Due to the lack of snow and rains, apple and stone fruit producers in Himachal, India are likely to have a lower harvest this year. The insufficient cold units and delayed flowering will lead to lower production.
According to Dr Satish Bhardwaj of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni: "During this winter in the stone fruit belt of Solan, 168 chill unit (CU) hours were experienced against the average of 299.8 CU hours registered during the last 30 years (1991-2020).”
He said the chill units should be between 0-7 celsius for normal fruit growth of apples, plums, pears and cherries. The higher average temperatures will affect the trees negatively.