Bisma Zargar
Horticulture occupies very important position in the predominantly agricultural economy of western Himalaya. Among all the fruits grown in the Kashmir, Apples are most widely planted and is commercially the most important fruit crop. In this background a close look at the economics of apple cultivation become highly relevant for study to determine the costs, the cultivation of apple crop in Jammu and Kashmir as it shows particular interest for a number of reasons. In terms of both area and production, apple is very beneficial fruit crop. Apple is an extremely important source of nutritive diet, this provides a major source of income and employment also, It’s production in Jammu and Kashmir and its marketing all over the country as well export promotion to other countries by several government initiated programs and policies e.g. price policy credit policy, supply of packing boxes, quality control etc. but their impact positive or negative, remains a topic of considerable controversy. The Jammu and Kashmir has 35.92 percent and 58 percent of country total area and production respectively about 50% of apple production comes from south Kashmir like Anatnag, Pulwama, Sopore, Shopain and Kulgam, and Shopain is second in case of apple production after district Sopore, and is very famous for its quality apple.
Have you ever considered planting a high density orchard? Nearly full production can be achieved within four years, less space will be required, a larger variety of fruit may be planted and the training and pruning is quite simple. Further, the horticultural techniques learned in training these trees are easily applied to control the growth of other plants in the landscape. Planting dwarf apple trees and adopting practices such as minimal pruning and simplified training is a key step towards labor efficiency. Older training systems that were designed to facilitate mechanization, such as the Tatura trellis, were developed to facilitate shake-and-catch harvest, but this method was abandoned by engineers for use on large-fruited species such as apple and peach because it results in unacceptable levels of bruising. Experts suggest G.41, (aka Geneva 41), G.11, G.935, M.9 (aka Malling 9), M.9T337, or Bud.9 (aka Budagovsky 9) as extremely dwarfing rootstocks so choosing one of these ultra-dwarfing rootstocks means it’s going to be mandatory for you to keep your trees completely weeded, mulched, and watered at all times. Since Apple trees need to be propagated on either M.9 or B.9 rootstocks as fully dwarfing rootstocks and these trees should be pruned minimally when planted. A support system is necessary since trees propagated on dwarfing rootstocks will not stand up without support. Several approaches can be taken to provide adequate tree support. Growth of trees is controlled primarily by bending side branches to the horizontal and securing them at that angle. This slows the growth of the trees and makes them much more productive.
Using this system, trees can be planted as close as 4 to 5 feet apart. Tree spacing in commercial orchards using this system is frequently 3 feet between trees. Trees should be planted so that at least 4 to 6 inches of the upper portion of the rootstock is above ground level. Identification of the rootstock is generally quite easy since the scion cultivar often attaches to the rootstock at an angle about 12 inches from the bottom of the tree. The tree should be tied initially to the post and as the tree grows new growth should also be secured to the post. No pruning should be done at planting time unless a side branch is larger than half the diameter of the trunk of the tree, in which case it should be removed. The tree can be fertilized once or twice with high nitrogen liquid fertilizer starting about three weeks after planting. A supply of water should be available for the entire growing season to assure a continuous and adequate supply of moisture. A soaker hose running along the base of these trees is a simple and effective way to provide moisture. A critical component of this system is minimal pruning. Tree vigor should be kept in check by tying down limbs and rapidly growing shoots. This can be accomplished by tying limbs down in a horizontal position using tape, rubber bands, weights or similar material.
The goal with this system is to develop a tree with many small branches that are horizontal to the main trunk of the tree. These are the most productive branches on a tree.
The successful management of apple trees in any high-density planting system depends on maintaining a balance between vegetative growth and fruiting. If vigor is too low, excessive fruiting results, fruit size declines, biennial bearing increases and trees fail to fill their allotted space soon enough to make the orchard profitable. If vegetative vigor is excessive then flowering and fruiting are reduced and containment of the tree to the allotted space becomes problematic. The successful balance of vegetative vigor and fruiting results in ‘calm’ trees that produce heavy annual crops and require only a light annual pruning. Pruning and crop load Management are the primary management tools along with fertilization and irrigation that are used to achieve a balance between vegetative growth and cropping throughout the orchards life. These management variables are affected by planting density, tree quality and tree training strategies.
Our proximity to the world’s most important fruit market (the U.S. east coast) is a growing competitive advantage for our industry, not only in transportation costs, but also due to growing consumer preference for locally-grown produce. The future for our fruit industry seems bright, except for the growing cost and scarcity of farm labor. The aim of the Government is to develop growing systems and technologies that will allow greater mechanization and labor efficiency in the short term, and fully automated systems in the future. In nutshell, Unless you’re willing to commit time every month to playing with your trees, you might be better off trying something else.
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