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The loquat, Eriobotrya japonica Lindl., (syn. Mespilus japonicus Thunb.), belongs to the rose family, Rosaceae. It is also called Japan, or Japanese plum and Japanese medlar. The loquat is indigenous to southeastern China and possibly southern Japan, though it may have been introduced into Japan in very early times. It is said to have been cultivated in Japan for over 1,000 years. Cultivation spread to India and southeast Asia, the medium altitudes of the East Indies, and Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Chinese immigrants are assumed to have carried the loquat to Hawaii.

The loquat fruits are round, oval or pyriform, pale yellow to orange in colour and are borne in loose clusters. The flesh is firm, meaty or melting, deep orange in colour, juicy and sub acidic in flavour.

Cultivars/Varieties: There are two groups of loquat cultivars – Chinese and Japanese. The Chinese type are large, pyriform and deep orange in colour, while Japanese type is smaller, light coloured and sometimes slender in form. The well-known cultivars are California Advance, Tanaka, Thales, Pyriform, Golden yellow, Improved golden yellow, Pale yellow. Other named cultivars are Improved Pale yellow, Fire Ball, Large Round, Gold Nugget, Safeda and Mammoth.

Uses

Loquat is commonly eaten as a fresh fruit. Loquat can also be processed into several products like jam, jelly and chutney. Seeds are usually taken out from the fruits, otherwise they may impart a bitter taste. The fruits are also used in gelatin desserts or as pie-filling, or are chopped and cooked as a sauce. Loquats canned in syrup are exported from Taiwan. Some people prepare spiced loquats (with cloves, cinnamon, lemon and vinegar) in glass jars. The fruit is also made into jam and, when slightly underripe, has enough pectin to make jelly.

Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour), belongs to the family, Sapindaceae. It is a hardy subtropical fruit tree very similar to litchi in habit and appearance. The longan is native to southern China, in the provinces of Kwangtung, Kwangsi, Schezwan and Fukien. The longan is less important to the Chinese as an edible fruit, more widely used than the lychee in Oriental medicine. It is also now widely grown in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malyasia, USA, New Zealand and Australia. The longan was introduced into India in 1798. In India it is mainly grown in Western ghats, Assam and West Bengal.

Cultivars: Most important cultivars of major Longan growing areas of world are Ilao, Wai, and Fuhko No. 2.

Food Uses

Although longan is mainly used for dessert purpose. It can be dried, frozen or canned. Preserved longans are considered by many as superior to preserved litchi, the flavour being more delicate. Longans are much eaten fresh, out-of-hand, but some have maintained that the fruit is improved by cooking. In China, the majority are canned in sirup or dried. The canned fruits were regularly shipped from Shanghai to the United States in the past. Today, they are exported from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The dried longan product is black, leathery and smoky in flavor and is mainly used to prepare an infusion drunk for refreshment. A liqueur is made by macerating the longan flesh in alcohol. (Morton, 1987).

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a popular subtropical evergreen fruit tree. The Litchi (lychee) is the most renowned of a group of edible fruits of the soap berry family, Sapindaceae. It is botanically designated Litchi chinensis Sonn. (Nephelium litchi Cambess) and widely known as litchi and regionally as lichi, lichee, laichi, leechee or lychee. Litchi is a tropical fruit tree native to southern China. It is also commonly found in Madagascar, India (Muzaffarpur), Bangladesh, Pakistan, southern Taiwan, northern Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Southern Africa. Great source of Vitamin C and potassium, it also contains phosphorous, calcium, magnesium and protein. The fruit is liked by everybody because of its excellent quality, attractive red colour and characteristics pleasant flavor.

Varieties

The varieties grown under different states are as below.

Bihar: Shahi, Rose Scented, China, Kasba, Purbi, Early Bedana, Late Bedana

Uttar Pradesh: Rose Scented, Dehradun, Calcuttia

West Bengal: Bombay Green, Kalyani Selection

Punjab: Muzaffarpur, Dehradun, Seedless, Late Bedana

Kokum (Garcinia indica L.,) is an evergreen tree found in the tropical forests of India. It is a plant in the mangosteen family (Guttiferae), and is a fruit tree that has culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses. The extract/concentrate of this fruit is called aagal in Konkani and Marathi. It is used for preparation of sol kadhi when mixed with coconut milk. The outer cover of fruit is dried in the sun to get aamsul or kokam. It is used as a souring agent in recipes from Maharashtra. It is a preferred substitute for tamarind in curries and other dishes from Konkan. It is also used in Konkani cuisine, in Gujarat, and some cuisines of South India. As kudam puli, it is an essential ingredient of traditional fish recipes of Kerala. It is particularly seen in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal.

Uses

The acidic sweet fruit is mainly used as souring agent for vegetable curry and dal. Sun drying is practiced for preservation. Dried Kokum fruit rinds are widely used in cooking as they impart a sweetish-tangy flavor to the food. The fruits contain citric acid, acetic acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, hydroxycitric acid and garcinol. Fresh are cut in to halves and the fleshy portion containing the seeds is removed. The rind which constitutes about 50 per cent of the fruit is repeatedly soaked in the juice of the pulp during sun drying. It makes excellent beverage with pleasant flavour. Kokum butter is a product of commerce obtain from seed. It is also used in soap and candle making and suitable for ointment and other pharmaceutical preparations. This fruit is known to reduce obesity and regulate blood cholesterol level.

Jamun, Syzygium cumini Skeels, belongs to the family Myrtaceae and genus Eugenia which comprises about 1000 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. Some of the old-world Eugenia spp., are now placed in the genus Syzygium. The genus Syzygium is a multipurpose genus with many important species.

The original home of jamun is considered to be India (Singh, 1969), while it is also found in Thailand, Philippines, Madagascar and other African countries. In India, jamun is mainly grown in eastern Himalaya, Kumaon, Gangatic plains, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Andamans. It grows well in marshy land and also in neglected wastelands.

Cultivars/Varieties: There are no improved variety of jamun for commercial cultivation. The most common type grown in north India is known as Raja jamun. This is a large-fruited type having oblong fruits of deep purple colour. A type having large- sized fruits is known as Paras in Gujarat. Another type found in Varanasi has no seed. A selection with desirable traits has been located by the CSA University of Agriculture and Technology at Faizabad. It has been named as Narendra Jamun 6.

Uses

Jamun fruits are deep purple to violet in colour and are, therefore, very attractive. The anthocyanin pigment is responsible for the colour. The products made from jamun are jellies, jams squash, beverage, wine vinegar and pickle. In Goa and the Philippines, jambolans are an important source of wine, somewhat like Port, and the distilled liquors, brandy and “jambava” have also been made from the fermented fruit. Jambolan vinegar, extensively made throughout India, is an attractive, clear purple, with a pleasant aroma and mild flavor.

The jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. of the family Moraceae, is also called jak-fruit, jak, jaca and, in Malaysia and the Philippines, nangka; in Thailand, khanun; in Cambodia, khnor; in Laos, mak mi or may mi; in Vietnam, mit. It produces the largest known edible fruit. In South-India, it is a common shade tree for many plantation crops. A jackfruit contains 28.7% pulp, 11.5% seed and 59.8% rind, sheath and core.

The place of origin of Jackfruit is not knows exactly, but it is believed to be indigenous to the rainforests of the Western Ghats of India. It is found at low elevations throughout India, Burma, Ceylon, southern China, Malaysia, and the East Indies. It is common in the Philippines, both cultivated and naturalized. It is grown to a limited extent in Queensland and Mauritius. In India it grows in a wild and semi-wild state in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and states along western Ghats range, particularly Kerala, Karnataka and Maharastra.

Cultivars: Rasdar, Khajwa, Rose-scented or Gulabi, Champa, Hazari, Rudrakshi.

Uses

Both mature and immature fruits as well as seeds are used for various purposes. Ripe fruit is used for dessert purpose and processing into various products, while unripe bulbs are used for making chips. The immature fruit and seeds are used as vegetable. The bark is used for tanning purpose. Heart-wood yield a yellow dye. A yellow dye can also be extracted from the wood particles and used to dye cotton. The latex which flows from all parts of the plant when injured is also used as adhesive. The resins within the latex may also have some value in varnishes. The timber is a medium hardwood with desirable characteristics for making furniture, oars, implements and musical instruments and the wood is also used in construction. It is termite proof and fairly resistant to fungal and bacterial decay. The roots of older trees are good materials for carving and picture framing Leaves are utilized as a green fodder. Several processed products, such as squash, nectar, fruit bar, toffies, jams, canned and dehydrated pulp, beverages, etc. are prepared from the pulp. The seeds can be eaten boiled, roasted or dried and salted as table nuts, or they can be ground to make flour and blended with wheat flour for baking (International Centre for Underutilized crops, 2003).

Guava (Psidium guajava. L), a highly nutritious fruit very popular as poor man’s apple. Guava belongs to the family Myrtaceae. Guava is native to tropical America and is found growing wild from Mexico to Peru. Spaniards introduced guava in Phillippinnes and the Portuguese in India. Besides India, it also grown in Sri Lanka, Hawaiian Islandsm and Cuba. Guava had been introduced in India by Portuguese in 17^th century, and ever since it is an important fruit crop of India. In many countries it has been spread by birds, where it has been naturalized long back. In India it is cultivated in the plains in almost all the states but the major guava growing states are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab, Karnatak, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhatisgarh.

Cultivars: Allahabad Safeda, Lucknow-49, Chittidar, Nagapur Seedless, Bangalore, Dharwar, Akra Mridula, Arka Amulya, Harijha, Hafshi, Allahabad Surkha CISHG1, CISH-G2, CISH-G-3, Harija, Baruipur, etc.

Uses

Guava fruit is relished when mature or ripe and freshly plucked from the tree. Excellent salad and pudding are prepared from the shell of the ripe fruit. Ripe and unripe juicy fruits are eaten fresh. The fruits after removal of seeds, are used for preparing jam, jelly, paste, juice and nectar. It is also canned in sugars syrup and made into fruit butter. In some countries, the leaves are used for treating diarrhea and also for dyeing and tanning.

Grapes belongs to the family Vitaceae and genus Vitis. The region between Black and Caspian Sea is considered to be the origin of grapes. Its association with man is believed to be older than that of rice or wheat. Viticulture and wine-making started in Egypt at about 3000-4000 BC. It is presumed that it spread to India in 620 B.C. The medical treatises written by Charaka and Sushruta in the 1^st century AD reveal use of grapes for medicinal purpose. Viticulture in India started in early 1960 and today assumes an important position in horticulture crop in view of its area occupied, production, value addition and job creation in both rural and urban areas.

Popular Varieties of Grapes

Thomson Seedless and its clones viz.; Tas-A-Ganesh, Sonaka and Manik Chaman; Perlette, Banglore Blue (Isabella), Kishmish Chernyi (Sharad Seedless), Muscat Hamburg (Gulabi), Flame Seedless, Red Globe, Crimson Seedless and Manjri Naveen (A clonal selection from Centennial Seedless).

Uses

Grapes has several uses like table purpose, raisin, juice, wine making and canning, etc. It has several medicinal and curative properties. It is used in Ayurvedic preparations for making Kada or arishtam (herbal tonic or medicine). The grapes which are used as a fresh fruit are designated as table grapes. These are having attractive appearance, and good eating and shipping quality and long shelf-life. The grapes that can be dried are included in the Raisin grapes. Wine grapes which are primarily used to produce wine are known as wine grapes. In many parts of the world, grapes are grown for wine preparation. Grapes with high acid and low sugars contents are suitable for wine preparation.

Ficus carica L, one of the oldest plant species in China, is abound in Shandong, Xinjiang, Jiangsu province. Fig belongs to the family Moraceae and genus Ficus. It is native to Middle East region (West Asia), but now it is widely distributed in Asia and North America.

Cultivars/Varieties: Depending upon the nature of flowers and the method of pollination there are four distinct classes of fig- i) Common fig or Adriatic fig ii) Capri fig, iii) Smyrna fig and iv) San Pedro fig. Kadota, Mission, Adriatic, Brown turkey, Celeste and Conadria are some important varieties of common fig.

Uses

Fig is consumed fresh or dried, preserved, candied or canned. Fresh figs are very delicious, wholesoms and nutritious and used as dessert or for making jam. Due to its highly perishable nature it is dried and marketed. The fruit fresh, or dried is valued for its laxative property. Dried and ground fig can be used as a substitute for coffee.

Date-palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.). belongs to family Palmae and is the most common tree of desert and dry areas. Date palm is one of the oldest trees known to man kind. Date-palm is believed to have originated in the countries around Persian Gulf. It is extensively grown in Iraq, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Mauritiana, Morrocco, Tunisia, Baharin, Sudan, USA, Spain, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, Somalia, Oman and some parts of the South America. Date is a staple food of the people of the Western Iraq and North Africa. In India, it has been believed to be introduced by soldiers of Alexander the Great in 4^th century B.C. In India it is commercially cultivated in Rajasthan, Punjab, Hariyana and Gujarat.

Cultivars: Deglet Noor, Halawy, Khadhrawi, Hayani, Majhul, Zahidi, Khalaeh.

Uses

Date palms produce many products that are useful to human beings. The primary product is the date fruit, which can be eaten fresh, dried, or in various processed forms. In North Africa and the Middle East, some dates are harvested and consumed during the Khalal stage, when the fruit are still very astringent with a high tannin content (Dowson and Aten, 1962 ; Glasner et al., 2002; Kader,1992). Dates can be used in cereal, pudding, bread, pressed cakes, cookies, candy bars, ice cream, and date shakes (a California specialty). Date fruit also can be made into juice, vinegar, wine, beer, sugar, syrup, honey, chutney, pickle, paste, dip, and food flavoring (Barreveld, 1993; Glasner et al., 2002).

It is said that there are as many uses of dates as there are days in a year. The trunk and wood of date palms can be used as timber, wood, or fuel. Fiber from the trunk and leaves can be made into bags, baskets, camel saddles, cords, crates, fans, food covers, furniture, mats, paper, ropes, trays, and twine. Dried bundles of leaves (‘‘Barusti’’) can be made into shades, roofs, separating walls, and enclosures. Ribs of the leaves can be used to build boats (small fishing boats called ‘‘Shasha’’) or fishing traps. The base of the leaves and fruit stalks can be used for fuel. The pith of the palms can be made into date palm flour. Terminal buds (palm heart) can be eaten as a salad or as a cooked vegetable. Date seeds can be used as feed for livestock or strung as beads for decoration. Oil from date seeds can be manufactured into soap (Chao and Krueger, 2007). Dates are considered a balanced and healthy diet and have several medicinal uses. Leaves are source of fibre used for making ropes baskets and cordage. Walking sticks are made from leafstalk.

Genus Annona belonging to the family Annonaceae, contains more than seventy species of woody shrubs and trees, all of which produce aggregate fleshy fruits. Of these only a few produce edible fruits of commercial importance. Of all, Annona squamosa L. is probably the most popular fruit. It is also known as ‘Sitaphal’ or ‘Shariffa’. These can withstand drought better than many other fruit trees. Other species of the genus Annona providing edible fruits are A. reticulata L., A. muricata L., and A. cherimola L.

Custard Apple (Annona squamosa Linn.)

The custard apple, Annona squamosa L., also known as sweet-sop or sugar apple, is almost entirely eaten as a dessert fruit. Its pulp may be mixed with milk to form milk shake or made into ice-cream. The pulp has a pleasant texture and flavour. Several products like -squash, nectar, pulp butter, syrup, jam can be made from the pulp.

Custard apple is native to tropical America (Mexico). It is cultivated in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Israel, Myanmar, Mexico, Philippines, Spain, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, USA and Cuba. In India it is popular in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Asssam, Bihar and West Bengal.

Cultivars: The cultivars vary in their shape, size, colour and eating quality. Some of the cultivars are Balanagar, Sangareddy Local, Chittorgarh, Barbados, British Guinea, Mammoth, Red Sitaphal, Yellow Sitaphal, Custard Apple Selection-1, Custard Apple Selection -2. Arka Sahan is a hybrid developed by ICAR-IIHR, Bangalore.

Citrus is one of the most important fruit crops of the world. The most important commercial citrus fruits in India is mandarin oranges followed by sweet oranges, lemons and acid limes. Citrus fruits are used for fresh fruit juices, processing into squashes, marmalades and its essential oils from peel are widely used in flavouring, perfumery and cosmetic industry. The citrus peel is one of the important sources for manufacture of pectin.

It is believed that most of the species under the genus citrus are native to tropical and subtropical regions of South-East Asia, particularly India, China and in the region between these two countries. The north-eastern region of India is considered as one of the natural homes for few species of citrus. The other major citrus producing countries of the world are Brazil, USA, India, China,Mexico, Spain, Egypt, Italy, Indonesia and Trukey.

Sweet Orange (Cirus sinensis Osbeck) or Mosambi

Sweet orange is one of the most widely favored citrus fruit of of the world. Its scientific name is Citurs sinensis Osbeck. The sweet oranges are generally round to oval in shape; tight skinned with solid central core. The skin is yellow to orange in colour, smooth and pulp is yellow to orange or reddish. The segments are tightly attached to one another. The commercially important varieties are Malta (Blood Red), Mosambi and Satgudi. Other exotic varieties like Valencia, Washington Navel of USA and Shamouti of Isreal.

Cherimoya is considered as the most esteemed of the fruits of the genus Annona (family Annonaceae). A. cherimola Mill., because of its limited distribution, has acquired few colloquial names, and most are merely local variations in spelling, such as chirimoya, cherimolia, chirimolla, cherimolier, cherimoyer. The cherimoya is believed to be indigenous to the interandean valleys of Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. It is cultivated in Australia, Hawai, Brazil, Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Spain, Costa Rica, Africa and Argentina. In India it is found growing in states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, (Nilgiris and Palani hills), Karnataka (the Nandi hills) and Andhra Pradesh (Telangana region).

It bears fruits with skin which is thin or thick, may be smooth with fingerprint-like markings or covered with conical or rounded protuberances. The sweet, juicy, white flesh is melting, subacid and very fragrant. The fruit is of a primitive form with spirally arranged carpels, resembling a raspberry. Each segment of flesh surrounds a single hard black bean-like seed.

Cultivars: Fingerprinted, Smooth, Tuberculate, Mammilate and Umbonate are the cultivars having different shapes, texture and morphology.

Uses

The flesh of the ripe cherimoya is most commonly eaten out of-hand or scooped with a spoon from the cut open fruit. It really needs no embellishment but some people in Mexico like to add a few drops of lime juice. Occasionally it is added to fruit salads or used for making sherbet or ice cream. Colombians strain out the juice, add a slice of lemon and dilute with ice-water to make a refreshing soft drink. The fruit has been fermented to produce an alcoholic beverage (Morton, 1987). In Jamaica, the dried flowers have been used as flavoring for snuff. All species of Annona can produce seed oil. Essential oils extracted from soursop (pulp) have industrial applications and the oils are also thought to improve the flavour of processed fruit products.

The carambola, Averrhoa carambola L., is believed to have originated in Malaysia and the Molucca but it has been cultivated in southeast Asia for many centuries. It belongs to the family Oxalidaceae. The carambola, Averrhoa carambola L., is usually called balimbing, belimbing, or belimbing manis (“sweet belimbing”), to distinguish it from the bilimbi or belimbing asam, A. bilimbi L. In Ceylon and India, the carambola has the alternate names of kamaranga, kamruk, or other variants of the native kamrakh.

Cultivars/Varieties: Sweet and sour forms are recognized a cultivar in India. In countries like Australia, Japan, Taiwan and, USA named cultivars are grown.

Uses

Fruits are mainly used for dessert purpose. Slightly unripe fruits are used for jelly and pickle. Unripe fruit is also used for dying as it contains potassium oxalate. It is a popular substitute for tamarind in cooking. The acid types of carambola have been used to clean and polish metal, especially brass, as they dissolve tarnish and rust. The juice will also bleach rust stains from white cloth. Unripe fruits are used in place of a conventional mordant in dyeing. Carambola wood is white, becoming reddish with age; close-grained, medium-hard. It has been utilized for construction and furniture.

Ber (Zizyphus) is egg-shaped fruit of orange or brown colour, with edible acid pulp and hard central stone. The Ber, Indian jujube, Z. mauritiana Lam. (syn. Z. jujuba L.) is adapted to warm climates. It belongs to the family Rhamnaceae. It is often called merely jujube, or Chinese date, which leads to confusion with the hardier species. Other English names are Indian Plum, Indian cherry and Malay jujube. In India, there are 90 or more cultivars differing in the habit of the tree, leaf shape, fruit form, size, color, flavor, keeping quality, and fruiting season (Morton, 1987). Ber (Zizyphus pss.) is one of the hardiest fruit trees cultivated in India. It is an ideal fruit crop for arid and semi-arid regions and even for waste lands. Ber has been recognized as a useful edible fruit since mythology of Ram and Shabari in India and depicted in Ramayana. Researchers mention both Z. mauritiana and Z. jujuba and even the wild Z. nummularia.

Cultivars: Umran, Banarasi Karka, Seo, Gola.

Uses

The Jujube is classed with the raisin, date, and fig as a pectoral fruit, being nutritive and demulcent. It is eaten both fresh and dried. Bark is used for tanning. Leaves are laxative and used in throat trouble. Leaves are also used as a good fooder particularly in arid zones. The tree serves as a host for lac insects. Wood is used for making agricultural implements and tool handles. The preserved products made of ber fruit are murabba., candy, diced ber, dehydrated ber, ber pulp, ber jam etc.

Banana (Musa sp), is consumed both as a fruit and vegetable. The sweet desert cultivars are generally called bananas and the starchy cooking types are called plantains. It is an important food crop throughout the tropics. References to the banana is frequently made in the Vedic literature, where its use in religious rituals is quite common. Today, it is a leading tropical fruit in the world market with a high degree of export potentiality. Bananas arrives at the world markets the year round. Though India is the largest producer of banana in the world, Ecuador, Hondurus, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Panama are the leading banana exporter, while USA, Japan, Germany, France and UK are the main importing counties.

Banana is believed to have originated in the warm moist tropical regions of SouthEast Asia. Its cultivation is confined to region between 30° N and 30° S of Equator. Banana is grown in many countries namely India, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, Zaire, Tanzania, Ivory coast, Burundi, Columbia, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bangladesh, the Caribbean Islands, the canary Island, USA(Florida), Egypt, Australia, Sri Lanka.

Banana belongs to the family Musaceae and genus Musa. There are several species of Musa which involves both dipoilds and triploids. Most of the cultivated bananas are triploids. They are further classified based on their genomic status. Bananas and plantains are today grown in every humid tropical region and constitute the 4th largest fruit crop of the world, followed by the grape, citrus fruits and the apple.

Varieties/Cultivars: Though there are more than 25 different kinds of bananas grown in India, Grand Naine, Robusta, Poovan, Ney poovan, Rasthali, Karpuravalli, Tellachakrakeli, Red Banana, Nendran, Monthan, Batheesa, Hill Banana (Veerupakshi & Sirumalai) are the popular varieties grown all over the country with different local names.

Bael (Aegle marmelos, L.) belongs to the family Rutaceae and is an important indigenous fruit of India known since 2000-820 BC. Bael is considered to be native to India and is grown all over the country. It is also seen in south east Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Indonesia and Thailand. It is a hardy plant and can be grown even on marginal soils.

The leaves are trifoliate and aromatic. The leaves of the tree are used in religious offerings. The fruit is usually globose, grey or yellowish with small hard aromatic rind. The pulp is thick mucilaginous, orange yellow in colour with sweet scented aroma. The importance of bael fruit lies in its curative properties. It is used in Ayurveda for its medicinal properties.

There are no recognized or improved varieties of bael with a standard name. It usually goes with the name of locality or region it is grown in. Ayodhya, Etawah, Faizabad Local, Gonda Selection, Kagzi Bael, Kagzi Kalan, Mirzapuri, Darogaji, Ojha, Rampuri Azamati, Khamaria, Deoria Large, Gonda-1 and NB-5 are a few to name.

Uses

Bael fruits cut in half, or the soft types broken open, and the pulp, dressed with palm sugar, eaten for breakfast, as is a common practice in Indonesia. The pulp is often processed as nectar or “squash” (diluted nectar). A popular drink (called “sherbet” in India) is made by beating the seeded pulp together with milk and sugar. A beverage is also made by combining bael fruit pulp with that of tamarind. These drinks are consumed perhaps less as food or refreshment than for their medicinal effects.

Mature but still unripe fruits are made into jam, with the addition of citric acid. The pulp is also converted into marmalade or sirup, likewise for both food and therapeutic use, the marmalade being eaten at breakfast by those convalescing from diarrhea and dysentery. A firm jelly is made from the pulp alone, or, better still, combined with guava to modify the astringent flavor. The pulp is also pickled. The young leaves and shoots are eaten as a vegetable in Thailand and used to season food in Indonesia. They are said to reduce the appetite. An infusion of the flowers is a cooling drink. (Morton, 1987).

The avocado (Persea americana Mill) belonging to the family Lauraceae, may have originated in southern Mexico but was cultivated from the Rio Grande to central Peru long before the arrival of Europeans. It was then distributed into the West Indies and all other parts of the tropical and subtropical world. It reached India probably in 1892. Now it is grown in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala in India, to a limited extent.

Cultivars/Varieties: Fuerte, Hass, Lula, Pollck, Purple, Green.

Uses

Avocado is low in sugar content and rich in avocado butter, hence can be highly recommended as a high energy food for diabetics. The pulp of the fruit can be preserved by freezing, and can be used as sandwich filling or spread, in ice creams and milk shakes. Though the fruit is high in fat content, it is harmless unlike animal fat. The pulp has butter consistency, and looks very much like cow’s butter and bland in taste with a nutty flavour, without any offensive odour or smell. Its aroma resembles that of tender coconut.

The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, L. is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. Apricot is believed to have been originated in North-east China and later spread to several parts of the world. The important apricot producing countries are China, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Greece, USA, Morocco, France, Romania, Iraq, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India and Australia. In India it is cultivated in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and North East Himalayan region.

Cultivars/Varieties: Hemskerk, Moor park, Kaisha, New Large Early, New Castle, Royal, Raksona, Shiply Early, St. Ambroise, Wenatchee, Chaubattia Alankar, Chaubattia Madhu, Chaubattia Kesri.

Uses

It is used in many ways, such as, in the preparation of jam, nectar, beverages, puree, leather, etc. The karnel is a source of cooking oil. Leaves are used as fodder. Oil cake is used as cattle feed. Dried apricot is an important commercial product.

Apple is the pomaceous fruit (Malus domestica) in the rose family (Rosaceae). It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans.

The apple originated in South-West Asia which includes Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Soviet Central Asia, Himalayan India and Pakistan. It is grown extensively in the temperate region. The major apple growing countries are Australia, Argentina, Brazil, China, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Gemany, USA, India, etc. In India states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and mountanous region of Uttar Pradesh are the major apple producers.

Cultivars/Varieties: The apple varieties are divided into three groups based on their maturing periods. The early season varieties grown in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttranchal are: Tydeman’s Early(P), Irish Peach, Early Shanburry(P), Michael Molies, Benoni Fenny, Benoni Delicious, Schlomit Starkrimson, and Chaubattia Princess. The Mid season varieties are: American Mother, Red Delicious, Richared Razakwar, Starking Delicious, Vance Delicious, Jonathan(P), McIntosh(P), Top Red Lord Lam, Cox’s Orange Pippin(P), Cortland bourne(P), Red Chief, Red Gold(P), Golden Delicious(P), Oregon Spur, Queen,s Apple, Redspur, Rome Beauty, Scarlet Siberian. The late season varieties are: Golden Delicious(P), King’s Pippin, Rymer, Yellow Newton(P), American Apirouge, Buckingham(P), Winter Banana, Kerry Pippin, Granny Smith(P), Sunhari Chamure, Golden Delicious(P), Red Delicious, Ambri Baldwin, and Yellow Newton(P).