Araku apples likely to hit market in two years, say CCMB scientists

Eastern Ghats seem to be suitable to grow apples since they experience chilly weather

Chief Professor of CCMB (Hyderabad) Ramesh Agarwal , Senior Principal Scientist A. Veerabhadra Rao ADR of RARS Joginaidu and Scientist of RARS D. Sekhar watch as a gardener tends an apple plant at RARS, Chintapalli on Saturday.—Photo: By Arrangement

Araku apples are most likely to hit the market in two years. This was the impression senior scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, expressed with confidence on Saturday after they examined the apple plants on the premises of the Regional Agriculture Research Station of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agriculture University at Chintapalli in Visakha Agency two years ago.

As an experiment, the CCMB planted 100 apple plants at RARS and 10 each at Araku, GK Vedhi and Lammasingi as these areas located high on the Eastern Ghats, seemed to be suitable to grow apples since they experience chilly weather. Lammasingi experiences zero degree temperature on some days during winter.

“Flowers (of the plants) are good to ensure good pollination we expect the apple fruits would also be good. Seventy per cent of the plants are good though last year many have not flowered. The size of fruits and their taste would be good,” the CCMB scientists said.

Non-traditional areas

The CCMB has taken up apple cultivation on an experimental basis in non-traditional areas under a CSIR programme and has provided the plant varieties that suit such areas to the Visakha Agency.

The varieties are being raised in Florida and Israel, which are non-traditional areas. It has been taken up for the first in South Zone in Visakha Agency.

If the apple cultivation found to be suitable in this area, it could add up to the efforts of the government to improve the economy of the Girijans of the Visakha Agency, who are already finding great help in coffee cultivation.

Expansion

The CCMB is expanding the experiment to other areas. Ten thousand plants would be distributed to farmers in Araku, Paderu and Chintapalli areas in Visakha Agency, Koraput in Odisha and Adilabad in Telangana, before December 16. It would also provide fertilizers and pesticides free of cost.

In the case of Visakha Agency, Project Director of ITDA, Paderu, has agreed to extend support to the programme from the horticulture wing of the ITDA.

As an experiment, the CCMB planted 100 apple plants at RARS and 10 each at Araku, GK Vedhi and Lammasingi as these areas, located high on the Eastern Ghats, seem to be suitable to grow apples since they experience chilly weather