How it works
In Vidarbha, Nagpur orange growers choose between the ambia bahar (flowering in January and February, picked in November and December) and the mrig bahar (flowering with the monsoon in June and July, picked from January to March). A third, hasta bahar, flowers in September and October.
Water is withheld for roughly 30 to 60 days before the chosen bahar, depending on the soil, then restored. The stress triggers flowering when water returns.
Why it matters for Indian farmers
The bahar decides when the crop reaches the market and at what price. Getting the stress period right matters: too short and flowering is weak, too long and the trees are damaged.
How VarshaKrishi uses it
VarshaKrishi's citrus model knows each orchard's bahar, so a falling water signal in the deliberate stress window is reported as expected, not as water stress. Decide for Nagpur orange in Vidarbha starts in the 2026-27 season after agronomist review.
Questions about Bahar treatment
Which bahar is better, ambia or mrig?
It depends on water availability, soil and market timing. Ambia needs assured irrigation through the summer; mrig relies on the monsoon. Your KVK or a citrus agronomist can advise for your orchard.
Will a satellite mistake bahar stress for drought?
It would if it did not know the bahar. VarshaKrishi records each orchard's bahar so the stress window is treated as deliberate.
Which crops use bahar treatment?
Mainly Nagpur orange and other mandarins, pomegranate and guava, where withholding water and then irrigating times the flowering.