Articles
GENETIC DIVERSITY OF TEMPERATE FRUITS IN INDIA
Article number
565_4
Pages
39 – 43
Language
English
Abstract
About 700 accessions of apples and 130 accessions pears, including wild species, cultivars and rootstocks have been collected.
While in the early fifties the green English apple varieties were mostly grown, presently, the coloured Delicious varieties dominate Indian apple industry.
In recent years, improved spur-types and standard colour mutants are gaining popularity.
Hybridizations were initiated during sixties resulting in the release of several varieties.
Two scab resistant varieties, Firdous and Shireen, were released for cultivation.
Selection for better keeping-processing quality, and clonal rootstocks adapted to local conditions, are priority goals, particularly for high-density plantings.
Breeding for low chilling is an important goal for pears, peaches, plums and almonds.
Bartlett is the leading pear in the high hills, while oriental types are popular in sub-mountainous areas.
Eighty one apricot cultivars were introduced and several semi-wild types have been located in the mid hills and cold desert areas of North-West Himalayas.
Indigenous types, both of sweet kernel (Narmu) and bitter kernel (Khantay) are available.
Sweet cherries were introduced from European countries, USA and from the former USSR. A large number of low and high chilling requirement cultivars for the high hills were introduced in early seventies and many are now under cultivation.
European plums for higher elevations and Japanese plums for sub-mountainous at lower elevations are cultivated in limited scale.
Santa Rosa covers 70 to 80% of the area cultivated with plums, but 238 accessions have been introduced.
Most of the almond orchards in Kashmir Valley are of seedling origin.
There are 154 accessions of almond reported in the country, and low-chilling cultivars introduced from USA and former USSR have been evaluated
Walnut is indigenous to North-Western Himalayan region and a large number of seedling types are available, so far 58 exotic cultivars have been introduced.
Some of the local selections and introductions like Blackmore, Colby, Lake English, Nelson were reported as promising.
While in the early fifties the green English apple varieties were mostly grown, presently, the coloured Delicious varieties dominate Indian apple industry.
In recent years, improved spur-types and standard colour mutants are gaining popularity.
Hybridizations were initiated during sixties resulting in the release of several varieties.
Two scab resistant varieties, Firdous and Shireen, were released for cultivation.
Selection for better keeping-processing quality, and clonal rootstocks adapted to local conditions, are priority goals, particularly for high-density plantings.
Breeding for low chilling is an important goal for pears, peaches, plums and almonds.
Bartlett is the leading pear in the high hills, while oriental types are popular in sub-mountainous areas.
Eighty one apricot cultivars were introduced and several semi-wild types have been located in the mid hills and cold desert areas of North-West Himalayas.
Indigenous types, both of sweet kernel (Narmu) and bitter kernel (Khantay) are available.
Sweet cherries were introduced from European countries, USA and from the former USSR. A large number of low and high chilling requirement cultivars for the high hills were introduced in early seventies and many are now under cultivation.
European plums for higher elevations and Japanese plums for sub-mountainous at lower elevations are cultivated in limited scale.
Santa Rosa covers 70 to 80% of the area cultivated with plums, but 238 accessions have been introduced.
Most of the almond orchards in Kashmir Valley are of seedling origin.
There are 154 accessions of almond reported in the country, and low-chilling cultivars introduced from USA and former USSR have been evaluated
Walnut is indigenous to North-Western Himalayan region and a large number of seedling types are available, so far 58 exotic cultivars have been introduced.
Some of the local selections and introductions like Blackmore, Colby, Lake English, Nelson were reported as promising.
Authors
S.P. Ghosh
Keywords
low chilling requirement, adaptation
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