Hot, dry weather spells trouble for apple, stone fruit growers

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, June 11

The prolonged hot and dry weather conditions have hit apple growers and stone fruit growers hard in the upper Shimla area. While the apple growers are enduring higher than normal fruit dropping in June and yellowing of the plants, the size of stone fruit like cherry and apricots has been restricted by the consistently high temperatures. As the likelihood of good rain until the arrival of the monsoon seems bleak, the fruit growers are suspecting more damage to their produce.

“Fruit dropping in June is a normal phenomenon, but this time it’s unusually high in our area. Fruit setting was good, but the abnormally high dropping has made the growers anxious,” said Ashutosh Chauhan from Baghi, one of the major apple-growing areas at 8,000 feet altitude. “Also, apple plants are turning yellow due to lack of moisture in the soil. The old and young plants have gone into stress due to the prolonged high temperatures. If the heat wave conditions persist, the dropping would increase further,” he said.

In the Rohru area, the largest apple growing belt in the state, the apple growers are facing more or less the same issues. “In many areas, the dropping is more than normal. As the crop is already thin in most orchards, the high dropping rate will affect the production,” said Sanjeev Thakur, an apple grower from Chirgaon.

The other major issue apple growers are facing due to the drought-like conditions is the drying up of young plantation. “Not many growers have been able to save the plants that are two-three year old. It’s a big setback as the saplings are expensive, and it sets the growers back by another two-three years,” said Thakur.

Usha Sharma, senior scientist, KVK, Shimla, said the dropping or yellowing of the plant is being noticed more in the plants which were already sick or under stress. “The apple growers should try mulching to retain moisture in the soil. Also, they should avoid the application of any nutrient at this time,” said Sharma.

Meanwhile, Harish Chauhan, a progressive grower from Rohru, feels the apple economy has come under too much stress due to extreme weather conditions and small measures will not be of much use now. “Last year we had excessive rains. This year there’s excessive heat. The department of horticulture, scientists and fruit growers need to sit together and chalk out a strategy to save apple industry from the vagaries of weather. Otherwise, the apple cultivation will not be viable anymore,” warned Chauhan.