APPLE
Botanical Name : Malus pumila
Family: Rosaceae
Apple is the most important temperate fruit. It excels the pear in its
excellent keeping quality and wide variety of tests and flavour. It is the
premier table fruit of the world and has been under cultivation since time
immemorial. The apple is believed to have originated from Europe or the
temperate regions of Western Asia. It is being cultivated throughout the
temperate regions of the world. The major apple producing countries in Europe
are Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Switzerland and Denmark. Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu and Kashmir and Utter Pradesh are the chief apple growing States in India.
More than 80 per cent of the worlds supply being produced in Europe.
At present, the area under apple in India is 35,000 hectares with a production
of 1073 million tones.
USES AND COMPOSITION:
'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'. Apple has long been the
staple fresh fruit. Eating apples is believed to reduce the incidence of
dental caries, helps to control obesity and supply extra energy for heavy
exercise. They are used in salads, sandwich filling, starters, snacks, man
dishes, puddings, sweetmeats, jams, jellies, pickles etc. The apple fruits contain
appreciable amount of sorbitol and various sugars. Carbohydrates found in apple
consist of sugars, dextrins, starch, lenicellulose, cellulose and pectic substances.
VARIETIES
The following are the important commercial varieties of apples grown in different
States of India.
I. Himachal Pradesh
a. Early varieties - Red June, Red Astrachan and King of Pippins.
b. Mid season- Starking, Royal Delicious, Red Delicious,
Rich Red, Golden Delicious, Baldwin.
[Link] varieties- Yellow Newton, Winter, Delicious Granny, Smith
II. Jammu and Kashmir
a. Early varieties-Benoni and Irish Peach
[Link] season - Delicious, Cox's Orange, Pippin, Jonthan, McIntosh
c. Late varieties- Ambari, Versified, Quina Apple, Api-Rouge.
III. Uttar Pradesh
a. Early varieties- - Red Arachan, Early Shanberry, Benoni, Fanny.
b. Mid season- Red Delicious, Royal Delicious, Golden, Delicious, Cox's c orange,
Pippin
c. Late varieties- Rymer, Buckingham, Yellow Newton.
CLIMATE
Apple requires chilling below 40°F for a period of 2 to 3 months. Therefore,
it is generally grown at elevations from 1600 to 2300 m in India. However, when
the temperature below 28°F, apple trees are injured by the cold.
SOIL
Apples are cultivated on varied types of soils. In Kashmir, they are grown on
deep, organic loams. The soil must be well drained, slightly acidic (pH 6.5 to 6.7)
loam soil with good depth (45 cm or above) is considered ideal for apple
cultivation. Soils with heavy clay or compact sub-soil should be avoided for
planting apples as in clay soils, most roots slope downwards and the sub-soil.
The best growth and productivity of apple are found on soils with good drainage
and aeration. Apple trees cannot tolerate wet feet and water
logging may cause root rot and consequent death of trees.
PROPAGATION
Apple is generally propagated by budding or grafting on seedlings
(rootstock) of crab apple, Golden Delicious or Rus Pippins (yellow Newton). An
ideal root stock should posse's uniformity in vigour, resistance to diseases and
pests without impairing the productivity and quality. All successful apple
rootstocks, either seedlings or clonal are of the genus Malus. Crab apple seeds are
used extensively for raising rootstocks. Grafting is done at the end of winter,
while shield budding with buds of current season's growth is done in the month of
June.
PLANTING
The planting distance in India varies from 7 to 10 m depending upon the
vigour of the plant. Planting is done 2 to 5 cm deeper than what it was in the
nursery, in winter after the danger of frost is over. In planting trees in the orchard,
the prime consideration is planting of sufficient pollinators to ensure effective
pollination, as most of the commercial apple cultivars are self incompatible.
Usually one pollinator tree is needed for two three large trees planted at 10 m
distance or one row pollinator for two rows of main cultivar.
TRAINING AND PRUNING
Training is done for giving desired shape to a tree during early growing
years. In India, the trees should be trained by the modified leader system with 3-5
main branches and a clean trunk of about I to 1.5 m. The pruning of bearing trees
is important to maintain a balance between vegetative growth and fruit
production, too much vegetative growth results in poor fruiting and the absence
of vegetative growth reduces the crop in the subsequent year. With proper
pruning, the branches of a young tree should make an extension growth of 25 to
30 cm every year. Some apple varieties bear fruit on spur. The spurs bear fruit for
several years. Such Production Technology of Fruit Crops varieties require little
pruning. Varieties bearing fruit on young shoots require more pruning than young
ones.
NUTRITION
The NPK @ 350,175 and 350 gm/tree/year respectively gave good response
on growth, fruitfulness and yield.
IRRIGATION
Apple trees are sensitive to low moisture supply. Water stress during
growing season reduces number and size of fruits, and increases June drop.
Application of water during the fortnight internal up to harvest, markedly
improves fruit colour.
WEED CONTROL
Complete elimination of weed competition in the tree row is essential.
This results in increased tree vigour and higher crop yields.
THINNING OF FRUITS
Blossom thinning in apples is one of the major operations for a successful
cropping. It is done to regulate fruit quality. With too many fruits on the shoots, it
initiates alternate bearing. Growth regulators are widely employed for thinning of
fruits.
MATURITY
The maturity of apple fruits cannot be judged by firmness of flesh. The
gustatory qualities of apples are inferior if the fruits are picked too early. If the
apples are picked after the optimal, the gustatory quality and the storage ability is
reduced. Fruits picked at immature stage are inferior in quality. The days from full
bloom to harvest is considered as a fairly good index of maturity.
HARVESTING
Harvesting period of apples varies with the variety, location and climate.
Colour of the fruit is the indication of the maturity of the fruit. Harvesting is in full
swing in September - October except in the Nilairis, where the season is from
April to July. Each tree is harvested in three instilments. The bearing generally
commences after five years and continues for about fifty years.
YIELD
A full bearing tree yields from 40 to 100 kg of fruits.
PESTS
1. Wolly Aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum)
This is a small, brown and grayish purple sucking aphid, which attacks bark
and roots forming a white waxy material, resembling little tufts of wool. Spraying
of 0.05 % Parathion or Diazonor 1% Malathion to control aphids on the aerial
parts. Root infesting aphids could be controlled by applying Paradichloro benzene
in a 10 cm circular trench about a metre around the trees. Application of
matasystox 0.2% is also effective.
2. Apple Root Borer (Lophostermus hugelii)
Grubs feed on the roots and trees die ultimately. Application of Para
dichloro benzene kills the grubs.
3. San Jose Scale (Quadraspidiotus pernicious)
This is one of the most troublesome insect pests. They live on bark of trunks
and branches and feed by sucking sap of the tree. It also affects fruits causing
reddish spots. Two summer sprays (early June and a month later) of contact
insecticides like Phosalone or Fenitrothion or systemic insecticides like
Phosphomidon gave satisfactory control.
DISEASES
1. Apple Scab (Venturia inaequalis)
It is most dreaded disease of apples. The disease affects both leaves and
fruits. Leaves defoliate and fruit drop occurs. Sprays of fungicides like dodine,
captafol provided better escape for leaves and fruits.
2. Powdery mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha)
The disease appears both in nursery and orchards and attacks twigs.
Foliage, blossoms and fruits. The cultivars, such as Golden Delicious, Jonathan,
Cox'x Orang Pippin are more susceptible. Spraying of Sulphur (0.48%), Pyrazophos
(0.02%) gave good results.