Floral Phenology Investigation of Exotic Apple Cultivars Under Shopian District of Jammu and Kashmir

Available online at www.ijpab.com Pandit et al Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5 (1): 575-584 (2017) ISSN: 2320 – 7051 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.2533 ISSN: 2320 – 7051 Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5 (1): 575-584 (2017) Research Article Floral Phenology Investigation of Exotic Apple Cultivars under Shopian District of Jammu and Kashmir Bilal Ahmad Pandit1, M. Shafi Wani1, Shahnawaz Ahmad Dar2* and Rayees Ahmad Malik3 1Division of Fruit Science, Sher-e-Kashmir university of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar-Srinagar (J&K)-190025 2Division of Entomology, Sher-e-Kashmir university of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar-Srinagar (J&K)-190025 3Department of Chemistry, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agricultural Technology and Sciences, Allahabad 211007(UP) *Corresponding Author E-mail: [email protected] Received: 3.02.2017 | Revised: 12.02.2017 | Accepted: 15.02.2017 ABSTRACT The present investigation was conducted by Division of Fruit Science, SKUAST-Kashmir at Advanced Centre for Horticulture Development Zainapora, Shopian Jammu and Kashmir during 2012 and 2013 on floral phenology investigation of exotic apple cultivars to identify the varieties st which bloom early, or mid-season and last. During the studies, 1 set of varieties Red Gravenstein, Braeburn and Ginger Gold recorded advanced pink bud (32.65,34.06 and 34.04 DARD), full bloom (45.70, 47.85 and 47.79 DARD), duration of flowering (16.57, 16.52 and 15.70 DARD), diameter of flower (4.76, 4.78 and 4.08cm), complete petal fall ( 55.65,58.52 and 57.20 DARD), flower colour (Whitish, Pinkish white and Whitish), pollen germination (51.43, 74.47 and 72.54) and pollen viability (54.75, 83.41and 68.20 ) respectively. The 2nd set of genotypes i.e. Gala Must, Royal Gala, Scarlet Spur, Oregon Spur, Golden Delicious and Red Gold noticed pink bud, full bloom, duration of flowering, diameter of flower and petal fall after 1st set. The 3rd set of cultivars i.e. Law Red Rome and Early Red One were found to show these stages later than earlier sets. Key words: Apple Pollination, Exotic Genotypes, Pollen Compatibility. INTRODUCTION number of factors has to be reviewed seriously The productivity of apple in Jammu and and address them priority wise. Over 7,500 Kashmir is 8.57 metric tons per hectare, when apple cultivars are known and used not only it is compared with the productivity of for fresh consumption, but also for developed nations of the world, this figure is consumption as processed materials, such as very low and there is plenty of difference in juice, pie, or cider8. the productivity. In order to curtail this gap a Cite this article: Pandit, B.A., Wani, M.A., Dar, S.A. and Malik, R.A., Floral Phenology Investigation of Exotic Apple Cultivars under Shopian District of Jammu and Kashmir, Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5(1): 575- 584 (2017). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.2533 Copyright © February, 2017; IJPAB 575 Pandit et al Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5 (1): 575-584 (2017) ISSN: 2320 – 7051 Apple and apple products, including juices and promise in terms of productivity, quality and extracts, have beneficial effects on performance under valley conditions. The Alzheimer‟s disease, bone health, cognitive State Horticulture Department has now decline during normal aging, diabetes, and started supplying the planting material of gastrointestinal protection from drug injury13. these varieties to the farmers of the valley Apple is the most produced fruits in temperate without knowing the pollination status of climate areas and is expanding into subtropical these Washington brought varieties. So it was and tropical areas6. However, recent global the need of the hour to verify the pollination climate changes manifested in rising aspect of these varieties. temperatures and late frosts in the flowering season caused poorer coloring of apple fruit MATERIALS AND METHODS skin and frost damage to pistils30. The central The present investigation entitled “Floral flowers had an intense but short stigmatic phenology investigation of exotic apple activity, whereas lateral flowers had a discrete cultivars under Shopian District of Jammu and but much longer stigmatic activity18. As apple Kashmir” was conducted at „Advanced Centre (Malus domestica) shows gametophytic self for Horticulture Development Zainapora, and cross-incompatibility, and at least two Shopian Jammu and Kashmir during 2012 and genetically distinct cultivars are necessary for 2013. Full bearing exotic apple cultivars stable apple production. Therefore, pollination spaced at 4m x 4m distance, uniform in age is an important and inseparable component in were selected for experimentation in apple respect of regular and consistent production. In orchard. All recommended package of a fruit crop like apple, pollination is of utmost practices for apple cultivation were followed significance and its proportion and magnitude as per schedule. Single tree in each variety is primarily based upon appropriate selection constituted an experimental unit and each of varieties7. The viability, tube growth and cultivar was replicated three times. The eleven morphological homogeneity related to pollen genotypes used were Gala Must, Royal Gala, quality are the most important properties in Early Red One, Law Red Rome, Scarlet Spur, fruit trees. These properties are useful for plant Oregon Spur, Braeburn, Ginger Gold, Red breeders, geneticists, researchers, development Gravenstein, Golden Delicious and Red Gold. departments and growers5. The phenological stages were observed Apple industry of Jammu and Kashmir visually like, date of advanced pink bud stage State got revolutionized with the introduction (when the buds appeared fully pink coloured), of Delicious group, which accounts for about date of full bloom (when about 80-90% of 60 per cent of the total apple production. Fruit flowers were open), the duration of flowering industry has become back bone of rural was worked out as the period (days) between economy and nearly four million people are the advanced pink bud and end of flowering, directly or indirectly involved with this diameter of flower (diameter of the flower was industry, but due to the monoculture, measured in centimeters (cm) with a economic returns of the growers have not measuring scale), date of complete petal fall grown as per their expectations. Therefore, (This stage was observed visually when 90% stress is being laid on increasing the of flowers showed petal fall), and in each compatible varietal spectrum of fruit crops tagged tree of each cultivar under study for particularly apple. Lately State Horticulture both the years. The dates thus recorded were Department has introduced some exotic converted to days after reference date (DARD) cultivars of apple which are in bearing at fixed arbitrarily as 1st March. Flower colour “Advanced Centre for Horticulture was observed visually and recorded when Development Zainapora, Shopian” Jammu experimental unit exhibited 100 per cent of and Kashmir, India. Some of these newly open flowers. Freshly dehisced pollen grains introduced varieties have been found to hold were used for in vitro pollen germination and Copyright © February, 2017; IJPAB 576 Pandit et al Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5 (1): 575-584 (2017) ISSN: 2320 – 7051 pollen tube growth was observed for each 2013, the minimum number of days 12.56 genotype under microscope after 24 hours of recorded in Law Red Rome followed by Royal incubation period at 22±2oC.Then pollens Gala (13.19 days) and Gala Must (13.85 days). were left for 1 hour for staining and examined The cultivar Red Gravenstein took appreciably under microscope. For in vitro pollen viability more number of days (16.48) followed by analysis, Acetocarmine solution was prepared Braeburn and Ginger Gold (16.02 and 15.20 and pollens were left for one hour for staining DARD) during 2013. and examined under microscope. The Diameter of flowering experiment was laid in randomized block The largest size of the flower recorded in the design with eleven treatments and three cultivar Red Gold with diameter of 5.23cm replications. For statistical analysis followed by 5.06cm in Golden Delicious, Randomized Block Design was followed and which was at par with 5.03cm as recorded in cultivars were considered as variants. The Gala Must during the first year of study. observations recorded were subjected to However, the minimum size of the flower statistical analysis as per the method of (4.13cm diameter) noticed in Scarlet spur, Analysis of Variance11. The significance and which was at par with 4.16cm diameter as non-significance of the treatment effects were noticed in Ginger Gold during 2012 year judged with the help of „F‟ variance ratio test (table-4). The largest diameter of the flower against the critical difference at 5% level. (5.30cm) recorded in Red Gravenstein during 2013 followed by 5.13cm in Golden Delicious RESULTS and Gala Must (5.06cm), the minimum Date of advanced pink bud diameter (4.00cm) of the flower recorded in It is evident from the table-1 that maximum Ginger Gold followed by Scarlet spur 4.13cm. number (49.59 and 48.23 DARD) of days to Date of complete petal fall reach the advanced pink bud stage noticed in The recorded data revealed minimum number the cultivar Law Red Rome followed by Early (57.49 DARD) taken by the cultivar Red Red One (44.72 and 42.15 DARD) during Gravenstein to reach the final petal fall stage 2012 and 2013 respectively. The minimum followed by Ginger Gold (59.28 DARD) number (33.44 and 31.86 DARD) observed during 2012 (Table-5) and similar trend was with Red Gravenstein, which was statistically recorded in second year of study also. The at par with Ginger Gold (35.32 and 32.76 maximum number (71.35 DARD) was taken DARD) during the course of investigations.

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