PERFORMANCE OF SOFTWOOD GRAFTING AND STANDARDIZATION OF GRAFTING TIME IN AONLA (EMBLICA OFFICINALIS L.) VARIETIES

Aonla (Emblica officinalis L.), or Indian gooseberry, is highly valued in Ayurvedic medicine and a rich source of bioactive compounds like vitamin C, flavonoids, polyphenols and tannins.These compounds give aonla potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, making it important in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.Aonla is typically propagated through grafting, which ensures genetic uniformity and high-quality plant production.However, the success of grafting is influenced by various factors, such as the variety of aonla and the timing of grafting.This study aimed to evaluate the performance of softwood grafting across four aonla varieties and four grafting times to determine the optimal grafting time for improved success and survivability.The experiment was conducted in a two-factorial completely randomized design with two replications, comprising four aonla varieties and four grafting times.The results revealed that the variety NA-7, grafted on January 1 st , exhibited the best overall performance, with the shortest bud sprouting time (9.10 days) and the highest graft union girth (9.10 mm), longest sprouted shoot length (32.95 cm), and internodal length (2.85 cm).The total chlorophyll content (60.68 SCMR Value), stomatal conductance (204.50 m mol m -2 s -1 ), and leaf area (55.86 cm 2 ) were also highest in this variety.Additionally, NA-7 demonstrated the highest number of leaves per graft (22.50), graft success (90.50%), and survivability (88.50%).The Chakaiya variety showed similar performance, though slightly lower than NA-7.These findings suggest that grafting on January 1 st is the optimal time for both the NA-7 and Chakaiya varieties, resulting in the highest graft success and overall plant health.