Apple cultivation isn’t something one expects to see in the tropics. But in the hills of north Telangana, an experiment to change that is, literally, bearing fruit.
In a small orchard in Dhanora village, Kerameri Mandal, Kumram Bheem Asifabad district (one of the four districts carved out of what was Adilabad) apple trees planted a year ago are fruiting.
The achievement is a result of a few years of experimentation in apple genomics by scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, which produced ‘low-chilling’ varieties of the plant, that is, they are able to withstand hot weather.
Last year, an experiment in apple cultivation at the Regional Agriculture Research Station at Chintapally, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, demonstrated that the fruit can be grown in the hot and arid uplands of Kerameri. The scientists say that the area is conducive for growth of the modified apples, as it is at about 2,300 feet above sea level. “Dhanora is surrounded by hills, while cold winds from the North are not blocked owing to deforestation,” Dr. A Veerabhadra Rao, senior Principal Scientist at CCMB said.
CCMB supplied 120 tribal farmers with about 2,000 grafts of three low-chilling varieties. Kendre Balaji, a local farmer, is growing 150 plants, a mixture of all varieties, using organic cultivation methods which improve the nutritional value of his soil. His plants have shown excellent growth, including flowering and fruiting.
“The apples are expected to taste good,” said Professor Ramesh Agarwal, CCMB’s Chief Scientist.
