Cultivation of Aonla

Course Title:- Tropical and Subtropical Fruits

Course Code:- FS-121

Class:- UG Horticulture

Semester:- 2nd Sem.

Lecture:- 45h

Course Instructor:- Ankur Sharma

Designation:- Assistant Professor {Horticulture}

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 Overview of Aonla

● Botanical Name:- Emblica officinalis

● Family:- Euphorbiaceae
● Chromosome No:- 28
● Origin:- Tropical Asia
● Type of Fruit:- Capsule
● Edible Portion:- Mesocarp or Endocarp
● Propagation:- Budding and Soft wood grafting
 Introduction
Aonla or Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis) is regarded as
Amritphal. It is an indigenous fruit to Indian subcontinent. Its
fruits are a rich source of vitamin ‘C’. Fruits have been reported
to be useful in haemorrhages, diarrhoea, dysentery, anaemia,
jaundice, dyspepsia and cough. Trifala and chavanprash are
well-known indigenous medicines in Ayurvedic system prepared
from aonla. Besides fruits, leaves bark and even seeds are being
used for various purposes. Though aonla is not utilized as table
fruit it is commercially utilized for processing industries and
products like morabba, chatni, squash, candy, toffee shreds,
sauce are prepared besides used in cosmetic industries as
shampoo, hair oil, dyes, etc.
In India it's commercial cultivation is very common in Uttar
Pradesh. Its intensive plantation is being done in the salt-
affected areas of Utter Pradesh. Aonla cultivation is spreading
rapidly in the semi-arid regions of Maharashtra, Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu and
Himachal Pradesh. Though aonla is not commercially cultivated
in the North Eastern, it is commonly found either in homestead
or growing in wild which indicates its adaptability. However,
there are variation in existing natural population with respect to
tree vigour, fruiting behaviour, yield and quality characters.
(Hazarika et. al., 2009).
 Medicinal Properties and Uses
Aonla is an important crop in Ayurveda
Fruits have the richest source of vitamin-C (700 mg per 100 g of fruits)
Preparations (Products) using Amla :
● Chyawanprash
● Triphala churna (mixture of Amla, Terminalia chebula and T.
bellerica)
● Brahma Rasayana
● Madumegha churna
Medicinal properties:
Anti scorbutic, diuretic, laxative, antibiotic and anti-dysenteric.
Phyllemblin, obtained from fruit pulp has been found to have mild
depressant action on central nervous system.
● Good liver tonic
● Good demand from the industries for the preparation of
various health care products also like hair oil, dye,
shampoo, face creams and tooth powder.
 Climate and Soil

Aonla is a subtropical plant and prefers dry subtropical

climate but it can be grown in wide range of climatic
conditions. The natural growing plants can be seen on hills
upto 1800 MSL. The plants are susceptible to winter frost. A
mature aonla tree can tolerate freezing as well temperature of
46OC.
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Aonla is a hardy plant and it can be successfully grown

in variable soil conditions - an ideal plant for arid and
semi-arid conditions. Aonla can easily be cultivated in
marginal soils. Heavy soils or land with high water table
are are not suited for its cultivation. The deep, fertile,
well drained sandy loam soil is ideal for aonla
cultivation. Aonla plants can tolerate pH up to 9.5,
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 700 mg Vitamin C/100 gm.
.
● Vitamin C is an excellent anti-Oxidant and as amla is
so rich in vitamin C, it has string anti- Oxidant
properties and helps combat free radicals.
● Free radicals are unstable ions in the body,
responsible for ageing and cell degeneration. Amla
stabilizes hee free radicals.
● 100 gm of amla contains: 96 Calories, 1.2 gm Iron,
0.9 gm Protein, 0.1 gm Fat, 3.4 gm Fiber. So Amla is
considered a powerful food for the brain.