Horticulture

1. Production technology of Apple
AHT-222: Production Technology for
Fruit & Plantation Crops
SUBMITTED BY
MD.TANVIR

2.  The apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is an important temperate fruit and is
grown in areas where winters are cold, springs are frost free and summers are
mild.
 The genus Malus has 25 species.
 The primary center of origin of apple is thought to be the region which
includes the South Western Asia, the Caucasus, Soviet Central Asia and
Hindu-Kush Himalayan region.
 In India, apple was introduced by Captain Lee in 1865 in Kullu Valley of
Himachal Pradesh.
 Later on, red coloured Delicious group varieties were introduced at Kotgarh
in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh in 1917 by American missionary Mr
Satya Nand Stokes.
 Apple fruit is rich in carbohydrate (15 %) protein (0.3 %) and nutrients like in
K, P and Ca.
 In India, Apple is grown on commercial scale in Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand .
 It is also cultivated on limited scale in North-Eastern states like Arunachal
Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur and Nilgiri hills of
Tamil Naidu.
Introduction

3. Climate
 The apple is a typical temperate fruit and is generally grown in the temperate regions of
the world.
 Most of apple varieties require 1000-1600 chilling hours during winter to break the rest
period, however some low chill varieties require only 500-800 chilling hours.
 The average summer temperature should be around 21-240C during active growth
period.
 Low temperature below 150C, rains and cloudy weather during bloom restrict the bee
activity, which is completely inhibited below 50C and adversely affect fruit set.
 The optimum temperature for pollination, pollen germination and fruit setting is 18 to
220C.
 The areas with frost free spring and adequate sunshine during summer without wide
fluctuation in temperature are most suitable for apple growing.
 Well distributed rainfall of about 100-125 cm throughout the season is considered most
favorable.
 The long drought spells during fruit development and excessive rains and foggy
conditions at maturity hamper fruit size and quality.

4. Soil
Apple thrives best in loamy soils, which are rich in organic
matter.
A soil pH between 6.0 to 6.5 with good drainage and aeration
are considered most suitable.
The soil should be deep, fertile and free from hard substrates
and waterlogged conditions.

5. Varieties
Season Jammu and Kashmir Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand
Early
season
Irish Peach, Benoni Tydeman’s Early Worcestor(P),
Michael, Mollies Delicious,
Schlomit, Starkrimson, Anna
Early Shanburry(P),Fenny,
Benoni, Chaubattia Princess
Mid season American Mother,
Razakwar, Jonathan(P)
Cox’ Orange Pippin(P),
Queen’s Apple, Rome
Beauty, Scarlet Siberian
Starking Delicious, Red
Delicious, Rich-a-red, Vance
Delicious, Top Red, Lord
Lambourne(P) Red Chief,
Oregon Spur, Red Spur, Red
Gold(P), Silver Spur, Scarlet
Gala, Well Spur, Super Chief,
Scarlet Spur.
Red Delicious, Starking
Delicious, Mclntosh(P),
Cortland, Golden
Delicious(P)
Late
season
King Pippin, American
Apirouge, Kerry Pippin,
Lal Ambri, Sunheri
Chamure, Golden
Delicious(P), Red
Delicious, Ambri,
Baldwin, Yellow
Newton(P),
Golden Delicious(P), Yellow
Newton(P), Winter Banana,
Granny Smith(P), Red Fuji,
Coe Fuji
Rymer, Buckingham(P)

6.  Spur types and colour sports: Red Chief, Oregon Spur-II, Silver Spur,
Well Spur, Red Spur, Super Chief, Starkrimson, Hardi Spur., Schelet Spur,
Ace Spur
 Standard colour mutants: Vance Delicious, Top Red, Skyline Supreme,
Hardiman, Bright-N-Early.
 Standard varieties: Starking Delicious, Red Delicious, Rich-a-red
 Low chilling varieties: Michal, Schlomit, Anna, Vered, Tamma, Tropical
Beauty and Parlins Beauty.
 Pollinizing varieties: Golden Delicious, Red Gold, Tydeman’s Early
Worcester, Summer Queen, Golden Spur, Granny Smith, Winter Banana,
Mclntosh, Scarlet Gala and flowering crabs like Manchurian, Snow Drift
and Malus floribunda.
 Scab resistant varieties: Prima, Priscilla, Sir Prize, Florina, Flrdous,
Shireen, Macfree, Coop-12, Coop-13, Liberty and Freedom.
 Hybrid Varieties: Lal Ambri (Red Delicious x Ambri), Sunheri (Ambri x
Golden Delicious) Chaubattia Princess and Chaubattia Anupam (Early
Shanburry x Red Delicious), Ambred (Red Delicious x Ambri), Ambrich (
Richared x Ambri), Amroyal ( Starking Delicious x Ambri).

7. The apple plantations are raised on seeding rootstocks. Apples are propagation on
seedlings of crab apple or self-pollinizing varieties, Golden Delicious, McIntosh,
Yellows Newton and Northern spy having good seed viability, germ inability and
seedling growth. The seeds of commercial varieties from fruit juice canning units are
also used by nurserymen for raising seedling stocks.
Seedling rootstock
Apple seeds need stratification in moist sand at 4-7 0C for 60-90 days. The water-
soaked seeds are placed between 2 and 3 cm thick layers of moist sand in wooden
boxes or polythene bags during December. The stratification boxes or bags are placed
in cool place where the required chilling temperature of less than 7 0C for 1,000-1,500
hr is met in 60-90 days. The sand is kept moist during stratification. Sowing is done in
rows 10 cm apart with the spacing of 5 cm between the seeds and 2-3 cm deep. Nursery
beds should be irrigated after sowing and covering with 10 cm hay or pine needle
mulch to protect the germinating seedling from heavy rains and spring frost. Mulch
when the seedlings are 5 cm long for the straight upright growth of seedlings. One-
year-old seedling stocks are ready for grafting during February-March.
Propagation and Rootstocks

8. Clonal rootstocks
The size-controlling clonal rootstock of apple is mound layering (stooling). The rooted
layers of the clone are planted in well-prepared stool beds during winter at a distance of
30 cm in the row and 60 cm apart. The 3-4 years old layers give rise to numerous
suckers during spring. The suckers are covered with the soil before monsoon. The
suckers are ringed or notched near the base during the rainy season and covered with
soil to encourage rooting. The difficult-to-propagate rootstocks like M 9 need the
treatment of 1,000-2,000 ppm IBA at the notched portion for quick root initiation. The
rooted layers are separated to the onset of dormancy (December) and lined out in
nursery beds for further grafting with scion varieties during February-March. The
rootstock should be healthy and disease-free and should attain the thickness of 0.9-1.25
cm at grafting eight for proper bud-take success. The growth of the rootstock should be
straight and upright with proper root development. There should be no gall, knot or
injury scar at the grafting height.
Tongue grafting is the ideal method of grafting scion cultivar on the rootstock
with more than 90% bud take success. The scion should be grafted 15-20 cm above the
ground level. February-March is most suitable time of tongue grafting. It should be just
before the bud-break. In tongue grafting, a slant cut is made on the rootstock 2-3 cm
ling across the stem about 15-20 cm above the crown. A vertical cut is given from one-
third of the top of slant cut and extended up to two-thirds of the length of slant cut.
Similar cuts are made on the scion wood and the 2 parts are connected by inner locking
the tongues made by vertical cuts on scion and stock. The cambium of the 2 portions
should match for successful graft. The graft union is wrapped with polythene wrapping
should be removed.

9. Fruit
crop
Scion/variety Rootstock Tree size Spacing
(m)
Density
(trees/ha)
Apple
Standard Seedling Vigorous 7.5 x 7.5 178
Standard MM111 and
Merton 793
Semi
vigorous
6.0 x 6.0 278
Standard MM106, M7 Semi dwarf 4.5 x 4.5 494
Standard M9 and M26 Dwarf 1.5 x 1.5 4444
Spur type Seedling Semi
vigorous
5.0 x 5.0 400
Spur type MM111,
Merton 793
Semi dwarf 3.5 x 3.5 816
Spur type MM106, M7 Dwarf 3.0 x 3.0 1111
Spacing and planting density

10. Planting season
Planting is usually done in the month of January and February.
Spacing
The average number of plants in an area of one hectare can range between 200 to 1250.
Four different categories of planting density are followed viz. low (less than 250
plants/ha.), moderate (250-500 plants/ha.), high (500-1250 plants/ha.) and ultra high
density (more than1250 plants /ha.). The combination of rootstock and scion variety
determines the plant spacing and planting density/unit area.
Planting Method
Square or hexagonal system of planting is followed in the valleys whereas contour
method is usually followed on the slopes. Plantation of pollinator species in between
the main species is essential for proper fruit setting. For establishment of an orchard
having Royal Delicious variety, plantation of Red Delicious and Golden Delicious as
pollinators is recommended by the Horticulture Department. In the month of October-
November, pits of size 1 x 1 x 1 m are prepared for planting. In each pit, 30-40 kg of
FYM, 500 g. of Single super phosphate and 50g of Malathion dust are added after
mixing properly. After about a month the planting is done. One irrigation should be
provided immediately after planting.
Planting Season, Spacing and planting Method

11. Apple trees are particularly sensitive to low soil moisture. Water
stress during the growing season reduces number and size of fruits,
and increases June drop. Success of apple largely depends on
uniform distribution of rain during the year in case of dry spells
during the critical periods supplementary irrigation should be
provided. Water stress conditions results in poor fruit set, heavy fruit
drop, low production and poor quality. The most critical periods of
water requirement are April- August and peak water requirement is
after fruit set. Normally the orchards are irrigated immediately after
manuring in the month of December-January. During the summer
periods, the crop is irrigated at an interval of 7-10 days. After the
fruit setting stage the crop is irrigated at weekly intervals.
Application of water during the fortnight preceding harvest markedly
improves the fruit colour. Thereafter till the onset of dormancy,
irrigation is given at an interval of 3-4 weeks.
Irrigation

12. Farmyard manure @ 10 kg/ year age of tree is applied
along with other fertilizers. The ratio of N, P and K
which is applied in an orchard of optimal fertility is
70:35:70 g/year (age of the tree). After 10 years of age,
the dose is stabilized at 700:350:700 g of N, P and K
/year. The standard fertilizer dose of N, P and K in an
“off” year (when the crop load is low) is 500 g, 250g
and 400 g, respectively. On some trees deficiency of
zinc, boron, manganese and calcium may be observed
which is corrected with the application of appropriate
chemicals through foliage spray.
Manures & fertilizers

13. Application of glyphosate @ 800 ml/ha or
Gammaxone /Paraquat (0.5%) as post
emergence herbicide suppresses weed growth for
4-5 months.
Intercrops
Green manuring crops viz. sunflower and bean
may be cultivated in the early years of plantation
in order to improve soil texture and nutrient
status of soil
Interculture

14. Training and Pruning
 Timely pruning and training operation is essential for proper
growth and good productivity. The plants are trained according
to growth habit and vigour of the rootstocks. The standard trees
are trained on modified central leader system so that plants
receive proper light. This improves fruit colour and also
minimizes the effect of heavy snowfall and hail. Spindle bush
system is suitable for high density planting under mid hill
conditions.
 Pruning is essential to maintain a proper balance between
vegetative growth and spur development. Proper pruning of
weak and undesirable branches/twigs is necessary after six
years of plantation.

15. Normally the apples are ready for harvest from September-
October except in the Nilgiris where the season is from April to
July. The fruits mature within 130-150 days after the full bloom
stage depending upon the variety grown. The ripening of fruits is
associated with the change in colour, texture, quality and the
development of the characteristic flavour. The fruits at the time
of harvest should be uniform, firm and crisp. The colour of the
skin at maturity ranges from yellow-red depending on the
variety. However, the optimum time of harvest depends on fruit
quality and intended period of storage. Due to the introduction of
dwarf rootstock hand picking is recommended as it reduces
bruising due to fruit fall during mechanical harvesting.
Harvesting

16.  The apple tree starts bearing from 4 year onwards. Depending
on variety and season, a well managed apple orchard yields on
an average 10-20 kg/tree/year.
 The average yield of different apple varieties in the state of
Uttaranchal is very low (5-6 tonnes/ha.) as compared to that in
Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir which is around 11-
13 tonnes/ha
Yield

17. Woolly aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum)
Symptoms of damage
 Nymphs and adults suck the juice from bark of the trunk or fruits
 Weakening and death of the smaller plants
Management
 Use resistant root stocks M 778, M 779, MM 14, MM 110, MM 112
 Spray dimethoate 30 EC 0.06% or methyl demeton 25 EC 0.025%
San Jose scale (Quadraspidiotus perniciosus)
Symptoms of damage
 The infested region in bark becomes reddish pink
 Purple discolouration on fruits.
Management
 Summer spray with phosalone 50 EC 0.05% or fenitrothion 50 EC 0.05%
 Winter spray with diesel oil emulsion at 8-12 l/ tree ( diesel oil 4.5 l, soap 1
kg, water54 -72 l)
Insect-pests

18. Scab (Venturia inaequalis)
Symptoms
 Symptom appears on leaves and fruits.
 On lower side of the leaf lesion appear as olivaceous spots which turn dark
brown to black and become velvety.
 On young foliage, the spots have a radiating appearance with a feathery edge.
Management
 Clean cultivation, collection and destruction of fallen leaves and pruned materials
in winter to prevent the sexual cycle.
 Spray Tridemorph 0.1% before flowering.
 Spray Mancozeb 0.25 % at bearing stage.2.
Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora)
Symptoms
 The initial symptom usually occurs on leaves, which become water soaked, then
shrivel turn brownish to black in colour and fall or remain hanging in tree.
Management
 Removal and destruction of affected parts
 Spray with streptomycin 500 ppm
Diseases