The new European blight has been found in apple orchards in Shimla. Do Apple Farmers need a Rethink on the Imported Varieties Amid Climate Challenges.
SHIMLA: The increasing temperatures and erratic weather patterns have made it clear that blindly planting imported apple varieties might not be the best strategy for farmers.
I remember back in 2014, I was the first to officially import new-generation Red Delicious varieties like Jeromine and Red Velox.
Initially, they seemed promising, but soon I sensed that our soil and weather weren’t doing these varieties any favors. The quality just wasn’t up to par.
In Europe and the USA, horticulture is a well-oiled machine.
They practice "Good Horticulture" with standard nutrition and precision farming techniques, including irrigation.
They carefully select sites based on productivity, and if a piece of land isn’t suitable, they leave it fallow. For them, horticulture is a long-term business, planned for 15-18 years.
But here, we've seen the fate of imported apple varieties since 1982.
Take the Vance Delicious, for example. It has vanished from our orchards, and the few plants that remain have reversed their mutations, becoming quite unattractive. Good farmers have resorted to topworking these trees.
Other varieties like Red Chief and Oregon Spur have also struggled, producing poor-sized apples in our low-quality soils and under subpar management.
Recently, we've seen varieties like Super Chief and Scarlet Spur develop thin skins with prominent lenticels, making them susceptible to russeting due to poor soil and erratic weather.
This year, Jeromine has shown a disorder caused by high temperatures and calcium uptake issues, leading to problems with compactness.
The weather has been unpredictable this year, from a poor winter to variable symptoms of pathogenic fungi and cracking disorders.
Farmers are crying out as their leaves turn black, yellow, and drop off. The unprecedented use of chemicals, whether pesticides or nutrients, is making plants vulnerable to new issues.
I've received countless photos of new blight, very common in Europe, especially in Italy and Holland.
This Alternaria blight goes beyond tanning symptoms, turning leaves black. It could be a mutation of Alternaria sp. or might have come with plant material from abroad.
Unfortunately, there’s no strict quarantine or checks in place.
Scientists recommend a few fungicides, particularly those related to zinc like Zineb, Ziram, and Mancozeb Z-78.
However, I have reservations about Zineb. It was part of the apple scab spray schedule in the 1980s but was dropped because it didn’t work well on the smooth surfaces of apple leaves.
It performs better on hairy surfaces, like potato leaves.
Zineb was initially used for early blight of potatoes in Himachal, where apples are now grown.
Our system lacks the technical and scientific rigor needed. It’s often a case of "Chep do" because 'Har Shakh per uulu batha hai' (there’s an owl on every branch).
We need to rethink our approach, especially as droughts and extreme weather make it clear that simply planting imported varieties can be counterproductive.
Comment: The university and horticulture department needs to check the liberal import of apple plants without propoer quarantine and saftey meadures by private individuals as these could ruin the apple industry.
(This article highlights the challenges apple farmers face with imported varieties, emphasizing the need for a more scientific and tailored approach to horticulture in the face of climate change).
