Scientists at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, have developed an indigenous variety of apple that will yield crop two months before normal varieties. The fruit does not require much sunlight to achieve its scarlet color. The university has been researching the new variety for four years. It was selected from the 35-year-old Vance Delicious variety. As compared to the mother variety, the fruit turns dark red two months earlier.
At present, apples produced in Himachal Pradesh take 90-120 days to be ready after blooming. This variety is adapted to temperate climate and can endure environmental changes.
This year’s apple yield has been notably lower, raising questions about the factors contributing to the decline. An unusually warm winter and abrupt rainfall pattern brought down apple production this year. Chilling hours were not completed due to the lack of snowfall in winter, especially in the low-altitude areas.
Source: hindustantimes.com