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Preface Agriculture is an ancient practice which is being performed by the human since prehistoric times. In India agriculture is one of the oldest occupations. Among the agricultural branches, horticultural is one of most important and high pay back field in arid, semi arid, degraded and poor soil condition areas. Fruit science plays significant role in the social economic life of the people, are directly or indirectly depend upon our basic requirement of nutrition in humans. The scenario of horticulture crops in India has become very encouraging, during 2016-17, the production of horticulture crops was about 295.2 million tonnes from an area of 24.9 million hectares. Significant progress has been made in area expansion resulting in higher production. Over the last decade, the area under horticulture grew by about 3% per annum and annual production increased by 5.4%. (Horticultural Statistics at a Glance, Govt. of India, 2017). In fact, the horticulture has also gained commercial importance with a very significant share in the economy of the region. Fruit crops viz., mango, apple, pear litchi, guava and citrus are now considered to be the most ideal strategy to provide nutrition and income security to the fruit growers in all climatic zones. Moreover, now these days the importance of minor fruit crops viz., Bael (Aegle marmelos), Phalsa (Grewia asiatica), Jamun (Syzygium cuminii), Aonla (Emblica officinalis), Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), Fig (Ficus carica), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), Galgal (Citrus pseudolimon), Lime (Citrus aurantifolia), Karonda (Carissa carandas) and Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) are very important in improving the productivity of the degraded land, rainfed areas, drought areas and improving social economic conditions of the small and marginal fruit growers. Minor fruit crops have assumed significant importance in the crop diversification, which has become essential to arrest serious land degradation and enhancing the farmer’s income. All these fruits are the rich source of diverse health building substances especially protein, vitamins and minerals and offer an advantage for food and nutritional security. Besides, their high yield potential per unit area and with varied agro-climatic conditions ranging from tropical to sub-tropical in India. Moreover, there fruit crops are serving in those areas where another crops viz., cereal, pluses and vegetables are quite difficult to cultivate due to lack of irrigation facility and low rainfall condition. It is creating diverse varietal wealth, labour intensiveness, high market price and prospects of processing, value addition and export they play an important role in employment generation and livelihood in rural and far flag areas. Fruits viz., jamun, karonda and phalsa are highly perishable, jackfruit and custard apple contains high sugar content while bael fruit is not an easy to eat out of hand item. Many people because of its strong astringent taste do not like fresh aonla fruit. But all these fruit can be utilized in processing products with the help of some value addition. Manual of minor fruits will provide information on different aspects of fruit production viz., fruit crops name, identification of field tools, application of fertilizers, training and pruning different inputs used in raising fruit crops including tools and implements and procedures involved in nursery raising.

1. Fruit : Types and their Classification Fruit:The botanical definition of fruit is a seed-bearing part of a flowering plant or tree that can be eaten as food or Fruits are matured ovaries plus any associated flower parts and contain the seeds of the plant. The ovary may be subdivided into two or more carpels (then termed compound ovary) each bearing one to many ovules. Individual carpels develop into sections of a whole fruit, as with citrus where each familiar segment of the fruit represents one matured carpel. If the ovary is not subdivided, then it is termed simple. The ovules will mature into seeds if fertilized. Fruit has three parts.

Major field operations for horticultural crops viz., fruit nursery/seedling preparation, post hole digging for planting, intercultural operation, aeration, training and pruning, irrigation, plant protection, harvesting, handling, packaging transport are completed through field tools and implements. The cultivation of horticultural crops is predominantly dependent upon human labour, since commercial cultivation is only on a limited scale. So animal/power tiller or tractor-drawn mould board ploughs, disc ploughs, harrows, cultivators and rotavators are available for land preparation and development of new orchards. The fruit plants are generally perennial plants. So different types of sprayers and dusters are available from manually to power operated such as knapsack sprayers foot operated sprayers, power operated mist blowers and dusters or plant protection equipments used for application of insecticides, pesticides and herbicides in the fruit orchards. Some of important implements and sprayers are enlisted below

Soil Soil is the upper most crust of earth surface which supports plant growth. It is defined as a three phase system in which plants grow. These phases are solid, liquid, and gas are essential. Solid part is frame which provides space for other two. It consists of minerals, clay minerals and organic matter. The soil is also a living system with millions of microbes that breakdown organic matter. The microbes are very essential and survive only when soil is well aerated and rich in organic matter and devoid of waterlogged conditions. Texture of soil depends on the size of solid particles and classified as gravel, coarse and fine sand, silt and clay. Soils are classified according to the relative distribution of these particles. Likewise, arrangement of these particles is referred as structure. Generally loamy soils and crumb structure are most growing preferred for fruit crops. According to level of organic matter, soils are classified as mineral soil or organic soil and soil having more than 20% organic matter is organic soil like peat and muck etc. Minerals and salts lend chemical properties to the soil like pH, alkalinity, sodicity, salinity and cation exchange capacity which influences the availability of nutrients in soil. Therefore, for making choice for soil, soil analysis in terms of following criteria isessential to decide on land capability. Maximum numbers of fruit orchards in India are depleted from micro and macro plant nutrients which interrupted the growth and development of the fruit plants and their quality. Therefore, like growers are not attain profit desired. To obtain marketable fruits, nutrients managements are highly beneficial to the fruit growers rainfed areas. Analysis of soil is useful to determine the level of the elements available in the orchards to get maximum yield.

Minor fruit crops are considered important for their food, fibre, fodder, oil or medicinal properties, but have been reduced in value over time owing to particular supply and use constraints. These can include poor shelf life, unrecognized nutritional value, poor consumer awareness and reputational problems food or “poor people’s food”. The main products consumed by people are fruit cordial, jam, fruit drinks, chutney, candy, pickle and squash concentrate crop species. The entire country is mainly depend on handful of crop species neglecting large number of vegetables, fruits and other crop species with high nutritional and medicinal values which were grown traditionally in the past, resulting these valuable crop species are critically facing the state of speedy disappearing.

The plan reviewing the arrangement of fruit plants in an orchard is known as the orchard layout. Although several systems of planting are followed to increase the production of orchard, selection of root stocks, soil, system of training pruning and cultivars are very important factor influencing designing of layout. However, improper system results in overlapping of plant parts, competition for water, light, nutrient and unequal distribution of water etc., which ultimately results in poor performance or fruit orchard. Layout plan The marking of position of the plant in the field is referred as layout. The layout plan of the orchard should be prepared carefully, preferably in consultation with horticultural experts or fruit scientists. The orchard layout plan includes the system of planning provision for orchard paths, roads, water channels and farm building. A sketch of the proposed orchard should be prepared before the actual planting is taken up.

Plant Propagation Plant propagation involves the formation and development of new individuals, which are used in establishment of new plantings. It is simply the reproduction or multiplication of a plant from a source that is often referred to as a mother plant. In general, two methods are employed: 1) sexual and 2) asexual. Sexual propagation is multiplication of plants from seed and asexual or vegetative propagation involves starting a new plant from some vegetative part of a plant. Propagation by seed results in seedling variability. It is an extreme disadvantage for a nursery operator trying to produce a uniform crop containing chosen desirable characteristics. Seed propagation is not practiced in fruit nursery as plants raised by this method fail to bear true to type fruits. Germination of seed The activation of the metabolic machinery of the embryo leading to the emergence of a new seeding plant is known as germination. Germination is essentially a quickening of the growth of the embryo. As germination proceeds, the growing points of the radical and plumule divide rather rapidly Usually the radical emerges from the seed coat first, proceeds downward, and develops into the root system, the plumule proceeds upward and develops into the shoot system. Germination is entirely a food utilization process. Processes going on in seed during germination are: 1) Absorption of water; 2) Secretion of enzymes and hormones; 3) Hydrolysis of stored food into soluble form; and 4) Translocation of soluble foods and hormones to the growing points. These processes are either wholly or in part influenced by the food reserves, hormone supply, water supply, oxygen supply and temperature level.

Selection of orchard soil in rainfed areas A good or adequate soil for orchard production is to say that a given plot or area of land must possess the following qualities. A deep and well aerated soil with good drainage. Adequate nutrients for optimum tree growth and high yields. Good Water holding capacity - the ability to store and feed the fruit tree with an abundant supply of water. It is a scientific technique which provides maximum outputs of various inputs consistently without any loss of fertilizers and manure, plant, plant protection chemicals, produce etc. Therefore, one should understand the management of these qualities of both resource and output.

Importance of training and pruning To control the habit of vegetative growth and regular bearing. Remove all limbs and dead branches. To improve flowering, fruiting and fruit quality Remove all broken shoots, diseased, or pest infection branches from all trees and shrubs. It is usually best to prune temperate fruits and shrubs during early spring before full leaf. Maintain balance between shoots and roots at planting and nutrients uptake Provide the basic tree form and to aid the development of a strong tree framework by encouraging strong wide crotch angles Stimulate shoot growth near a cut. Permit proper light distribution and penetration to the tree canopy. Increase insect and disease control by allowing for better spray penetration. Facilitate harvesting. Achieve orchard uniformity. Produce the proper amount of well distributed fruiting wood. Encourage a structurally sound tree by removing branches with weak narrow crotch angles or those with diseased, damaged, or unproductive wood. Invigorate and renew the bearing area of older trees.

Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Calicut, Kerala Central Institute of sub-tropical Horticulture (CISH), Lucknow Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH), Srinagar Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Kufri, Shimla Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) Kasargod, Kerala Central Institute of Arid Horticulture (CIAH), Bikaner, Rajasthan Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ferozepur, Punjab