The Ultimate Guide to Growing Jujube Fruit Service

 

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Jujube Fruit Service

Botanical Name - Ziziphus mauritiana

Family - Rhamnaceae

Origin - China

The jujube is a fruit that has been widely cultivated throughout the world since ancient times. Due to its excellent nutritional properties, it is also known as the "poor man's apple." It is rich in vitamins C, A, and B, as well as minerals.

Jujube (Chinese date) is primarily produced in China, which accounts for most of the world's supply, particularly in regions like Xinjiang, Hebei, and Shandong, where it thrives even in arid conditions. It is also cultivated in other parts of Asia (Korea, Japan, India, Iran, the Middle East), as well as in the Americas (USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina), parts of Europe (Italy, France, Russia, Germany), and Australia, due to its drought tolerance.

The jujube is one of the oldest and most common fruits. It is a nutritious fruit and a good source of vitamin C (120 mg/100g), protein (1.0%), and minerals such as calcium (0.03%), phosphorus (0.036%), and iron (1.14%). The Umran variety is best suited for making candy, sun-drying, and dehydration. Fully ripe, raw jujube fruits can be used to make jam, pickles, and chutney. Juicy varieties can be processed into pulp, which can be used as a base material for squashes, nectars, and ready-to-serve (RTS) beverages. Fully ripe jujube fruits can also be canned in sugar syrup.

Climate and Soil 

The jujube is a hardy fruit tree and can grow successfully even under unfavourable climatic conditions where most other fruit trees fail to grow. It can be grown in sub-tropical and tropical climates. Ber trees relish a hot and dry climate for successful cultivation, but need adequate watering during the fruiting season. Excessive atmospheric humidity is a limiting factor for satisfactory fruiting. It can withstand hot and dry weather during the summer months of May and June as the tree enters dormancy by shedding its leaves. New growth starts in July with the advent of rains, and the growth period continues till the middle of November, when it stops with the onset of cold weather.

 Although jujube grows and yields the best on deep sandy loam soils with neutral or slightly alkaline reaction, having good drainage, it can be grown on marginal lands or even those that are considered unsuitable for growing other crops. It develops a deep tap-root system and, as such, adapts itself to a wide variety of soils. It is known for its ability to thrive under adverse conditions of salinity, drought, alkalinity, and waterlogging. It can flourish even in soils with a pH up to 9.2. 

Recommended Cultivars 

Based on fruit ripening time, jujube varieties are classified as follows:

Varieties		Fruit ripening time
Early	Round	First week of January
Medium	Mundia, Sev, Kaithli	Last week of January
Late	Umran and Meharwali	Last week of February to the first week of March

 

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Jujube Fruit 

Wallaiti (2000): Tree semi-erect to erect and vigorous. Fruit medium to large, oval in shape, skin smooth and light golden yellow to golden yellow at maturity. Pulp soft, sweet with 13.8 to 15.0% TSS. It is an early variety and ripens during the first fortnight of March. Average yield is 110-120 kg of fruit per tree. Moderately susceptible to powdery mildew disease. 

• Jujube fruit is a rich source of vitamin C, protein, and minerals like calcium, iron, and phosphorus. 

• Plants are hardy and can be grown in all types of soil and climatic conditions

• Grow the Umran variety for higher yield

• can be grown rich source of vitamin C, protein, and minerals like calcium, iron, and phosphorus.  

• Regular annual pruning in the second fortnight of May gives higher fruiting and yield. 

  Umran (1968): Tree spreading and vigorous.  Fruit is large, oval, with a round apex. Skin smooth and glossy, golden yellow, turning to chocolate brown at maturity. Pulp is sweet with a pleasant flavour and 16% TSS. Ripens from end-March to mid-April. Yields up to 150-200 kg of fruit per tree. Susceptible to powdery mildew disease. 

Sanaur-2 (1968): Tree spreading and semi-vigorous. Fruit is large, oblong, smooth, and golden yellow. Pulp sweet with a typical flavour and 16% TSS. Ripens in the second fortnight of March. Average yield is 150 kg per tree. It is resistant to powdery mildew disease. Most suitable for the Kandi area. 

Gola: The fruits of this variety ripen earlier than other varieties. The fruits are shiny and round, with a total soluble solids content of 17-20 percent and an acidity of 0.46 percent. A yield of 80 to 85 kilograms per tree can be obtained.

Mundia: This is a popular, high-yielding variety of jujube. Its fruits are bell-shaped, elongated, and sweet, and an average yield of up to 125 kilograms per tree can be obtained.

Sev: This variety ripens after Gola. Its fruits are sweet and oval-shaped, resembling an apple. An average yield of up to 80 kilograms per tree can be obtained.

Propagation 

Improved varieties of jujube are propagated by budding.  For this purpose, rootstocks are prepared from seeds. Native and Chani jujube (Ziziphus rotundifolia) plants are best suited for this. To prepare these plants, the seed coats of native varieties should be broken and the seeds sown in polythene bags in April. The plants become ready for budding by July. Shield and eye budding are commonly used commercially for jujube propagation. Plants propagated using these methods in July become ready for planting in the field by August.

Planting 

During the summer months (May-June), pits measuring 1 x 1 x 1 meter should be dug at a distance of 6-8 meters from each other.  The dug pits should be left open for 15 days so that the harmful underground insects and their eggs are killed by the sun's heat. After this, each pit should be filled with a mixture of 20-25 kg of well-rotted farmyard manure, 1-1.5 kg of superphosphate, and 50-100 grams of endosulfan (4%), mixed thoroughly with the soil. Grafted plants of improved varieties can be planted in August-September, or in February if irrigation facilities are available.

Manures and Fertilizers 

To ensure the continued productivity of the jujube orchard, manure and fertilizers should be applied to the fruit trees annually according to the following table:

Age of Plant	Fertilizer and Fertilizer (Quantity Kg / Plant)
	F.Y.M	Urea	Super Phosphate	Murate of Potash
1 Year	10	0.220	0.350	0.080
2 Year	20	0.440	0.700	0.160
3 Year	30	1.100	1.400	0.200
4 Year	40	1.200	1.750	0.250
5 Year	50	1.200	1.750	0.250

Fertilizer is applied to jujube plants twice a year, in July and November. Nitrogen should be divided into two equal parts and applied in July and November.

How to Grow a Jujube Tree from Seeds: The Simple and Fast Way to Grow at Home

Irrigation 

Irrigation is essential during the development of fruit, i.e., from October to February. It may be given at intervals of 3 or 4 weeks, depending upon the weather. The fruit becomes large, quality improves, and fruit shedding is minimized by irrigating the trees during the fruit development period. Irrigation should be stopped in the second fortnight of March, as fruits on the branches lying on the ground get damaged and their ripening is delayed.  

Weed Control 

Light cultivation of the field should be done to manage the different kinds of weed flora. Apply paddy straw mulch @ 5.0 ton per acre under the canopies of trees to suppress weeds. Application of mulch should be done in the month of October after application of the second split of inorganic fertilizers.

Training and Pruning 

The jujube fruits are trained according to the modified leader system. After transplanting the head back to the main stem at 75 cm from the ground level. Out of the new lateral growth produced on the main stem, select four to five laterals that are most favourably located around the main stem. As the jujube tree bears fruit on the current season’s growth, regular annual pruning is necessary. Prune the lower branches to prevent them from spreading on the ground. Also, remove thin, dry, broken, and diseased branches from the previous season. Pruning is done during the second fortnight of May when the trees are dormant. Pruning in Sanaur-2 cv. should be done during the third week of April. Pruning by heading back to 8 buds of the previous year’s growth gives a higher yield of better quality fruits. Severe pruning after four to five years is recommended.  

Rejuvenation of Old Ber 

Jujube trees need to be rejuvenated after the age of about 25 years. This can be done by heading back the main limbs to about 30 cm during the second fortnight of May. The trees start giving commercial crops with higher yields of excellent fruit quality during the third fruiting season. 

 Intercropping 

Intercropping can be successfully done on the vacant land in the young orchard during the first three to four years. Only the leguminous crops of short stature, like gram, moong, and mash, should be grown to get some income from the land. These crops also enrich the soil by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. The exhaustive and tall-growing crops should not be grown in the orchard as they deplete the soil of its nutrients to a greater extent and compete for light with the trees. 

 In the established jujube orchards, the short-duration groundnut variety is. TG 37A can be grown as an intercrop immediately after pruning of trees in the middle of May. TG 37A matures in about 100 days after sowing. It gives an additional income without hurting ber plant. 

Management of Physiological Fruit Drop in Jujube 

For the management of physiological fruit drop in “Umran” jujube, give two sprays of 15g NAA (Naphthalene Acetic Acid) in 500 litres of water per acre once in the 2nd fortnight of October and again in the 2nd fortnight of November. NAA should be dissolved in a small quantity of alcohol or spirit, and then the required volume of water should be added. Wash the spray pump thoroughly with washing soda before and after the spray.

 • In young orchards, intercrops like gram, moong, and mash can be grown successfully to get some income from the fallow land.

• Physiological fruit drop can be managed by giving two sprays of NAA in the 2nd fortnight of October and November. 

• The old unproductive jujube trees can be revived by heading back in the 2nd fortnight of May at the dormant stage. 

• Spray the fungicides recommended for controlling powdery mildew and black fruit spot diseases.

 Quality improvement in jujube

Two foliar sprays of potassium nitrate @1.5% (15 g per litre of water) during mid-November and again in mid-January increase the fruit size and yield. 

Fruit Maturity and Harvesting 

The jujube tree grows quickly, and the first crop can be harvested within 2-3 years of planting. The peak season for harvesting is mid-March to mid-April. During this period, ber sells readily at remunerative prices. The fruit should always be picked at the right stage of maturity, i.e., when it is neither under-ripe nor over-ripe. It should be picked when it has acquired normal size and characteristic colour of the variety, e.g., deep golden yellow colour in Umran. All the jujube fruits on the tree do not ripen at the same time, and are picked 4-5 times from mid-March to mid-April. In no case, the fruits be allowed to become over-ripe on the tree, as they deteriorate in taste and quality and thus fetch a lower price. 

Post-Harvest Handling 

Grading and Packing of Fruits: The grading should be done before the fruit is marketed. Sorting should be done to remove culled, undersized, under-ripe, over-ripe, misshapen, cankered, and bird-damaged fruits. The fruits should be graded into four grades, namely, A grade – large-sized; B grade – medium-sized; C grade- small-sized, and D grade – under-ripe, over-ripe, deformed, misshapen, and cankered fruits. The highest distribution of fruits is found in grade B (33%), which is closely followed by grade A (27%). The extent of C and D grade fruits is 21% and 19% respectively. The fruits of Umran belonging to A and B grades, which accounted for 60 per cent of the total crop, have a deep golden yellow colour and are more acceptable to the consumers and considered the best for marketing. 

The fruits should be packed properly in Corrugated Fibre Board (CFB) cartons, wooden crates, polynets, wooden baskets, and gunny bags of convenient sizes based on grades. 

Storage: The jujube fruits of cultivar Umran, harvested at colour break stage, can be stored at 7.5+10 and 90-95% RH for two weeks with acceptable colour and quality. 

The Ultimate Guide To Growing Jujube Fruit Service 

Plant Protection Measures 

A. Insect Pests 

Pests and symptoms of attack	Control
1. Fruit fly (Carpomyia vesuviana) is one of the specific and serious pests of Ber. Fruit fly deposit eggs in the epicarp of developing fruits. After hatching, the maggots enter into pulp and start feeding. The infested fruits become deformed, turn brown, rot, and drop off. Fully grown maggots emerge from the fruit by making a hole and pupate in the soil.	(I) Clean cultivation/sanitation of orchards by picking and destroying the infested fruits should be done. (ii) To escape egg laying on fruits, harvest at the green and firm stage, and do not allow the fruit to ripen on the tree. (iii) Rake the soil around the trees during summer to expose the pupae to heat and natural enemies.
2. Leaf-eating caterpillar (Euproctis sp.): The young caterpillars initially remain gregarious and scrape leaves and tender fruits. Later instars disperse and devour leaves, fruits, and tender shoots. Affected fruits become unmarketable.	……
3. Lac insect (Kerria sp.): Although it is useful if reared commercially for lac production, their presence on Ber trees is considered harmful because they devitalize the trees and adversely affect the yield of fruits	remove and destroy the infested dry part and scrap off the infested twigs.

 

B. Diseases 

Disease and symptoms	Control
1. Powdery mildew (Microsphaera alphitoides): Young developing leaves and fruits are covered with a whitish powdery mass of the causal fungus. This condition results in premature defoliation and fruit drop. Fruits remain small and become cankered and cracked.	…….
2. Black fruit spot (Alternaria alternata): It produces small, irregular, sunken, black spots on Ber fruit. Sometimes Phoma macrostroma is also associated with the disease at later stages. The infected fruits become disfigured and may drop off before harvest. The disease starts its appear during February and is very severe during February-March	…….