20–25 ppm spray at full bloom
Fruit cracking	Sudden rain after dry spell	Timely irrigation, mulching
Small-sized fruits	Lack of nutrients, poor pollination	Balanced fertilization, GA₃ 25 ppm
Flower drop	Extreme temperature or poor pollination	Use of NAA, protection from frost

🔹 12. Quality Improvement by Management Practices

• Timely irrigation during fruit set to maturity improves size and juiciness
• Balanced NPK and micronutrient application enhances color, sweetness
• Use of growth regulators (GA₃, NAA) to reduce drop and improve fruit size
• Training and pruning to improve canopy light interception
• Bagging fruits (experimental) can reduce blemishes and improve skin color
• Post-harvest handling affects appearance and consumer acceptability

🔹 13. Maturity Indices, Harvesting & Post-Harvest Handling

✅ Maturity indices:

• Full color development (deep purple/black)
• Slight softening of fruits
• Easy detachment from panicle
• Seeds harden at full maturity

✅ Harvesting:

• Manual picking is necessary
• 3–4 pickings as ripening is non-uniform

✅ Yield:

• Seedling trees: 60–80 kg/tree
• Grafted trees: 40–50 kg/tree
• Per hectare: 10–15 tonnes

✅ Grading:

• Based on size, color, and uniformity
• Large, uniform fruits fetch better prices

✅ Packing:

• Perforated plastic crates or bamboo baskets lined with soft material
• For long distance: Cushioning with leaves or paper

✅ Precooling & Storage:

• Not commonly practiced, but helps in delaying spoilage
• Cold storage at 8–10°C extends shelf life to 7–10 days
• High perishability restricts shelf life at ambient temperature (2–3 days)

✅ Ripening:

• Natural ripening preferred
• Use of ethylene is rare in commercial practice

🔹 14. Industrial and Export Potential

• Processed products:
• Jamun juice, squash, wine, vinegar, seed powder (for diabetes)
• Ayurvedic & nutraceutical industries use Jamun seed extract
• Rich in: Iron, anthocyanins, ellagic acid, polyphenols
• Export potential:
• Low due to short shelf life
• Potential in frozen pulp and value-added forms
• Export destinations: UAE, Nepal, and some ethnic markets in Europe and USA

🔹 15. Agri Export Zones (AEZ) and Industrial Support

• No dedicated AEZ yet
• Recognized under One District One Product (ODOP) in some districts
• Supported by: MIDH, PMFME, APEDA, SFAC, and NHB
• Potential for FPO-driven enterprises in processing Jamun juice, seed powder
• Startups supported in nutraceutical packaging of Jamun-based products

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