This document provides information on the package of practices for growing phalsa (B. N: Grewia subineqaeualis D.C). It includes the scientific classification, origin, nutritional value, uses, floral biology, soil and climate requirements, varieties, propagation methods, planting, manuring, irrigation, intercropping, pruning, use of growth regulators, and flowering and fruiting details. The key points are that phalsa is a hardy, drought tolerant fruit crop suitable for intercropping; it has high nutritional value and medicinal properties; and propagation can be by seed or vegetative methods like cuttings and grafting.

2. Package of Practices
Submitted To:
Dr. M. M. Masu
Assistant Research Scientist,
Directorate of Research,
University Bhavan, A.A.U., Anand -388110
Submitted By:
VAGHELA KALPESHBHAI SHIVABHAI
M.Sc. (Horti.) Vegetable Science
Minor Subject : Fruit Science
First Semester
Reg. No: 04 -3178-2017

3. B. N : Grewia subineqaeualis D.C
Family: Tiliaceae
Origin: India
Ch.No.: 2n = 36

4. Kingdom Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Grewioideae
Genus: Grewia
Species: G. asiatica
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

5. Related Fruits:
India grows several other fruits in the Grewia genus. Most
of these drupes are consumed by birds than humans, and are
not nearly as delectable as phalsa:
Donkey berry (Grewia flavescens)
Crossberry (Grewia abutilifolia, Grewia laevigata, Grewia
tenax, Grewia umbellifera)
Kukurbicha (Grewia hirsuta)
Dhaman (Grewia tiliifolia)

6. INTRODUCTION
•Phalsa, one of the ancient fruits of India is also known as “Dhamani”.
•It is mentioned in Vedas, valued for its medicinal properties and use for
curing many diseases.
•Phalsa is a hardy, drought tolerant plant suitable for intercropping in
fruit orchards.
•Woody perennial, arid zone fruit crop.
•It bears many small bery like fruits.
• In India it is cultivated commercially in Punjab, Haryana, Rajsthan,
Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
•Small scale cultivation of this crop is seen in Maharastra, Gujarat,
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Karnataka.

7. Nutrients Nutrient value per 100g edible portion
Moisture (%) 80.8
Carbohydrate (%) 21.1
Protein (%) 1.5
Fat (%) 0.9
Fibre (%) 1.2
Calcium (mg) 129
Phosphorus (mg) 39
Potassium (mg) 375
Iron (mg) 3.1
Vitamin B3 (mg) 0.3
Vitamin C (mg) 22
Vitamin A (carotene) IU 419
NUTRITIONAL VALUE

8. •Fruits are used in fresh form and have a good cooling effect.
•They are also excellent for making squash, ready-to-serve
juice, nectar and syrup.
•After pruning shoots can be used for making baskets which are
suitable for transporting fruits and vegetables.
•Bark yields fiber and the same can be utilized for rope making.
•For burning eyes, urine, chest and stomach falsa sherbet is
provide relief.
USES

9. • Flower are borne in the axil of leaves.
• In each axil there are 3-7 peduncles, and each peduncle has 3-6
flower of yellow color.
• Flower have 4-5 sepals, 4-5 petals, 70-80 stamens and well-
developed gynoecium.
• Flower are mostly cross-pollinated and honey bee seems to
play major role in pollination.
FLORAL BIOLOGY

10. SOIL & CLIMATE
•It can be grown on a wide range of soil,
even on moderately alkaline soils.
•It is considered to be one of the
hardiest fruits and is drought resistant. Best results are obtained in well
drained loamy soils.
•Under waterlogged conditions, plants become chlorotic and make poor
growth.
•Phalsa can grow successfully in all over the country except at higher
elevations.
•It can stand the frost and the plants can tolerate temperatures as high as
44°C.
•Phalsa plants can also thrive well in the humid tracts of the coastal India.

11. TALL TYPE DWARF TYPE
Plant height is 4.5 m Plant height is 3.4 m
Leaf size 20 x 18 cm Leaf size 18 x 15 cm
Leaves are light green in colour Leaves greenish white in colour
Average fruit size is 2.07 cm and
weighing 0.48 g
Average fruit size 2.26 cm, weight
0.54 g
TSS 14 per cent and Acidity 4.64
per cent
TSS 12.1 per cent with acidity
3.63 per cent
Pulp is 81.5 per cent, juice 5.4 per
cent
Pulp 60.3 per cent, juice recovery
is 34.6 per cent
Average yield per bush is 5.2 kg Average yield is 3.5 kg per bush
There are no distinct varieties known in Phalsa. Some local selection-
Local and Sarbati are popular. Tall and Dwarf have been
recognized. Dwarf type is commonly grown.
CHOICE OF VARIETIES

12. Phalsa is propagated by seed as well as by vegetative means.
It is commercially propagated by seed.
A.Seed propagation
• Freshly extracted seeds are used for raising seedlings under
normal storage temperature
• Seeds lose their viability under ordinary storage after 90 to 100
days.
• The viability of seeds can be retained for a period of six months
under cold storage.
• Seeds require 15-20 days for germination and seedlings get ready
for transplanting in the field by 3-4 months.
PROPAGATION

13. •For raising the phalsa seedlings, large sized, purple black colored fruits are
collected when the crop is ready in the end of May or beginning of June.
•After extracting from the fruits, the seeds should be washed and dried under
shade.
•Seeds are sown in raised beds when there is sufficient humidity in the
atmosphere.
•Rainy season (July-August) is the best time for sowing of seed.
•Seeds on raised beds are sown in lines which are 10-15 cm apart from each
other.
•In the rows, the seed should be sown 4-5 cm apart and 1.5 to 2 cm deep.
•The seeds should be covered with sand or light soil mixed with well rotten
and dry farmyard manure.
Raising of seedlings

14. • The beds should be watered regularly with water Can but too much
watering should be avoided as the excessive moisture conditions cause
poor development of the plants.
• Beds should be kept free from weeds.
• Initially, one hand weeding is recommended, otherwise the roots of
small plants get damaged if weeding is done with khurpi etc.
• When the seedlings come out and have made 5-7 cm growth, light
dressing of calcium ammonium nitrate or Ammonium sulphate are apply
in nursery area.
• This encourage rapid growth of the seedlings.
• Seedlings are ready for transplanting in the winter i.e. during January-
February.

15. There are mainly three vegetative propagation methods used for phalsa.
1. Cutting
• It has been reported that treating phalsa cuttings with 100 ppm indole
butyric acid (IBA) for 24 hours 60% success.
• According to another report, as high as 70% success can be achieved
from hard wood cuttings treated with 100 ppm IBA.
B. Vegetative propagation

16. 2. Layering
• Propagation of phalsa by air layering has also been tried by some
workers.
• According to one report, air layering gives 50% success when the air
layers are treated with a mixture of IBA, NAA, 2, 4-D and boron in
10,000, 10,000, 1000 and 100 ppm respectively.

17. 3. Grafting
• A technique of soft wood grafting has been recommended by some
workers for phalsa.
• Almost 100% success has been recorded in this method.

18. • Phalsa plants can be planted either during July- August or February-March
when the plants have shed their leaves.
• About 8-12 months old seedlings are better for planting in the field.
• Usually planting is done 2.5 to 3.0 meters apart both ways, about 1100 -1500
seedlings per hectare.
• Phalsa is well suited for high density planting, as it complete flowering and
fruiting within 4-5 months.
• For increasing the plant population paired row planting system can be tried.
• Due to increased population as well as yield (20-30 %).
• It also suits as filler crop in mango, guava and aonla orchard and helps in
conserving soil moisture with its dense foliage .
PLANTING

19. •Phalsa is hardly fertilized.
•Fruits are borne on new growth hence application of fertilizer definitely
encourages vegetative growth.
•In Punjab, application of 1 kg N/plants ideal.
•In Rajasthan, application of N, P and K @ 100, 40 and 25 kg /ha
respectively give higher yield.
•Among the micro-nutrients, zinc and iron are found to influence berry
size and juiciness.
•Spraying of ZnSo4 (0.5%) and FeSo4 (0.4%) are beneficial for juice
content and berry size.
Manuring and fertilization

20. • The Phalsa can withstand drought and does not demand irrigation as
frequently as other fruit trees.
• Adequate supply of irrigation water at regular intervals especially
during flowering and fruiting periods can go a long way for ensuring
better health of plant and more profitable yields.
• The time and amount of irrigation may vary greatly according to the
soil, climate, rainfall and age of plants.
• Generally, one irrigation every 15 to 20 days in summer (except during
rains) and once every 4-6 weeks in winter is considered adequate.
• Adequate amount of irrigation to the plants during the time of
development of berries, will make them bigger in size and juicier.
IRRIGATION

21. •Phalsa is commonly grown near cities and towns, it can be profitably
intercropped with vegetables and this practice can pay good dividends
to the growers.
•Phalsa plants have to be maintained in a bush form by regular annual
pruning and this can allow the space left in between the lines to be
profitably used for growing vegetable crops.
•It can also be grown as an intercrop in the mango or other fruit crop
orchards particularly during the initial years.
Intercropping of Phalsa in Aonla
INTERCROPPING

22. DISTANCE
Plant to plant distance for phalsa is 8 feet (2.5 m) and row to row
distance is 10 feet (3 m).
Spacing : 2.5 × 3.0 m
PRUNING
Pruning is an essential part of their cultivation, and it is recommended
0.9 -1.2 m above ground level, it should be done every year as the new
growth bears the fruit.

23. • Growth regulators have proved effective in increasing the fruit set and
yield in phalsa.
• GA3 at 10 ppm increased the setting of fruit and yield and CCC at 250
ppm sprayed twice at an interval of 7 days after 50 percent fruit set
increased the fruit size.
• Ethephon at 1000 ppm resulted in maximum ripening in 5 days after
application.
• Spraying of GA3 at 60 ppm once at the beginning of flowering, another
after 15 days and ethrel at 1000 ppm when ripening of berries had just
started, increased the fruit retention percentage and yield.
• They also reduced the harvesting span and increased the TSS of the fruit.
USE OF GROWTH REGULATORS

24. Generally, phalsa is a cross-pollinated fruit crop and
pollination is completed by the insect such as honey bees,
wasp, etc. However, some flowers are self-pollinated.
Flowering
F
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ti
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FLOWERING & FRUITING

25. Conti….
• In phalsa starts from February-March and continues till May.
• The first flower to open is at the base. Flowers are borne in the axil of
leaves.
• The flower buds become plumpy before anthesis.
• The first sign of anthesis is the appearance of a slit in sepals at the base
of the bud.
• The slit widens and at first only one sepal falls apart.
• The other sepals fall one by one and the whole process of flower
opening is complete within half an hour.
• The dehiscence of anthesis in phalsa takes place before the flowers are
completely open.

26.  The practice of the root exposure is carried out to force the plants
to flower at a particular time of the year.
 The plant is dug all around and the roots are carefully exposed to
the sun.
 Necessary care has to be taken to see that no root is damaged while
exposing the root system.
 The root exposure can continue for a period of about 7-8 days.
 After the roots are again covered by the surface soil mixed with
well-rotten farmyard manure.
ROOT EXPOSURE

27. 1. Mealy bug (Drosicha mangifera)
•Mango mealy bug has been reported to cause severe damage to phalsa.
Control: Spraying with 0.04%Diazinon or Monocrotophos.
2. Bark eating caterpillar (Inderbela tetraonis)
•It is a polyphagous pest which damages the plant by making tunnels in
the main branches or trunk.
Control: Injecting kerosene oil or petrol in the holes by plugging the
mouth with mud.
Mealy bug Bark eating caterpillar
PESTS

28. 3. Leaf eating caterpillar (Euprdctis fraterna):
These caterpillars feed gregariously on leaf lamina and skeletonizing it
completely.
Control: Spray with Carbaryl and Endrin (0.1%).

29. •Disease caused by fungus Cercbspora is prominently found in
Phalsa crop.
1. Leaf spot disease
•It is a fungal disease caused by Cercospora grewiae.
•On affected leaves tiny brown lesions appear on both sides of the
leaves.
•cause premature leaf fall particularly during rainy season.
DISEASE
Controlled
It can be controlled by spraying
Dithane Z- 78 at 0.3% concentration
or Blitox 0.2% concentration.

30. • Phalsa fruits ripe 40 – 55 days after flowering.
• The fruit are harvested in April and May when they turn to crimson
red from green.
• For sending to distant market mature crimson red fruit are harvested
while for local market dark purple color ripe fruits are harvested.
• Harvesting is done manually as they very small and all fruits do not
mature at a time.
• Harvesting continue for almost one month and is done several times
at alternate days due to gradual and steady ripening of fruits on
clusters.
• The average fruit yield is 5 to 7 kg per plant.
HARVESTING AND YIELD

31. • Phalsa fruits are highly perishable and, therefore, they should be
utilized within 24 hours of harvesting.
• Immediate marketing is possible only when the orchards are located
nearby some cities.

32. Falsa Sherbet Recipe
Ingredients
•1 3/4 cup Phalsa berries
•3 tablespoons sugar
•1 cup ice, crushed
•3 cups water, cold
•1 lemon
Instructions
1.Wash berries in water. Grind or blend in a
grinder or blender.
2.Strain pulp well through a strainer.
3.Add water and sugar. Mix well.
4.Add lemon juice and crushed ice. Stir.
5.Serve chilled.
PRODUCTS OF PHALSA

33. PHALSA SQUASH PHALSA JUICE PHALSA SHERBET

34. Reference Book : Fruit Crop
Author :Dr. T. Radha and Dr. L. Mathew
Reference Book : Fruit Growing
Author : J.S.Bal
REFEREANCES