Influence of pruning and micronutrients sprays on carotenoid, ascorbic acid and antioxidant properties of Indian ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.)

Indian ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.) is considered as poor man’s fruit, which is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. An experiment on the influence of pruning height and micronutrient sprays on carotenoid, ascorbic acid and antioxidant properties of Indian ber was conducted in the farmers field at Bongaigaon district of Assam, India for two successive years (2020-21 and 2021-22) with two types of Thailand ber variety, viz., Round Green type and Roundish ovate reddish type. Results depicted that heading back at 75 cm from the ground level and spraying of Borax (0.5%) and ZnSO4 (0.5%) were the best pruning height and micronutrient treatment, respectively in terms of carotenoid content and ascorbic acid content of ber fruits. The red type variety performed better in terms of carotenoid (0.33 µg/g), ascorbic acid (68.49 mg/100 g) and antioxidant properties (DPPH scavenging ability of 9.96%), whereas pruning height and micronutrient sprays failed to have significant impact on the antioxidant properties of the fruits.