Scientists at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, have developed an indigenous variety of apple,yet to be christened, that will yield crop two months before normal varieties.
The fruit does not require much sunlight to get its scarlet colour. “The university has been researching the new variety for four years,” vice-chancellor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel said on Tuesday.
Dinesh Thakur, the co-director of the university’s Regional Horticulture Research and Training Centre at Mashobra, said: “Due to its early maturity and bright red colour, there will be more demand for this variety.”
It was selected from the 35-year-old Vance Delicious variety. As compared to the mother variety, the fruit turns dark red two months earlier.
At present, apples produced in Himachal Pradesh take 90-120 days to be ready after blooming.
This variety is adapted to temperate climate and can endure environmental changes.
This year’s apple yield has been notably lower, raising questions about the factors contributing to the decline. Of the 1.77 crore apple boxes harvested this season, 88.36 lakh boxes were sold in Agricultural Produce Market Committee markets in Himachal Pradesh, while 87.44 lakh boxes were sold in markets outside the state and beyond the purview of APMC mandis.
An unusually warm winter and abrupt rainfall pattern brought down apple production this year. Chilling hours were not completed due to the lack of snowfall in winter, especially in the low-altitude areas. While a drought-like condition prevailed in February when the apple crop needed good snowfall, after March 15 it started to rain and the state witnessed long wet spells through April and May as well. Apple flowering was damaged due to the rain and hail.
{{/usCountry}}An unusually warm winter and abrupt rainfall pattern brought down apple production this year. Chilling hours were not completed due to the lack of snowfall in winter, especially in the low-altitude areas. While a drought-like condition prevailed in February when the apple crop needed good snowfall, after March 15 it started to rain and the state witnessed long wet spells through April and May as well. Apple flowering was damaged due to the rain and hail.
{{/usCountry}}Marssonina blotch, a disease caused by plant pathogen Diplocarpon Mali, appeared on the plants due to relentless rain. The wet conditions led to the outbreak of Alternaria, a fungal disease that causes leaf blotch, fruit spots, and mouldy core diseases, affecting the fruit quality.
Rains also led to panic plucking of apples, which affected prices.