EVALUATION OF BER CULTIVARS FOR QUALITY AND PEST AND DISEASE INCIDENCE UNDER NORTHERN DRY ZONE OF KARNATAKA INDIA

A field experiment was conducted during the year of 2023-24 at Horticulture Research and Extension Centre (HREC), Tidagundi, Vijayapura, under the University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot.The experiment was laid out in a RBD design with three replications and eight treatments.Chhuhara recorded the highest TSS (20.33 Brix), lowest acidity (0.27%) and highest TSS to acid ratio (76.36).Kadaka displayed the highest vitamin C content (97.61 mg/100g).Sanuar-2 (70.63 N) and Umran (67.69 N) exhibited the highest fruit firmness among the cultivars of ber.In contrast, the cultivar Mehrun displayed the lowest fruit firmness (35.64 N).The highest L* values were observed in Gola (44.61) and Kadaka (43.66), indicating these cultivars have the lightest color of fruit.The maximum a* value was found in Illaichi (17.03), indicating a higher red coloration, while Umran (-3.56) recorded the lowest value of a* reflecting a greener hue.Gola showed the highest b* value (41.46), indicating a stronger yellow hue, while Mehrun had the lowest value of b* (0.50), suggesting a less pronounced yellow coloration.The cultivar Illaichi had the lowest fruit borer and fruit flies' infestation (6.80 % and 7.47 %, respectively) followed by Mehrun (9.84 % and 10.33 %, respectively).The lowest disease intensity was recorded in Sanaur-2 (4.39 %) and Chhuhara (4.52 %).