EVALUATION OF SELECTED APPLE CULTIVARS GROWN IN MID-HILLS OF TEHRI DISTRICT OF UTTARAKHAND

e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science Volume:02/Issue:10/ October -2020

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EVALUATION OF SELECTED APPLE CULTIVARS GROWN IN MID-HILLS OF TEHRI DISTRICT OF UTTARAKHAND Sandeep Raturi1, Suneeta Singh*2, Anil Kumar Saxena3 1Research

Scholar, Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, SGRR University, Dehradun- 248 001, Uttarakhand, India.

*2Assistant Professor & HOD, Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, SGRR University, Dehradun- 248 001, Uttarakhand, India.

3Associate

Professor, Department of Soil Science, School of Agricultural Sciences, SGRR University, Dehradun- 248 001, Uttarakhand, India.

ABSTRACT Present investigation was carried out in the experimental orchard of the Narayan nursery in Tehri District of Uttarakhand to evaluate the performance of six different apple cultivars which are grown there. The experiment was laid out in Randomized block design with six cultivars. The observations were recorded on various parameters of growth, flowering, & fruit characteristics. Analysis of variance showed significant results among all the cultivars for all the characteristics under study. Among different cultivars, the annual trunk girth increment varied from 3.25 to 7.90 % in different cultivars being lowest in Granny Smith (3.15 %) followed by Gale Gala (3.79 %) and maximum trunk growth was recorded in cultivar Oregon Spur II (7.9%) and cultivar Gale Gala recorded maximum plant spread of 1.85 meter followed by Granny Smith (1.75 meter) and the minimum plant spread was recorded in Oregon Spur II i.e.0.51 meter. The annual shoot growth of cultivars Granny Smith, Super Chief and Red Chief were statistically at par with Gale gala.

Keywords: Apple, Growth parameters, Cultivars, Trunk girth, Shoot growth.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Apple (Malus domestica L.) is most important pome fruit of temperate regions of the world. Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe and were brought to North America by European colonists. Apples have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including Norse, Greek and European Christian tradition. Apple trees are large if grown from seed. Generally, apple cultivars are propagated by grafting onto rootstocks, which control the size of the resulting tree. There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples, resulting in a range of desired characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and use, including cooking, eating raw and cider production. Trees and fruit are prone to a number of fungal, bacterial and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means. In 2010, the fruit's genome was sequenced as part of research on disease control and selective breeding in apple production (Divakar et al. 1999). It is mostly grown in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. J&K has remained the leading apple producer accounting for 60% of the total production in the country. In HP also, apple is the most important crop accounting for about 90% of the total horticultural production. These two States accounted for 76% of the area and 94% of the production of the crop in the country in 2018-19 (Chadha and Awasthi, 2005).The orchard starts from the eighth year and the economic life of an apple tree is more than 30 years. Productivity increases from eighth to seventeenth year and remains constant for 30 years thereafter. The level of productivity increases different heights (Anonymous, 2016). The level of production is also up to forty years depending on the agro-climatic condition. Apple is a climacteric fruit; the maturity period does not coincide with ripening. The fruits are usually harvested before they are fully ripened. The average yield of various apple varieties in the state of Uttarakhand is much lower (5-6 tones / ha) compared to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, which is around 11-13 tones / ha.

Therefore, it is very important to select the suitable cultivar for growing in a particular region and season.

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Keeping these aims in view, the present investigation “Evaluation of Selected Apple Cultivars in Mid-Hills of Tehri District of Uttarakhand” was performed.

II.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The field experiment was conducted during 2018-20 in the orchard of Narayan nursery at district Tehri, Uttarakhand and Agricultural Science Center, Rohru (HP) under supervision of Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Department of Horticulture, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India along with some other awarded progressive farmers. Experimental site is located in the north western region of Uttarakhand at an altitude of 4700 feet above mean sea level (MSL). Tehri District is located at the western boundary of Uttarakhand. The mountains near and around Tehri are a big decisive factor in the weather and climate of Tehri. However, Tehri sometimes has extreme temperatures, mainly due to its changeable altitude of 1550 m to 1950 m. The minimum temperature in summer remains 9°C and 3°C in winters. However, the temperature in Tehri shoots up to 30°C in summers and 15°C in winters. The weather is absolutely delightful in the months of April to September. The average annual rainfall (though fluctuating) here remains about 70 cms. The soil of experimental site is classified as ‘clay loam’ with characteristics as deep, well drained, coarse loamy cover over fragmental soils and of medium fertility. The experiment were carried out on six cultivars of Apple namely Red Chief, Scarlet Spur II, Oregon Spur II, Super Chief, Granny smith and Gale Gala planted during 2012 at orchard of Narayan nursery, Tehri district of Uttarakhand. Plants uniform in growth and free from disease were selected to carry out the present experiment. Eighteen plants were selected on the basis of vigor and were maintained under uniform cultural practices during the entire course of investigation. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with four replications. From each cultivar randomly selected three plants and used for taking observations for physical growth and yield attributes.

III.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The findings that were obtained from the execution of the experiment were recorded and are thoroughly discussed below: Growth characteristics Trunk girth The data pertaining to trunk girth is presented in table 1. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences for growth characteristics. The annual trunk girth increment varied from 3.25 to 7.90 % in different cultivars being lowest in Granny Smith (3.15 %) followed by Gale Gala (3.79 %) & maximum trunk growth was recorded in Oregon Spur II (7.9%). The differences in the trunk girth have been report collected by self & is generally attributed to several factors like management practices, genotypic behavior of the cultivars, site of plantation, elevation etc., and similar result in variation of trunk girth have also been reported by Kumar & Verma, 2011 in a study under Kullu valley. Sharma et al. 2004 while working on low chill variety also reported that variation in trunk girth was influenced by the plantation site.

Annual shoot growth Annual shoot growth was observed to vary among different various cultivars it ranged from 31.31 cm to 47.89 cm being maximum in Gale Gala and minimum in Scarlet spur II. Likewise, the annual shoot growth varied from 29.11 cm to 46.12 cm in different cultivar in 2019. Kumar & Verma, 2001 under Kullu condition also reported variation in annual shoot growth. Aassaf et. al., 1995 under Nauni condition registered substantial variation in annual shoot growth which was probably due to higher temperature during the growth period.

Plant height The data on plant height is presented in table 1. The annual plant height incremental varied from 8.11 to 23.41 % in different cultivars being lowest in Gale Gala 8.1 % followed by Granny smith (10.21%) and maximum incremental was recorded in Oregon spur II (23.34 %). The performance of variety is a function of genetic makeup & environment. The results are in line with the findings of Sharma et. al. 2004

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who reported that the variety Tropical Beauty was rated best with respect to plant height. Similarly, Bhatt et. al. 2016 and Sharma, 2011 also reported plant height to vary from orchard to orchard.

Plant Spread The data presented in table 1 revealed that the plant spread ranged from 0.51 to 1.85 m in different cultivars. Gale Gala recorded maximum plant spread (1.85 m) followed by Granny Smith (1.75 m) and the minimum plant was recorded in Oregon Spur II (0.51 m). The cultivars Granny Smith, Super Chief and Red Chief were statistically at par with Gale Gala. Teskey and Shoemaker, 1972 also reported similar finding in different temperate fruits.

Plant Volume It is clear from table 1 that the volume of the plant varied from 0.67 to 6.13 cubic meters. The highest plant volume was recorded at the Gale Gala, 6.13 cubic meters followed by Granny Smith 3.79 cubic meters, Red Chief 3.72 cubic meters and the lowest plant volume recorded at Scarlet Spur II. 0.8 cubic meters, Oregon Spur II followed by 0.67 cubic meter. Sharma et al. 2004 studied on the low chill variety of apple and also showed differences in growth parameters such as plant height, plant volume, etc. The diversity can be attributed to the diversity of the plantation site as well as the varietal makeup having a combined effect of environmental conditions and nutrient status.

Flowering habit The data pertaining to flowering and different stages of its development is presented in Table 2. The results so obtained are described as follows: Date of bud swell The observation on bud development were recorded from the time, the bud started showing activity after dormancy till the date of full bloom stage. Period of development was arbitrarily divided into different stages like tight cluster or initiation of bud swell, green tip stage, pink bud stage, first flowering and last flowering. The observations on the time required for development of each stage are presented in table 2.

In the tight cluster or bud stage bud of all the varieties showed similar sign of development. The cultivar Red Chief and Scarlet Spur II were the earliest among all other variety. The different in time of bud swell may be attributed to genetic makeup of the variety. Farooqui et.al., 1986 also reported variation in the dates of bud swell among different variety under Kashmir condition.

Date of green tip This stage was characterized with the appearances of leaves after the tight cluster stage. In the present study, cultivar Red Chief one was the earliest to reach the green tip stage while, Super chief initiated leaves at the last. In general all the variety initiated leaves from 11 March to 18 March 2019.

Date of pink bud The data pertaining to pink bud stage presented in table 2 revealed that the cultivar Red Chief was earliest to attend this stage whereas, Super chief were last. The observations on green tip and pink bud stage have been studied by Farooqui et. al. 1986, who also reported variation in the time of bud development from one state to another. The variation was attributed to several factors like genetic makeup of the variety, environmental condition and management practices.

Duration of flowering Data pertaining of flowering in different cultivar is presented in table 2. It is evident from the data that cultivar Red Chief and Oregon Spur was earliest to flower & Super Chief is the last. The date of full bloom ranged from 20 March to 1 April 2019, in different cultivars being earliest in Red Chief and last in Super Chief. The date of last flowering was considered when 4- 5 bud were left to open and ranged from 4 April 2019 to 11 April 2019 among different cultivars. The duration of flowering ranged from 13 March 2019 to 19 March 2019. The result of present study on flowering parameters are accordance with the findings of Farooqui et al. 1986, Sharma et al. 2004, Conway and Sams, 2017 and Singh et al. 2005 who reported variation in the time and duration of flowering while evaluating different apple varieties under different growing condition, they advocated that the difference in time and duration of flowering may be attributed

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to genetic makeup of varieties and the prevailing climatic condition in a particular site.

Date of Petal fall Observation on the Date of Petal fall presented in table 2 and was found to vary among cultivars. Granny Smith recorded the earliest Petal fall closely followed by Red Chief and was recorded as lastly in Super Chief. Sharma 2011, in a similar study at Kwagdhar in Sirmour district also reported the date of Petal fall to range from 29 March to 4 April. Farooqui et. al. 1986 under Jammu condition reported the date of Petal fall occur from 15 April to 6 may. The variation in dates is attributed to climatic condition, altitude and management practices under a particular area.

Table-1: Plant physical characteristics of selected Apple cultivars Trunk girth increment

Cultivars

(%)

Annual Shoot growth (cm)

Plant height increment

Plant spread

Plant volume

(%)

(m)

(cm3)

Red Chief

5.1

46.12

12.32

1.82

3.72

Scarlet Spur II

4.3

29.11

11.56

1.22

0.80

Oregon spur

7.9

32.33

23.34

0.51

0.67

Super chief

5.2

37.86

16.22

0.88

1.34

Granny smith

3.15

34.77

10.21

1.75

3.79

Gale gala

3.79

40.23

8.1

1.85

6.13

Table2: Time and Duration of Flowering in selected Apple cultivars Stage of Bud development Cultivar

(Date)

Ist flowering date

Full bloom date

Duration of flowering

Petal fall date

Bud swell initiation

Green tip stage

Pink Bud stage

Red Chief

28-022019

11-Mar19

11-Mar-19

13-Mar-19

20-Mar19

13

05-Apr19

Gale Gala

03-032019

18-Mar19

23-Mar-19

25-Mar-19

01-Apr19

11

06-Apr19

Oregon Spur II

28-022019

12-Mar19

17-Mar-19

14-Mar-19

20-Mar19

14

07-Apr19

Granny Smith

01-032019

14-Mar19

17-Mar-19

25-Mar19

15

04-Apr19

Super Chief

27-022019

17-Mar19

19-Mar-19

26-Mar19

12

11-Apr19

Scarlet Spur II

05-032019

14-Mar19

17-Mar-19

28-Mar19

17

08-Apr19

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19-Mar-19

24-Mar-19

20-Mar-19

(days)

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IV.

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CONCLUSION

The conclusion obtained from the results recorded in the present evaluation showed that among different types of cultivars grown, Red Chief, Super Chief, Scarlet Spur II, Oregon Spur II and Gale Gala can be recommended for commercial farming under the mid-hill mountainous condition of Tehri District of Uttarakhand. Cultivars can be divided into two types, based on growth and bearing habit, spur type Red Chief, Scarlet Spur II, Oregon Spur II, Super Chief) and semi spur type i.e. Granny Smith and Gale Gala.

Time and duration of flowering also shows significant variation among the different selected cultivars.

V.

REFERENCES

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