ໝາກເບັງ, ໝາກປິນ

Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa ex Roxb.
Aegle marmelos var. mahurensis Zate
Belou marmelos (L.) Lyons
Bilacus marmelos (L.) Kuntze
Crateva marmelos L.
Crateva religiosa Ainslie
Feronia pellucida B.Heyne
Feronia pellucida B.Heyne ex Roth

Rutaceae

Aegle marmelos grows slowly and reaches 12–15 meters tall. It has a short trunk, thick, flaking bark, and spreading branches that can be spiny. Lower branches droop, and young shoots have many stiff spines. The tree releases a clear, gummy sap when wounded, which solidifies and can irritate the throat after an initially sweet taste.
The tree has deciduous leaves that fall seasonally. The leaves are ar-ranged singly or in groups of 2 or 3. Each leaf consists of 3 to 5 ovals, pointed leaflets with shallow teeth. The leaflets are 4-10 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. The terminal leaflet has a longer stem. New leaves are glossy and pinkish maroon. Mature leaves emit an unpleasant Odor when bruised.
The tree produces fragrant flowers in clusters of 4 to 7 along young branches. Each flower has 4 recurved, fleshy petals. The petals are green outside and yellowish inside. There are over 50 greenish-yellow stamens.
The bale tree's fruit can be round, pear-shaped, oval, or oblong. It measures 5–20 cm in diameter. The rind can be thin and hard or some-what soft. It starts Gray-green and turns yellowish when ripe. Inside, it has a hard central core and 8 to 20 triangular segments. The segments have thin, dark orange walls filled with aromatic, pale-orange, pasty, sweet, and somewhat astringent pulp.
Within the pulp, there are 10 to 15 seeds. Each seed is about 1 cm long, flattened, oval, and covered in woolly hairs. A sac of sticky, transparent mucilage encloses each seed, solidifying as it dries. [1]

Native to: Assam, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, West Himalaya. [2]

Northern Mekong Corridor
Southern Mekong Corridor

Plantation forest
Mixed deciduous forest
Dry dipterocarp forest
Home gardens

Introduced

Not invasive

Near threatened

List III: General species

Food
Medicine
Drink

Food: The ripe fruit of Aegle marmelos can be consumed fresh or dried and is often made into candies, toffees, or pulp powder. It has a sweet flavor when processed into beverages like sharbat. [4] Drink: The juice of the Bael fruit can be strained and sweetened, resembling lemonade. It is often enjoyed as a refreshing drink during hot weather. [4] Medicine: Aegle marmelos (Bael) has various medicinal properties, including anti-diarrhoeal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, chemopreventive, antipyretic, ulcer healing, antigenotoxic, diuretic, antifertility, and anti-inflammatory effects. Extensive research highlights its potential in treating different ailments. [5], In Laos, the young shoots are used as vegetables, and the fruits are thinly dried and cooked into a herbal drink, which can be drunk both hot and cold, to cure body aches and make you feel better. [6], Boil the root and consume it internally. Flatulence, coughing, wind, blood, fever, and diabetes can all be treated by boiling. The bark is burned and consumed to relieve internal heat, and it is boiled and consumed as a cold remedy. The leaves improve the nutrients in food, treat gastrointestinal disorders, and treat bronchitis by consuming water. [7]

Both

July
August
September

Variety selection:
Utmost care should be taken while selection of the elite mother plants of bael cultivars. For selecting mother plants of bael, following basic characteristics needs to be considered (1) Plants should be consistently high yielding (2) Quality of fruit should be very good with all desired traits (3) Plant should be free from diseases and pests (4) It should be in full bearing stage. [8]

Land preparation:
Soil testing & improvement: Bael thrives in various soils, including alkaline, stony, saline, sodic, and sandy soils with a pH of 5.0 to 10.0. It prefers well-drained sandy loam but can grow in adverse conditions, including wastelands. It tolerates high temperatures and low moisture by shedding leaves in summer. Ideal climates are sub-tropical with hot summers and mild winters, and it can grow in semi-arid and tropical regions under rainfed conditions. Young plants need protection from tempera-tures below 40°C and hot winds, and are susceptible to frost in winter.[8]
Irrigation Management: In bael cultivation under rainfed conditions, irrigation is generally not practiced, but it can enhance growth during establishment and summer. Young plants need 8-10 irrigations annually, while bearing trees require 4-5 during fruit development. Avoid heavy, irregular irrigation to prevent fruit cracking. In dry areas, use water harvesting techniques and mulches for moisture retention. Drip irrigation is recommended to optimize water supply and increase efficiency. With proper management, bael can thrive without irrigation in hot semi-arid and arid regions.[8]

Planting techniques:
Seeding: Seedling trees of bael require 7-8 years to produce flowers, while grafted trees start flowering at 3 years. Flowering occurs in April to June, with fruit setting by the end of May through July. The timing of flowering may vary based on agro-climatic conditions and the genetic makeup of varieties.[8]
Planting: For planting bael trees, dig pits of 1m x 1m x 1m and expose them to polarization to kill harmful soil organisms and improve aeration. Fill the pits with top-soil mixed with 20-25 kg of FYM (farmyard manure) after treating with chlorpyriphos (3 ml/litre) to prevent termite attacks. In black cotton soil, mix sand with FYM and topsoil for better aeration.
The ideal planting time under rainfed conditions is June, just after the first monsoon rain. Plant bael trees at a spacing of 5m to 8m, depending on the variety and agro-climatic conditions. For vegetatively propagated plants of dwarf varieties like Goma Yashi in hot semi-arid ecosystems, use 5m x 5m spacing. [8]
Plant Propagation: Traditionally, bael was propagated by seeds, but this method often results in plants that are not true to type. Therefore, seed propagation is mainly used for raising rootstock. True to type planting materials are produced through vegetative propagation methods such as budding, grafting, layering, and root suckers. Currently, patch budding and softwood grafting are the common commercial methods for multiplying bael.[8]

Care and maintenance:
Pruning and thinning: Bael plants are generally not pruned once they start fruiting, except to remove rosette growth for better spacing. In early orchard life, especially with high-density planting, pruning is necessary. Prune 75% of annual growth during the leafless stage to encourage new shoots and develop a dense canopy, pre-venting sun scald. Remove dried, crisscross, weak, and diseased branches as needed for easier fruit harvesting.[8]

Pest and disease control:
Common diseases: The bael tree is generally resistant to serious diseases, but it can be affected by powdery mildew, shot hole, and fruit canker. These diseases can be managed by removing affected parts or using chemical sprays.[8]

Harvesting:
Proper care during bael harvesting is crucial to prevent damage. Mature fruits should be harvested individually with a 2-3 cm portion of the stalk to avoid infection. Avoid shaking trees to prevent fruit cracking. Use a fruit picker for harvesting. For preserves, harvest from November to December; for fresh consumption, from February to May. The harvest time varies with temperature and soil moisture. [8]

Habitat preservation: root barks and fruit pulps are traded heavily owing to their high medicinal value. In Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, documented threats include trade of the whole plant and parts, local use, loss of habitat and human interference.

Population monitoring: Aegle marmelos has a large distribution over a number of countries so it is suspected that the global population is large. Taking the average of the reductions across these subpopulations, an overall population reduction of at least 25% is apparent. As the species is widely utilised for its medicinal properties, it is suspected that this may be indicative of reduction across the full species range. Further research into population status and trends is required to ascertain the level of population reduction across the global population.

N/A

Bael fruit is often combined with dairy products in traditional recipes, such as sherbet made with milk and sugar [1]

Nutrient	/100g	Remark
Proteins	1.8	N/A
Carbohydrates	31.8	N/A
Fats	0.39	N/A
Vitamins	N/A	Vitamin A 0.05 mg Vitamin B2 1.20 mg Vitamin C 8.00 mg
Minerals	N/A	N/A
Fibers	2.9	N/A

The Aegle marmelos fruit ripening on the tree. [1] iNaturalist [Online]. Uploaded on 18 July 2024 by: sonukumar055. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/229931268. [Accessed: 17 October 2024]
The Aegle marmelos flower has numerous petals. [2] iNaturalist [Online]. Uploaded on 6 August 2022 by: jaywithdev. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/129645104. [Accessed: Accessed: 17 October 2024]
Small bael fruits growing on tall trees. [3] iNaturalist [Online]. Uploaded on 25 June 2024 by: parthparikh. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/225083203. [Accessed: Accessed: 17 October 2024]

[1] World Agro Forestry [Online] “Aegle marmelos Rutaceae (L.) Correa.” .Available: https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Aegle_marmelos.PDF. [Accessed: 17 October 2024].
[2] Plants of the world Online [Online]. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Available: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:770819-1. [Accessed: 17 October 2024].
[3] IUCN Red List, “Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa,” [Online]. Available: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/156233789/156238207. [Accessed: 18 October 2024].
[4] iNaturalist [Online] “Aegle marmelos Rutaceae (L.) Correa.” Available: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/325928-Aegle-marmelos, [Ac-cessed: 18 October 2024].
[5] S. Monika, M. Thirumal & PR. Kumar. (2023, March 2). Phytochemical and biological review of Aegle marmelos Linn. [Online]. Availa-ble: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10072075/pdf/fsoa-09-849.pdf
[6] ດຣ. ສະແຫວງສຶກສາ. (2011). ຕົ້ນໄມ້ ປຽບເໝືອນປອດຂອງພວກເຮົາ. [Online]. Available: https://www.pha-tad-ke.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Trees-of-Laos-1-Dr.-Bouakhaykhone-Svengsuksa-Lao-1.pdf
[7] QSBG. [Online] “Aegle marmelos Rutaceae (L.) Correa.” Available: http://www.qsbg.org/Database/plantdb/mdp/medicinal-specimen.asp?id=700. [Accessed: 18 October 2024].
[8] A. K. Singh, S. Singh & P. L. Saroj. (2018). The Bael Production Tech-nology [Online]. Available: https://ciah.icar.gov.in/publication/Technical_bulletin/2018/bael_production_technology.pdf
[9] N.M. Hosakatte, M. Bhat & D. Dalawai. (January 2020). Bioactive Compounds of Bael (Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa) [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341018886_Bioactive_Compounds_of_Bael_Aegle_marmelos_L_Correa