BSR-1 (Bhavanisagar)
Released in 1995 by the TNAU Agricultural Research Station, Bhavanisagar, as a selection from the Thimbam local type. TNAU gives 155 kg of fruit a tree a year. Fruit is medium (27 g), borne in clusters, with six segments, 610 mg vitamin C per 100 g and 18.1 °Brix.
Quick facts
- Type
- Grafted plant (improved variety)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Grafted tree. TNAU gives no ripening month for BSR-1.
- Expected yield
- 155 kg of fruit a tree a year (TNAU)
- Suitable soil
- Well suited to red laterite and sandy loam soils
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance widely documented
- Release
- Released by TNAU Agricultural Research Station, Bhavanisagar, from a Thimbam local selection
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
BSR-1 was released in 1995 by the Agricultural Research Station of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Bhavanisagar. It is a selection from the local Thimbam type. TNAU says it is a high yielder that gives 155 kg of fruit a tree a year, and that it can be grown throughout Tamil Nadu. The tree is medium in height and spreading, so TNAU suits it to a 6 × 6 m spacing. The fruit is medium in size, 27 g, borne in clusters, and has more flesh, less phenol, and 610 mg of vitamin C in every 100 g. Each fruit has six segments and the juice reads 18.1 °Brix. TNAU's amla page names BSR-1 and NA-7 as the preferred varieties for the state.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose BSR-1 if you farm in Tamil Nadu. It is TNAU's own release (1995), TNAU gives it 155 kg a tree a year, and its amla page lists BSR-1 and NA-7 as the preferred varieties for the state. Do not expect large fruit: it is medium, 27 g. Pick NA-7 alongside it if you also want a second harvest window and a variety proven at more places. NA-7 gave the best yield at Bikaner (105 kg a tree) and Bhubaneswar (42.34 kg). Outside Tamil Nadu, plant a few BSR-1 trees as a trial first.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timePlant in July–August (TNAU).
- Spacing6 × 6 m, in pits of 1 × 1 m or 1.25 × 1.25 m (TNAU). BSR-1 is a medium, spreading tree, so TNAU suits it to 6 × 6 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
- 155 kg of fruit a tree a year, TNAU's figure for the variety.
- Medium, spreading tree that suits 6 × 6 m planting (TNAU).
- More flesh, less phenol, 610 mg vitamin C per 100 g and 18.1 °Brix juice (TNAU).
Things to consider
- Fruit is medium (27 g), smaller than Krishna, NA-6 or Banarasi in the trials we found.
- The 155 kg figure is TNAU's own. We found no independent multi-location trial for BSR-1, so test it in your district before planting a large block.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
Trial BSR-1 in your own district first
BSR-1 comes with a strong number: 155 kg of fruit a tree a year, from TNAU's own variety page. It also has a clear release record, 1995, Bhavanisagar, from the Thimbam local type.
What it lacks is a published trial from other places. The multi-location amla trials we found (Bikaner, Vejalpur in Gujarat, Parbhani and Bhubaneswar) do not include BSR-1. So the 155 kg figure rests on one source.
A simple way to test it: plant 10 BSR-1 and 10 NA-7 trees side by side at 6 × 6 m, with the same pit and the same manure, and weigh the harvest of each tree in the fourth and fifth year. Then scale up the winner. It costs you a corner of the field, not the whole orchard.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banarasi | 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)this page | 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
Who released BSR-1, and when?
The Agricultural Research Station of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Bhavanisagar released it in 1995 (TNAU). It is a selection from the local Thimbam type.
How much fruit does a BSR-1 tree give?
TNAU gives 155 kg of fruit a tree a year for BSR-1. For amla as a crop, TNAU's amla page gives about 100 kg a tree a year. Treat 155 kg as the variety's good-year figure for a full-grown tree, and expect less in young trees. TNAU gives no tree age for the 155 kg.
What spacing does BSR-1 need?
TNAU suits 6 × 6 m, because the tree is medium in height and spreading. That is 277 trees a hectare. TNAU's amla page gives the same 6 × 6 m, in pits of 1 × 1 m or 1.25 × 1.25 m, and plants in July–August.
Is BSR-1 good for processing?
TNAU says the fruit has more flesh and less phenol, with 610 mg of vitamin C in every 100 g and juice at 18.1 °Brix. Those are the numbers a juice or candy maker looks at. TNAU does not name an end use for it, so call a buyer, send a sample and ask what he pays before you plant a large block.
BSR-1 or NA-7 in Tamil Nadu?
TNAU's amla page lists both as preferred varieties for the state. BSR-1 is TNAU's own release with a stated 155 kg a tree. NA-7 has the wider trial record: the best yield at Bikaner (105 kg a tree) and at Bhubaneswar (42.34 kg). A split planting of both is a safe way to learn which one suits your soil.
Sourced from: Amla — TNAU Agritech Portal, Horticulture: Fruits, BSR.1 — TNAU Agritech Portal, Varieties: Fruit crops, Amla, Evaluation of aonla germplasm in hot arid ecosystem — Indian J. Hort. 67 (Special Issue), 2010. editorial policy.