Amla is highly nutritious

Amla is highly nutritious and is an important dietary source of Vitamin C, minerals and amino acids. The edible fruit tissue contains protein concentration 3-fold and ascorbic acid concentration 160-fold compared to that of the apple. The fruit also contains considerably higher concentration of most minerals and amino acids than apples. Glutamic acid, proline, aspartic acid, alanine, and lysine are 29.6%, 14.6%, 8.1%, 5.4% and 5.3% respectively of the total amino acids. The pulpy portion of fruit, dried and freed from the nuts contains: gallic acid 1.32%, tannin, gum 13.75%; albumin 13.08%; crude cellulose 17.08%; mineral matter 4.12% and moisture 3.83%.
 Amla fruit ash contains chromium, 2.5 ppm; zinc 4 ppm; and copper, 3 ppm
 Description:
Amla is the medium size deciduous plant. It grows to the height of 8 -18 meter. It has a crooked trunk and spreading branches. Its flower is yellow greenish in color. The fruit is spherical pale yellow with six vertical furrows. The mature fruits are hard and do not fall for the gentle touch. The average weight of the fruit is 60 -70 g. It has a gray bark and reddish wood. Its leaves are feathery, linear oblong in shape and smell like lemon. Its wood is hard in texture. It wraps and splits when exposed in the Sun or in the excessive heat.
 Location:

 It is planted through the deciduous of tropical India and on the hill slopes up to 2000 meter. It is commercially cultivated in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is also grown in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh also.
  Cultivation Methods:
 Amla can grow in light as well as the heavy soils. It is grown under the tropical conditions. The young plants are protected from the hot winds as they dye easily.
 Amla is generally propagated through seeds. It requires proper sunlight. It is irrigated during the monsoon season. It starts bearing fruits in seven years from the day of planting.
 Soil and Climate Amla can be grown in light as well as heavy soils except purely sandy soil. Calcareous soil with rocky substratum can also be good. However, well drained fertile loamy soil is the best for higher yield. The plant have capacity for adaptation to dry regions and can also grow in moderately alkaline soils. It is grown extensively under tropical condition. Annual rainfall of 630- 800 mm have given good yield. The young plants up to the age of 3 years should be protected from hot wind during May-June and from frost during winter months. The mature plants can tolerate freezing temperature as well as temperature up to 460 °C.
Planting Amla is generally propagated through seeds, but seed propagated trees bear inferior quality fruits and have a long gestation period. Shield budding is done on one year old seedlings with buds collected from superior strains yielding big size fruits. Older trees of inferior types can be rejuvenated and easily changed into superior type by top working. The pits of 1m3 are prepared during May-June at a distance of 4.5 m spacing and should be left for 15-20 days exposed to sunlight. Each pit should be filled with surface soil mixed with 15 kg farm yard manure and one kg of super phosphate before planting the grafted seedling. 

 Manures, Fertilizers and Pesticides The medicinal plants have to be grown without chemical fertilizers and use of pesticides. Organic manures like, Farm Yard Manure (FYM), VermiCompost, Green Manure etc. may be used as per requirement of the species. To prevent diseases, bio-pesticides could be prepared (either single or mixture) from Neem (kernel, seeds & leaves), Chitrakmool, Datura, Cow's urine etc. Biofertilizers such as Azotobacter, phosphobacteria and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) boost the plant growth.