After more than a decade of hectic efforts and numerous trials, scientists at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture, Science and Technology (SKAUST) have developed country's first scab-resistant varieties of apples: Shireen, Akbar, Shalimar I and Shalimar II.
While saplings of the first two varieties are already being grown, Shalimar I & II are awaiting approval from the screening committee.
Officials said thousands of apple saplings of the two new varieties have been distributed among the growers across the Valley who had been losing swathes of their orchards to various diseases, particularly scab, even after cumulatively spending more than an estimated Rs 100 crore on pesticides annually.
“These indigenous varieties were developed after cross-breeding different varieties of apples. Both Shireen and Akbar have proved successful," said Dr Fayez Ahmad Banday, head, Department of Pamology, SKUAST.
“These two varieties were developed in early 2000. We have started extensive distribution of the saplings of these varieties from this season onwards,” he said, adding that the new varieties will start yielding fruits in the coming years,
“Buoyed by the outcome, we have developed two more varieties, Shalimar I and Shalimar II,” he said.
“Besides being disease-resistant, the fruits showed good production in the trials,” he said, adding that the saplings of the two new varieties will also be distributed among the growers over the next few weeks.
Pamology, HoD, SKUAST said Shalimar I and Shalimar II will also be released to the growers after a meeting with Jammu and Kashmir's screening committee. “All the four varieties are indigenous and were developed after cross breeding of different varieties of the apples for years.”
And for the three million people who are directly and indirectly dependent on the fruit, the varieties will come as a blessing. “Introduction of new varieties is going to save crores of rupees that growers used to spend on pesticides and fungicides,” president, Fruit Growers and Dealers Association, Ghulam Rasool Bhat, said.
However, the saplings are yet to reach the growers.
“Four new indigenous varieties have been developed by the agriculture university. But unfortunately, the saplings haven’t been taken to the growers yet,” he said.
Source: indianexpress.com
Publication date: 2/13/2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
India: Vegetable prices hit a new high
Unseasonal rain, rise in transportation charges jack up prices. Hyderabad: Abnormal rain, low production and rising transportation charges are behind the escalating vegetable prices in twin cities this season. However, one can heave a sigh of relief as authorities feel the prices would come under control in a fortnight as the crops would be ready for harvest.
Factors
Irregular rains that lashed twin cities and its fringes during the last two months destroyed majority of the crops, resulting in low supply and high demand. This apart, real estate impact in Chevella, Medchal, Shamshabad and other areas in Ranga Reddy district had an adverse effect on the vegetable production as many farmers turned into realtors, says Bowenpally Agricultural Market Committee Secretary S. Khader Vali.
The good news
Nevertheless, this would not continue for long. Crops in Shankerpalli, Nawabpet, Vikarabad, Doultabad, Toopran and Shamirpet would be ready for harvest in November first week and prices would become stable by then, he explains. Meanwhile, prices of vegetables have hit the roof in different markets in twin cities. While, Bitter and Ribbed Gourds that were sold at Rs. 14 per kg last week, now cost Rs. 18 per kg at Erragadda Rythu Bazar.
Similarly, French and Field beans cost Rs. 20 per kg.
Factors
Irregular rains that lashed twin cities and its fringes during the last two months destroyed majority of the crops, resulting in low supply and high demand. This apart, real estate impact in Chevella, Medchal, Shamshabad and other areas in Ranga Reddy district had an adverse effect on the vegetable production as many farmers turned into realtors, says Bowenpally Agricultural Market Committee Secretary S. Khader Vali.
The good news
Nevertheless, this would not continue for long. Crops in Shankerpalli, Nawabpet, Vikarabad, Doultabad, Toopran and Shamirpet would be ready for harvest in November first week and prices would become stable by then, he explains. Meanwhile, prices of vegetables have hit the roof in different markets in twin cities. While, Bitter and Ribbed Gourds that were sold at Rs. 14 per kg last week, now cost Rs. 18 per kg at Erragadda Rythu Bazar.
Similarly, French and Field beans cost Rs. 20 per kg.
Friday, October 17, 2008
India: Agri-growth not less than 3 pc this year: Abhijit Sen
Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen today sounded more optimistic than the PM's Economic Advisory Council with his projection that the agriculture growth would not be less than three per cent this year. The Prime Minister Economy Advisory Council (PMEAC) has projected a mere two per cent growth in the sector for the current year.
"Considering the first advance agriculture estimates of the current year along with the final estimates of last year, agriculture growth this year should not be less than three per cent," Sen said after releasing a report on food prices compiled by an international agency Oxfam India.
Earlier in August, PMEAC had projected the agriculture production to grow at a lower pace of two per cent in the current year as against 4.5 per cent in 2007-08. The reasons for the slackening projections were higher base and uneven spread of the South-West Monsoon in July.
Noting food production, Sen said as per the first estimates, rice and soybean output is expected to be more, while other cereals lower than last year. "Overall, agriculture growth during the 11th Plan period would be fairly good at around four per cent," Sen, who is also an agriculture economist, said. In the last three years, the average agriculture growth has stood at 4.2 per cent and "we will achieve more than the set target of four per cent by the end of the 11th Plan," he noted.
On huge hike in minimum support price (MSP) under UPA government, Sen said MSP was increased at a lower rate by Rs 10 to 20 per quintal by the last government because stocks were high. Whereas now, MSP is increased as stocks are very low.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
"Considering the first advance agriculture estimates of the current year along with the final estimates of last year, agriculture growth this year should not be less than three per cent," Sen said after releasing a report on food prices compiled by an international agency Oxfam India.
Earlier in August, PMEAC had projected the agriculture production to grow at a lower pace of two per cent in the current year as against 4.5 per cent in 2007-08. The reasons for the slackening projections were higher base and uneven spread of the South-West Monsoon in July.
Noting food production, Sen said as per the first estimates, rice and soybean output is expected to be more, while other cereals lower than last year. "Overall, agriculture growth during the 11th Plan period would be fairly good at around four per cent," Sen, who is also an agriculture economist, said. In the last three years, the average agriculture growth has stood at 4.2 per cent and "we will achieve more than the set target of four per cent by the end of the 11th Plan," he noted.
On huge hike in minimum support price (MSP) under UPA government, Sen said MSP was increased at a lower rate by Rs 10 to 20 per quintal by the last government because stocks were high. Whereas now, MSP is increased as stocks are very low.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Thursday, October 16, 2008
High quality of Banana developed
The Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory at Uchani in Karnal has developed a high quality plant of banana by using Tissue Culture Technology and with this the banana production in Haryana would be started by next year. Giving this information a spokesman of the Horticulture Department said today that in this Laboratory, successful research had been conducted on Kufri Badhshah and Pukhraj varieties of Potato which were brought from Central Research Center at Shimla.
Source: hindu.com
Publication date: 10/13/2008
The Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory at Uchani in Karnal has developed a high quality plant of banana by using Tissue Culture Technology and with this the banana production in Haryana would be started by next year. Giving this information a spokesman of the Horticulture Department said today that in this Laboratory, successful research had been conducted on Kufri Badhshah and Pukhraj varieties of Potato which were brought from Central Research Center at Shimla.
Source: hindu.com
Publication date: 10/13/2008
Himachal Apples
India: Himachal Pradesh sells 20 mn apple boxes
The apple season in Himachal Pradesh is almost over with more than 20 million boxes having been transported out of the state so far. The season, which started nearly three months ago, will continue for a few weeks more. "Almost two crore (20 million) cartons have been sent to various markets across the country", horticulture department director Gurdev Singh told IANS Wednesday.
Each carton has 25 kg of apples, he said. "More than 14 lakh (1.4 million) boxes of apples from the Chango, Ribba and Namgiya valleys (in Kinnaur district) and Hurling (in the Spiti subdivision) have been transported. This time we have estimated the total production in Kinnaur alone to be around 16.5 lakh (1.65 milion) boxes", said the department’s deputy director S.S. Mehta.
This is slightly less than last year’s record two million cartons sent from Kinnaur district. Singh said in the coming weeks, more than 2.5 million boxes of apples from the across the state would reach the markets. However, with the arrival of the fruit from neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir, the demand for the produce from Himachal has come down, with prices too falling. Said Ram Singh Negi, a trader at the wholesale fruit market in Solan, 55 km from the state capital: ‘Now a 25 kg box of royal apples, which was selling at Rs.1,000 to Rs.1,050 last month, has come down to around Rs.700.’
He attributed this to the arrival of apples from Kashmir. Himachal Pradesh is known as the ‘apple bowl of the country’, with the fruit accounting for about 40 percent of the total area under fruit cultivation in the state. More than 200,000 families are engaged in apple cultivation, 90 percent of them being small and marginal farmers with an average holding of less than 0.6 hectare. Besides apples, other fruits such as pears, peaches, cherries and plums are the major commercial crops of the state.
Source: sindhtoday.net
Publication date: 10/16/2008
The apple season in Himachal Pradesh is almost over with more than 20 million boxes having been transported out of the state so far. The season, which started nearly three months ago, will continue for a few weeks more. "Almost two crore (20 million) cartons have been sent to various markets across the country", horticulture department director Gurdev Singh told IANS Wednesday.
Each carton has 25 kg of apples, he said. "More than 14 lakh (1.4 million) boxes of apples from the Chango, Ribba and Namgiya valleys (in Kinnaur district) and Hurling (in the Spiti subdivision) have been transported. This time we have estimated the total production in Kinnaur alone to be around 16.5 lakh (1.65 milion) boxes", said the department’s deputy director S.S. Mehta.
This is slightly less than last year’s record two million cartons sent from Kinnaur district. Singh said in the coming weeks, more than 2.5 million boxes of apples from the across the state would reach the markets. However, with the arrival of the fruit from neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir, the demand for the produce from Himachal has come down, with prices too falling. Said Ram Singh Negi, a trader at the wholesale fruit market in Solan, 55 km from the state capital: ‘Now a 25 kg box of royal apples, which was selling at Rs.1,000 to Rs.1,050 last month, has come down to around Rs.700.’
He attributed this to the arrival of apples from Kashmir. Himachal Pradesh is known as the ‘apple bowl of the country’, with the fruit accounting for about 40 percent of the total area under fruit cultivation in the state. More than 200,000 families are engaged in apple cultivation, 90 percent of them being small and marginal farmers with an average holding of less than 0.6 hectare. Besides apples, other fruits such as pears, peaches, cherries and plums are the major commercial crops of the state.
Source: sindhtoday.net
Publication date: 10/16/2008
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