Banarasi
The old Banaras-region amla, grown in Uttar Pradesh. In a rainfed Gujarat trial it had the biggest fruit of the five main varieties (33.90 g) and the most pulp, but the lowest fruit set (36.21%) and the least vitamin C.
Quick facts
- Type
- Grafted plant (traditional variety)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Grafted tree. Fruit was ripe in the last week of October in a rainfed Gujarat trial (215 days from fruit set).
- Expected yield
- No kg-per-tree figure found for Banarasi. Fruit weighed 33.90 g in a rainfed Gujarat trial.
- Suitable soil
- All soils
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance widely documented
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Banaras is an old amla variety from the Banaras region, grown in Uttar Pradesh. No release year or releasing body is published for it on the pages we could reach. The best trial record is from the ICAR rainfed station at Vejalpur, Gujarat (2012–14). There Banarasi had the heaviest fruit of all nine varieties, 33.90 g, and the most pulp, 31.91 g in every 100 g of fruit. It also had the lowest fruit set (36.21%), the lowest vitamin C (334.12 mg per 100 g) and the lowest TSS (8 °Brix). The tree was upright and spreading, 3.90 m tall, with sparse leaves. Fruit ripened in the last week of October, 215 days after fruit set. At Bhubaneswar it also had the weakest flowering of the varieties tested.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Banarasi if you want large fruit and an early October picking, and your buyers pay for size. In the rainfed Gujarat trial it had the heaviest fruit (33.90 g) and the most pulp (31.91 g in 100 g), and it ripened in the last week of October. Do not choose it for the biggest crop or the highest vitamin C: its fruit set was the lowest (36.21%) and its vitamin C the lowest (334.12 mg per 100 g). Pick NA-7 instead if you want a heavy crop. It gave 105 kg a tree at Bikaner and 42.34 kg a tree at Bhubaneswar, the best at both places.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timePlant in July–August (TNAU).
- Spacing6 × 6 m, in pits of 1 × 1 m or 1.25 × 1.25 m (TNAU). The Bikaner trial planted at 8 × 8 m.
- Sowing methodTNAU lists seedlings, grafts and buddings as planting material. For a named variety plant a graft or bud, because a seedling will not come true to the variety.
- IrrigationWater the young plants to establish them. No irrigation is needed in the rainy and winter seasons. Drip suits amla and can save 40–45% of the water (TNAU).
- FertilizerPer bearing tree a year: 10 kg FYM, 200 g N, 500 g P and 200 g K. Apply it straight after pruning (TNAU).
- HarvestingTNAU gives about 100 kg a tree a year for the crop. Prune in March–April and thin the crowded branches. A ripe fruit's seed turns from creamy white to brown, and fibres show on the seed cover (CHES Vejalpur).
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Amla is hardy and grows in many soils. It tolerates salinity and alkalinity (TNAU).
Climate
- Climate
- A subtropical plant that prefers a dry climate (TNAU).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Heaviest fruit of nine varieties in the rainfed Gujarat trial: 33.90 g.
- Most pulp in that trial: 31.91 g in every 100 g of fruit.
- Ripens in the last week of October there, earlier than Krishna, Kanchan and Chakaiya.
Things to consider
- Lowest fruit set (36.21%) and lowest vitamin C (334.12 mg per 100 g) in the Gujarat trial.
- At Bhubaneswar it flowered least of the varieties tested, so do not expect a heavy crop everywhere.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
Big fruit does not mean a big crop
Banarasi is the amla you plant for size. In the rainfed Gujarat trial its fruit weighed 33.90 g, the heaviest of nine varieties, and it carried the most pulp, 31.91 g in every 100 g.
But a tree sells fruit by the kilo, and the number of fruits a tree carries decides that. Banarasi set only 36.21% of its flowers there, against 51.95% for NA-7. At Bhubaneswar it flowered less than any other variety tested. Fruit size does not make up for fewer fruits.
Work it out before you plant. If your buyer pays a premium for large fruit, a Banarasi block can earn well. If you sell to a processor by weight, count the kilos, not the grams. Plant a row of NA-7 next to it and compare the two trees' harvest at the end of the third year.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is a grafted plant: the variety on top, joined onto a rootstock below. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy grafted plants from a registered nursery or a government farm, so the plant is true to the variety and free of disease.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Indian Gooseberry (Amla) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banarasithis page | A big-fruited early amla for fresh and pulp use, planted for fruit size and an October picking, not for the heaviest crop | Grafted tree. Fruit was ripe in the last week of October in a rainfed Gujarat trial (215 days from fruit set). | No kg-per-tree figure found for Banarasi. Fruit weighed 33.90 g in a rainfed Gujarat trial. | Uttar Pradesh |
| BSR-1 (Bhavanisagar) | The Tamil Nadu amla: a released TNAU variety with a stated 155 kg a tree, planted for yield and juice quality in the south | Grafted tree. TNAU gives no ripening month for BSR-1. | 155 kg of fruit a tree a year (TNAU) | Tamil Nadu |
| Chakaiya | The late-ripening old workhorse, planted to stretch the season into December with good vitamin C, not for big fruit or juice | Grafted tree. Ripe in the first week of December at Godhra, Gujarat (245 days from fruit set), the last of four varieties. | 52 kg a tree at Bikaner (8 × 8 m orchard planted in 1996, mean of 2002–03). Fruit 33.4 g there, 30.66 g in a rainfed Gujarat trial. | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh |
| Kanchan | A small-fruited, vitamin-C-rich amla for pickle and processing in places like Maharashtra, where its yield was best, not for dry arid land | Grafted tree. Ripe in the last week of November at Godhra, Gujarat, and 15–22 November at Vejalpur. | 99.79 kg a tree (3,459 fruits) at Parbhani; 35 kg at Bikaner (8 × 8 m orchard, 2002–03). The yield depends strongly on the place. | Uttar Pradesh |
| Krishna | A large-fruited mid-November amla for fresh sale where size is paid for, not for the highest yield or vitamin C | Grafted tree. Ripe 15–22 November at Vejalpur and in the second week of November at Godhra, Gujarat (213–225 days from fruit set). | 45 kg a tree at Bikaner (8 × 8 m orchard, 2002–03). Second best yield at Bhubaneswar. Fruit 48.3 g at Bikaner, 33.56 g in a rainfed Gujarat trial. | Uttar Pradesh |
| NA-6 | A large-fruited, high-sugar amla that came second on yield at Bikaner, for farmers who want size and sweetness with a good crop | Grafted tree. Harvested in December at Bikaner. No ripening dates for NA-6 in the Gujarat trials we found. | 67 kg a tree at Bikaner (8 × 8 m orchard, 2002–03). Fruit 40.8 g there. | Uttar Pradesh |
| NA-7 | The all-round yield choice: the best-cropping amla in every trial that included it, planted as the backbone of a mixed orchard | Grafted tree. Ripe 23–31 October at Vejalpur and in the last week of October at Godhra, Gujarat (208–215 days from fruit set), the earliest of the main varieties there. | 105 kg a tree at Bikaner (8 × 8 m orchard, 2002–03); 42.34 kg a tree at Bhubaneswar. Fruit 36.52 g at Bikaner, 33.76 g in Gujarat and 42.44 g at Parbhani. | Uttar Pradesh |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Indian Gooseberry (Amla) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Indian Gooseberry (Amla) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Indian Gooseberry (Amla) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Indian Gooseberry (Amla) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Indian Gooseberry (Amla) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Indian Gooseberry (Amla) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Banarasi fruit, really?
In the rainfed Gujarat trial (2012–14) Banarasi fruit weighed 33.90 g, the heaviest of nine varieties, and measured 3.73 × 4.37 cm. NA-7 was close at 33.76 g and Krishna at 33.56 g. A weight of 45–50 g is sometimes quoted, but no trial we found reached that, so plan on about 34 g.
When does Banarasi ripen?
In the rainfed Gujarat trial the fruit was ripe on 25–31 October, 215 days after fruit set. Fruit had set in the second half of February. Ripening dates move with your region and weather, so watch the seed. It turns from creamy white to brown when the fruit is ripe.
Banarasi or NA-7 for a new orchard?
NA-7 on yield. At Bikaner (8 × 8 m) it gave 105 kg a tree, and at Bhubaneswar 42.34 kg, the best at both. In Gujarat its fruit set was 51.95% against 36.21% for Banarasi. Banarasi gives you a similar fruit size (33.90 g against 33.76 g) and a similar late-October picking, so it earns a place only if you already sell under the Banarasi name.
Is Banarasi rich in vitamin C?
It was the lowest of nine varieties in the Gujarat trial: 334.12 mg per 100 g, against 453.20 mg for NA-7 and 427.27 mg for Kanchan. It was still a good source, but if you sell on vitamin C or make powder and juice from it, a variety like Kanchan or Chakaiya gives more per fruit.
Can I plant Banarasi in Tamil Nadu or the east?
The trial records we found for it are from Gujarat and Bhubaneswar. At Bhubaneswar it flowered less than the other varieties tested. TNAU names BSR-1 and NA-7 as its preferred amla varieties for Tamil Nadu, not Banarasi. Plant a few trees first and keep records for two seasons before you plant the whole block.
Sourced from: Amla — TNAU Agritech Portal, Horticulture: Fruits, Characterization of aonla varieties under zero irrigation semi-arid conditions — Indian J. Agric. Sci. 85(10), 2015 (CHES Vejalpur), Flowering behaviour, yield dynamics and fruit quality of Indian gooseberry in the eastern tropical region — Indian J. Agric. Sci. 86(9), 2016, Evaluation of aonla germplasm in hot arid ecosystem — Indian J. Hort. 67 (Special Issue), 2010. editorial policy.