1,15,47,151 apple boxes reach market

A spokesman of Horticulture department said here today that till date, 1,15,47,151 boxes of apples have been exported to major markets in the country from the state. Royal Delicious A quality medium grade was sold for Rs.780 per box of 20 kg capacity, Red Delicious for Rs.600 and Golden Delicious for Rs.470 per box. He said 11,629 metric tonnes of apples have been procured under market intervention scheme by HPMC and HIMFED.

Govt decided to organise Apple Festivals at Delhi,Chandigarh and Shimla

With a view to showcase Himachali apple and other organic produce out of the state, the government has for the first time decided to organise Apple Festivals at Delhi and Chandigarh besides Shimla.
A decision in this regard was taken during a meeting held here today under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary V.C Pharka regarding organisation of Apple Festival. It was decided to organise Apple Festival at Shimla in third week of September and at New Delhi and Himachal Bhawan, Chandigarh in second and thirds weeks of October, respectively.
Pharka said the main purpose of organising this festival was to educate people about various varieties and quality of apple being produced in Himachal Pradesh, which had emerged as a fruit bowl of the country. Besides, special varieties of apple, organic crops like rajmah, mash etc. being produced in the state would also be showcased during these festivals. He said this would go a long way in promoting them among the orchardists.
He said Himachal had around rupees four crore strong apple economy and with sustained efforts of the state government, the area under fruit cultivation had increased manifold. He said apple cultivation in Himachal Pradesh had become the mainstay of over 1.7 lakh families as apple constitutes about 49 per cent of the area under fruit crops and about 85 per cent of all fruit production. Apple cultivation was providing gainful employment to millions of people of the region and the living standards of people had improved enormously.
The Chief Secretary said the apple growers would be organised during the Shimla Apple Festival.
The Apple Festival would be organised by the Tourism department in association with HPMC, HP Tourism Development Corporation, Horticulture and Agriculture departments.
Commissioner, Tourism Department Mohan Chauhan, Managing Director, HPTDC Dinesh Malhotra, Director, Managing Director, HPMC J.C Sharma, Horticulture D.P Bhangalia, Director, Language & Culture Shashi Sharma and other senior officers of different departments were present in the meeting.

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More than three crore apple boxes exported to markets

A spokesperson of the Horticulture Department disclosed here today that more than three crore apple boxes had been exported to various markets from the state. He said that 31,758.800 metric tonnes of apple had been procured under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) by HPMC and HIMFED up to 14 October, 2015.
He said six more collection centres had been opened in the higher reaches of the apple producing areas to facilitate the fruit growers and as on now 269 collection centres were functioning under MIS in the State.

File fresh report on apple orchards on govt land: HC

The High Court directed the state government to file a fresh status report on raising apple orchards by encroaching the land in Kotkhai.
During the course of hearing, it was informed by the state government that it had filed a status report on the encroachment in Chaithala village in Kotkhai.
It was submitted in the report that 72-22-80 hectares of government land had been inspected and 57 persons, including 28 named in the complaint made to the High Court, had been found to have encroached upon land measuring to 315-18 bighas out of which 18 persons had been found to have constructed houses/sheds and electricity and water connections had been installed in most of them. It was also mentioned in the report that against some of them, eviction proceedings had already been initiated.
After hearing the matter for some time, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan asked private respondents to file the reply to the status report.
The court passed this order on a petition taken up suo motu as a letter was written to the Chief Justice by a resident of Chaithala.

More than 35.66 lakh boxes of apple exported to markets

The State Government would open 275 procurement centres under Market Intervention Scheme as per demand of the fruit growers in apple belts of the State during current apple season out of which 95 collection centres have been opened so far.

A spokesperson of the Horticulture Department disclosed here today that 7924 trucks carrying 35, 66,116 boxes of apple had been exported to the markets. He said that 525.080 metric tonnes of apple had been procured under MIS by HPMC and HIMFED upto 12^th August, 2015. 

Horticulturists advised to spray fungicides as per recommendation to control diseases

A spokesman of horticulture department said here today that increase in humidity and temperature raised the risk of various diseases in fruit crops particularly the apple crop which was susceptible to many pests and diseases. He said these diseases could be checked by spraying prophylactic at regular intervals to the crops.

He advised the horticulturists for spraying fungicides like Mancozeb 600 gm, Difenconazole 30 ml, Thiophnate Methyle 100 gm, Carbendazim 100 gm, Hexaconazole 100 ml, Propineb 600 gm, Zineb 600 gm, Dodine 150 gm or Ziram 600 ml in 200 litre of water regularly in 15-20 days interval to control the diseases.

The spokesman said that department of Horticulture had supplied sufficient quantity of pesticides on subsidized rates to the growers  and were being distributed through its plant protection centres. He said that during the year 2015, 375 MT/KL of pesticides costing Rs.1880 lakh and Rs. 572 lakh of subsidy had been provided to the orchardists. He said that 23 MT pesticides amounting to Rs. 106.29 lakh. would be purchased during this month.

He advised the fruit growers to contact technical officers of the department and scientists of the university in case of any symptoms of any disease or pest in their orchard and spray on their recommendations. He also advised not to mix any fungicide with any other chemical/micronutrient/ insecticide without the technical advice of the department to avoid russeting etc. on their crops.

CM to open e-auction market in Parala today

A 50-shop modern market here is set to become one of the country’s first e-auction yards for apple farmers. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will dedicate Parala Mandi along the Giri river to the people tomorrow.
State Agricultural Market Board has decided to set up a controlled atmospheric (CA) store in the second phase.
The state-run HPMC has decided to set up the processing unit, both catering to the needs of apple farmers of Theog, Chopal, Jubbal-Kotkhai and Rohru, say officials who are overseeing preparations for the inauguration of the Rs 800-crore market project.
“We have availed the broadband connectivity to launch the online trading of the apple this season,” said Dr HS Baweja, managing director, SAMB. Buyers from across the country could buy fruit auctioned online through the Parala e-auction yard, he added.
Banking, post office, courier service and ATM facilities would be set up shortly after the inauguration of the market complex, he told The Tribune. The police post and control room, toilets and cafeteria were ready, he added.
Big ‘arhtiyas’ are scrambling for a space on the e-auction platform as the market complex has emerged as a brash new modern yard located right in the centre of the apple belt.
“More than 100 vehicles can unload fruit or vegetables daily as the market complex has 108 bighas of land,” said Baveja.
“The government is serious about setting up a CA store and a processing unit here,” said Prakash Thakur, Vice-Chairman, HPMC. Rs 1,000 crore had already been sanctioned and we sought to develop Parala, Shilaroo and Rohru as three modern market hubs in the apple belt and there was no merit in the BJP’s allegations that Parala mandi was being curtailed to an auction yard, he said.
“We have sought to construct the Kisan Bhawan for farmers, lodging facility for commission agents and traders, including banks and ATMs, in advance to make the market yard a one- stop shop,” said Narender Bragta, former horticulture minister, who was instrumental in conceiving the project during the BJP regime.

256 metric tonne apples procured under Market Intervention Scheme

A spokesman of Horticulture Department said here today that 255.516 metric tonne apples have been procured under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) upto 25^th August, 2014.

He said that 254.742 metric tonne apples have been procured by HPMC and 0.774 metric tonne by HIMFED under MIS during the period. He said that so far 151 apple collection centres have been opened by HPMC and HIMFED out of which 80 centres were opened by HPMC and 71 centres by HIMFED.

He said that 6511070 apple boxes i.e. 130221.40 metric tonne were exported outside the State as on 23^rd August through 14464 trucks.

125 Apple Collection Centres opened in the State

he State Government has opened 125 collection centres in the State for procurement of ‘C’ grade apple under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS). This would ensure remunerative prices to the apple growers nearer to their door steps.

A spokesperson of the Horticulture Department disclosed that 117 collection centres were being opened in Shimla district, 7 in Mandi district and one in Chamba district which were being managed by HPMC and HIMFED. He said that 16 metric tonne of apple had been procured under MIS so far. 

He said that 48.38 lakh apple boxes had been exported from the State to different markets till date.

Imports of plating material to be fully subsidised in revamped National Horticulture Mission

The government has decided to fully fund the cost of import of best quality planting material in horticultural crops to all state governments and public sector undertakings under National Horticultural Mission and sub schemes like Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
Meanwhile this decision was taken under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture  (MIDH) which is a centrally sponsored scheme  for  the holistic  growth  of  the  horticulture  sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.    
Under this mission, Government of India (GOI) will contribute 85% of the total outlay for developmental programmes in all states  except North East and Himalayas where the contribution will be 100%.
MIDH is central scheme to run through 12th Plan period ( 2012-2017) subsuming all other existing  schemes in horticulture development like Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States ( HMNEH), National Horticulture Board ( NHB), National Bamboo Mission, Central Institute for Horticulture and  Coconut Development Board (CDH).  
According to officials, technology will play an important role in different interventions such  as Information  Communication  Technology  (ICT),  Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System will be widely used for planning and monitoring purposes  including identification  of  sites  for  creating infrastructure facilities for post harvest management, markets and production forecasts.
Under production and distribution of planting materials, this mission will help in setting up nurseries, tissue culture units, vegetable seed production, import of planting material, establishment of new gardens, seed infrastructure, mushroom production, rejuvenation of less productive orchards and plantations, Creation of Water Sources, Protected Cultivation like green house, net house and plastic tunnels.
Several new initiatives have been adopted under this mission like bee keeping, Precision Farming Development Centres (PFDC), horticulture  mechanisation, post harvest management and cold storage infrastructure. Precision Farming Development Centres (PFDC) which will be involved in developing regionally differentiated  technologies for development of localized horticulture crops.  The scheme will also promote organic farming, only for those crops which command premium by way of adoption of organic farming techniques.
Horticulture mechanization is aimed to improve farm efficiency and reduce drudgery of  farm  work  force. Assistance for horticulture mechanization will be available to grower associations, farmer groups, Self Help Groups, women farmer groups having at least 10 members, who are engaged in cultivation of horticultural crops, provided balance 60% of the cost of machines and tools is borne by such groups.
Under  post-harvest  management,  including  that for Medicinal  plants,activities like handling,  grading,  pre-conditioning,  packaging, transient storage, transportation,  distribution,  curing  and  ripening  and  where  possible  long  term storage  can be taken up.These projects will be entrepreneur driven  and provided  credit linked  back-ended  subsidy.

Source: Anindita Dey  http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/imports-of-plating-material-to-be-fully-subsidised-in-revamped-national-horticulture-mission-114032100861_1.html

Pruning & Training Apple & Pear Trees

Training and pruning are essential for growing fruit successfully. Fruit size, quality and pest management are influenced by training and pruning. Untrained and unpruned trees become entangled masses of shoots and branches that produce little or no fruit and harbor insects and diseases.

Consider the following tips when training and pruning fruit crops:

1. Before training or pruning a plant, visualize the results of the action. Once a branch is pruned out or removed, it cannot be replaced.
2. Train as much as possible and remove as little as possible. Bending and tying shoots instead of cutting them out, especially on apple and pear trees can induce early fruit production.
3. Use sharp pruning tools to make clean cuts.
4. Discard or compost pruned out shoots and branches. These plant parts will serve as dwelling sites for insects and diseases and should be removed from the area to reduce pest populations.

Training begins at planting and may be required for several years. Pruning is an annual management practice. Two basic pruning cuts are heading and thinning. Heading or heading back removes the terminal portion of shoots or limbs. Thinning removes an entire shoot or limb to its point of origin on the main branch or lateral.

Light pruning can be performed throughout the growing season to remove broken, injured or diseased branches and to improve air circulation to control foliar diseases. Major removal of twigs and branches should be done during the dormant season, preferably before active growth begins in the spring. Training and pruning procedures vary according to the type, age and variety of fruit crop.

The types of branching involved in pruning are illustrated below.

Suggested Pruning Cuts

A. Suckers.
B. Stubs or broken branches.
C. Downward-growng branches
D. Rubbing or criss-crossing branches
E. Shaded interior branches
F. Competing leaders
G. Narrow crotches
H. Whorls

Initial Training & Pruning

The day apple trees are planted is the day to begin to train and prune for future production. Too often backyard growers plant apple trees and leave them untended for several years. This neglect results in poor growth and delayed fruiting.
Apple trees are trained to a modified leader system. The tree should be trained with one central leader or main trunk in the center, with several wide-angled limbs spaced around the leader. The tree should mature to a pyramidal shape.

The picture below shows correct and incorrect pruning of an apple tree.

Use "spur-type" strains or grow apples on dwarfing rootstock to make training and pruning easier. Spur-type and dwarf trees produce fruit at an earlier age than full-sized trees. These trees are also easier to manage and harvest than full-sized trees are.

If one-year-old unbranched "whips" are planted, head to the desired height - about 28 to 32 inches for standard and 30 to 35 inches for spur-type and semi-dwarf trees.

When the buds grow out to 4 to 5 inches, select a central leader and scaffold branches. Scaffolds (side branches) should be spaced at least 6 inches apart vertically and at equal intervals around the trunk. Between three and six branches may be selected as scaffolds during the first summer or may be left to grow throughout the season and selectively pruned out during the dormant season.

If young trees are branched when they come from the nursery or garden center, remove any broken branches and those that form angles less than 45° with the main trunk. Eliminate competing leaders by removing the less desirable branch. Head-back the central leader by one-third in the second year. Make the cut close to a bud that is growing in a suitable direction or to a lateral branch. Keep pruning to a minimum during the early years to encourage the trees to produce fruiting wood.

Pear trees naturally develop narrow angled, upright branches. To train properly angled scaffold branches, either weight the branches, tie branches to pegs in the ground or brace the branches apart with spacer sticks.

Pruning Bearing Trees

Prune bearing trees to maintain a balance between vegetative growth and fruit production. The first three years should be spent on training only, but by the fourth and fifth years, the trees can be allowed to produce a light crop.

Pruning bearing trees is critical to maintain healthy fruiting wood. Remove weak, "shaded-out" wood, diseased or dead wood, watersprouts and root suckers. Control tree height by cutting back the top portion of the tree to weak lateral branches.

For flower buds to develop well, all branches of the tree should be exposed to adequate sunlight. This can be a challenge in the lower portion of the tree. On the lowest whorl of secondary scaffolds, merely tip the terminal shoots of these branches rather than cutting them back to laterals. If the fruit quality and yield diminish in older trees, some heavy pruning may be done carefully to restore tree shape and allow more sunlight to penetrate into the tree.

Thinning

Apple and pear trees grown under favorable conditions will set more fruit than they are capable of carrying to maturity. It is essential to remove excess fruit from the trees to assure satisfactory development of fruit remaining on the tree. Failure to remove the excess fruit will decrease flower formation for the following year and cause the tree to produce a crop only every other year.

Fruit should be removed by hand to one per cluster. Space fruiting clusters about every 6 inches along the limb. To remove the fruit without damaging the spur or other pears on the spur, hold the stem between the thumb and forefinger and push the fruit from the stem with the other fingers. This method will remove the pear leaving the stem attached to the spur.

The earlier that hand thinning is completed, the more effective it will be in achieving the desired results. Midsummer thinning will help to improve fruit size, but it will not aid in the formation of next year's flower buds. Most of the flower buds for next year are initiated during a four to six week period following full bloom, so thin before this time.

Pruning Neglected Apple Trees

Many people will purchase a house where an apple tree was planted on the property several years ago. Often, the previous owners did not take the time to properly prune the tree. The tree has become bushy and weak and will produce very poor quality apples. Such a tree requires extensive corrective pruning.

The main objective in pruning such a tree is to try and open up the interior to allow good light penetration. The first step is to remove all the upright, vigorous growing shoots at their base that are shading the interior. As with the young apple trees, it is necessary to select 3 to 5 lower scaffold branches with good crotch angles and spaced around the tree. Limbs with poor angles, and excess scaffold limbs, should be removed at their base. In some cases it is advisable to spread the corrective pruning over two to three seasons. When severe pruning is done in the winter, the trees should not be fertilized that spring.

 

Source: www.clemson.edu