PRODUCTIVITY AND FRUIT QUALITY OF SOME SPUR TYPE APPLE CULTIVARS UNDER A HIGH DENSITY SYSTEM

The productivity and fruit quality of apple under Indian conditions can be optimized by the use of newer cultivars and size-controlling rootstocks and by improving management practices. The present studies were conducted on ‘Oregon Spur’, ‘Well Spur’, ‘Silver Spur’, ‘Starkrimson’ and ‘Red Chief’ grafted on three rootstocks, EMLA-26, EMLA-7 and EMLA-106 tested under a split plot design with three replications. The results indicated that maximum fruit set (65.9%), yield (21.4 kg tree^-1) and productivity (47.5 t ha^-1) were recorded with ‘Oregon Spur’ during both years of study. The cultivar grown on EMLA-106 recorded the highest fruit set, yield and productivity. The best quality fruits were obtained with ‘Red Chief’. Among the rootstocks, EMLA-106 yielded the better quality fruits in comparison to the other rootstocks. The studies revealed that the ‘Oregon Spur’ and ‘Red Chief’ grafted on EMLA-106 rootstock were found to be superior over the rest of the combinations in terms of productivity and fruits quality and can thus be recommended for growing apples under high density in the valley areas of North-Western Himalayas.