ichidan verb, intransitive verb
ripen; become ripe
Used for fruit, grain, and other crops reaching maturity and becoming ready to eat or harvest.
庭の柿がすっかり熟れた。
The persimmons in the garden have ripened completely.
このトマトはまだ熟れていない。
These tomatoes aren't ripe yet.
実る means 'to bear fruit' or 'to come to fruition', focusing on the result of growth, while 熟れる focuses on the ripening process itself.
Derived from the classical verb 熟る (うる), meaning 'to ripen' or 'to mature', with the intransitive suffix れる indicating spontaneous change.