Advances in Apricot production

Yield and storage
Yield:
•A 5-year-old tree may provide 35 kg fresh fruits.
Storage:
• Fruits are highly perishable.
•Fruits harvested at optimum maturity can be stored for a week
at 5`C and 85 % relative humidity.
Presented by
Panchaal Bhattacharjee
PhD. (Hort.) 1st sem.
Fruit Science
Department of Horticulture

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Introduction
S. N: Prunus armeniaca
Sub-genus: Prunophora
Family : Rosaceae
Origin: North-Eastern China
Chr. No: 2n= 16
Also called as Armenian plum
Wild Apricot is known as
Zardalu or Chuli considered to be
imdegenious to in India.
Turkey is the largest producer of
Apricot.

Yield and storage
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Because of it’s popularity it appears in the
stamps of Armenia

Yield and storage
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It is one of the most
important stone fruit .
It is very delicious,
attractive & nutritious fruit
Rich source of Vitamin A
It can be grown in areas
where other temperate fruits
are not grown because it is
drought tolerant, salt tolerant,
hardy and less susceptible to
pest and diseases
Highly perishable fruit.

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
COMPOSITION
Rich source of vit A, fat, fibre, ascorbic acid, Ca
Rich source of oil (40-45%)
Aroma of fruit is due to Benzaldehyde and Lindrol
Major acids present are Mallic acid and Citric acid
Contains higher amount of Carotenoids
Seeds contain high content of amygdalin (vitamin
B17) (>5.5g/100g amygdalin content makes the bitter
kernal poisonous for consumption)

Yield and storage
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USES
Mainly used as table fruit
As a canned and dried fruit
Used in preparation of Jam, Jelly, Leather and Nectars
Seed is about 15% of the fruit and contains kernel
which is about 34% of the seed
Sweet kernel tastes like Almond and hence used as a
substitute for Almond
Sweet kernel is used in confectionary industries
Bitter kernel is used in oil extraction and is used in
cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries
Used for treatment of tumor and ulcers
Seed is used as an alternative treatment for cancer.

Yield and storage
Yield:
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Origin and distribution
•Origin: N-E China
•Major apricot producing countries: China, USSR, Turkey,
Italy, Spain, Greece, France and USA
•Commercial cultivation of apricot in India was started by
Europeans during 1870
•Presently in India it is grown commercially in hills of HP,
J & K, Uttarakhand
•Some drying type of apricots are grown in the dry
temperate regions of J & K, HP.

Yield and storage
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Storage:
Other species
Prunus ansu: adopted to warm condition, sour in
taste,edible,free stone, root stock in Japan.
Prunus mume: called as Japanese Aprioct, used for
pickling, grown in warmer regions
Prunus sibirica: Siberian Apricot, cold hardy
Prunus dasycarpa: Purple/Black Aprioct (P.cerasifera x
P.armeniaca), cold and disease hardy
Prunus brigantica: Alpine Apricot; for oil extraction,3m
ht.

Prunus dasycarpa:
Prunus mumePrunus sibirica

Yield and storage
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Storage:
cultivars
Early Shipley - used for table and drying purpose,
bitter kernal
New Castle - used for table and drying purpose
Moorpark – best for outdoor cultivation in small
gardens, pubescent in outer layer.
Nugget – good quality, regular bearer, heavy yielder,
kernel is sweet, used for table purpose
Royal – large fruits, heat resistant, table variety

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Royal
Nugget

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Moorpark
New Castle

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
High Chilling Variety-
Shakarpara – very sweet and good aroma shy bearer,
Afghan introduction, requires high chilling
hours.(TSS-26%)
Charmagz – self incompatible variety, used for table
and drying purpose, shy bearer, requires high
chilling hours.
Kaisha – good quality, prolific bearer, kernel is
bitter.
Halman – grown in Ladhak region, used for table
and drying purpose(TSS-27-28%)

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Recent introductions performing well in temperate India
Harcot
St. Ambriose
Turkey
Tilton(USA)
Wenatchee(CANADA)
Indegenous Variety of Ladakh- cv. Rakchey Karpo,
Tokpopa
Natural Mutant cv. Early Blenheim( S.I)
FRS Chaubattia,Ranikhet,UK has released 3 hybrids
1. Chaubattia Alankar: Kaisha × Charmagz
2. Chaubattia Madhu: Turkey × Charmagz
3. Chaubattia Keasari: St. Ambriose × Charmagz

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Harcot
Shakarpara
Tilton

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Soil And Climate
It is a hardy crop
pH: 6-6.8
Deep fertile, well drained loamy soils are readily suitable
for cultivation
Grown at an altitude of 900-2000m MSL
Chilling requirement 300-900hrs, below 7°C for
fruiting
Rain fall: 100cm, well distributed through out the year
Summer temperature: 16.6-32.2°C
For flowering temperature is 5-6°C
Long cool weather and frost free areas are the best
High humidity during summer increases the Brown Rot.

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
propagation
Commercially propagated by Grafting and Budding
Tongue grafting is practiced in February
T and chip budding is practiced in June-September
Raising of rootstocks:
Seeds of Apricot are the best
Wild apricot seeds are also used to raise rootstocks
Peach, Plum seeds are also used
The seeds are stratified for 45-50 days at 4°C
temperature to break dormancy.
The seeds can be stored for 5 years without losing
viability
Peach is good root stock for light and dry condition.

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Planting: One-year-old healthy grafted plants should
be planted in the field in square system.
Season: during dormant season, Dec – March
Spacing: 6×6m
HDP is less adopted because of very less availability of
dwarfing root stocks.
Planting

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Nutrient-
500:250:200 [N:P:K] (g/tree for 7 yr old bearing
tree)
Irrigation-
•Can be grown as a rain fed crop
•Irrigation is essential during initial years and during
critical stage-Pit hardening stage (April-June)
Nutrient management and
Irrigation

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:

Yield and storage
Yield:
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Training :
•Apricot trees are trained to
modified central leader system
•Open vas e and palmate types
are also followed where
mechanical harvesting is
done.
Training and pruning

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
pruning
•Apricot bears fruits on previous year’s growth and short
spurs.
•The spur bearing branches die after 3-4 years.
•Therefore pruning should be done aimed to induce new
growth on such braches and to provide fruiting spurs for
the subsequent years.
• It consists of heading back(1/3rd) and thinning
out(25%) 1year old wood and has balanced vegetative
growth.
•Pruning in January-end to second week of February to
encourage production of more fruiting spurs.

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Vase shaped tree
Flowering season,
•mid hills - March
•higher hills - March and April.

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Fruit: round, 3 cm across
Yellowish with red cheeks,
nearly glabrous
Stone: smooth with a
furrowed edge
Season: May-Aug
Fruit

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Pests:
•Indian Gipsy moth
•Apricot Chalcid
•Peach stem borer
•Apricot aphid
• Red mite
•Leaf roller
•Apricot weevil
Pest and diseases
Diseases:
•Brown rot
•Bacterial canker and
gummosis
•Powdery mildew
•Wilt
•Apoplexy (premature
die back)

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Harvesting and post harvest management
Maturity indices:
Fruit size
Color change from green to yellow
 lose flesh firmness
high TSS (10°B)
The fruits become ready for picking from first week of May – June
Manual harvesting is more practiced
For distant markets, fruits should be hand picked individually at
semi-hard stage when they develop green to amber color.
Keep them in a cool place and pack in perforated CFB boxes of 1-4
kg capacity with straw cushion.
 Care should be taken that the damaged fruits are not packed with
healthy ones.

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Yield and storage
Yield:
•Economical life span: 30-40 years
Storage:
•Fruits harvested at optimum maturity can be stored
for a week at 5°C and 85 % relative humidity.

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Grades
Grade Fruit size
(mm)
No. Of
layers
No. Of
fruits/ layer
Box (inner)
size cm
Special 42 and
above
3 28 - 32 37 ×16.5 ×
16.5
Grade 1 36 – 42 4 38 – 43 37 ×16.5 ×
16.5
Grade 2 Below 36 4 50 - 56 37 ×16.5 ×
16.5

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Physiological disorders
1. Pit burn:
Occurs when the apricots are exposed to temp
above 38°C before harvest
Under such condition the flesh tissue around the
stone softens and turns brown
This is due to heat injury and it increases with
higher temperatures and longer duration of exposure
to sun
Control:
avoiding the heat injury by providing some shade
to the fruits

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
2. Gel breakdown or chilling injury:
It is characterized by breakdown of tissues
It is sometimes accompanied by sponginess and gel
formation
In the initial stages there is occurrence of water
soaked areas that subsequently turn brown.
This occurs when the fruits are stored at low
temperature between 2.2-7.6°C
These have short market life and loose flavor.

Yield and storage
Yield:
Storage:
Pit burn
Chilling injury

Advances in Apricot production

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Advances in Apricot production