Pollination Deficit: The Hidden Cause of low fruit set in Kashmir’s Apple belt

              Jammu & Kashmir is well known for its apple exports as about 57% of the national produce of apples is contributed by the state. It is the 6th largest producer of walnuts (Juglans regia) in the world and an important producer and exporter of a wide variety of dry fruits. Jammu & Kashmir has been declared as “Agri Exports Zone for Apples and Walnuts”. Apples are a major produce of Jammu & Kashmir. During the last five years production in the state has increased from 1151.7 thousand metric tonnes in FY2006 to 1852 thousand metric tonnes in FY2011 (National Horticulture board, NHB) The apples exported in 2008-09 were priced at Rs 11,721 per ton, it was Rs 11,942 in 2009-10 and Rs 12,692 in 2010- 11; the apples imported carried a price tag of Rs 45,284 per ton in 2008-09, it was Rs 43,946 in 2009-10 and Rs 46,269 in 2010-11. As per Partap, 2011 unpublished data (Ex-V.C. SKUAST) Jammu & Kashmir loses 1600 crores of rupees per year because of lack of pollination in apple orchards. This is true that our production is increasing year by year but the quality of our fruit is so shameful that it is not able to compete with apple imported from other countries.

Some important methods of adequate pollination in apples Maintaining Pollinizer varieties in the orchardsMany of the commercial varieties of apples planted in Kashmir valley are self- incompatible and require cross-pollination with pollen from a compatible pollinizer variety. Orchardists must ensure there are sufficient pollinizer varieties throughout the orchard and that the bloom periods of the pollinizer and the king blossom of the apple tree overlap. The standard requirement is for 20% of trees to be pollinizers and the normal minimum requirement is 11% if trees are planted in a strict geometrical arrangement. This will help to gain maximum fruit set. Some important pollinizers include: Manchurian (crab tree), Snowdrift, Golden delicious, Red gold, Scarlet-Siberian and Spartan etc.

Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from anther (male part of a flower) to stigma (female part of a flower). The pollination is multi-dispensary subject that covers different branches of science, such as botany, horticulture, Floriculture, entomology, Pomology and ecology. The pollination process as an interaction between flower and vector was first addressed in the 18th century by Christian Konrad Sprengel. It is important in horticulture and agriculture, because fruiting is dependent on fertilization, which is the result of pollination. The apple (Malus domestica) tree is one of the most widely cultivated plants in the world with more than 7,500 known cultivars. The tree originated from central Asia where its wild ancestor is still found today. The top 10 countries that lead in apple production include CHINA (29,851,163 tonnes), USA (4,358,710 tonnes), Poland (2,830,870 tonnes), IRAN (2, 718, 775 tonnes), Turkey (2,504, 490 tonnes), IATLY (2,208,227 tonnes), INDIA (1,985,000 tonnes), FRANCE (1,940,200 tonnes), RUSSIA (1, 467,000 tonnes) and CHILE (1, 370,000 tonnes).

In order to study this pollination management in apple in Kashmir Valley, the Indian Counsel of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi has sanctioned a mega research project to SKUAST-K, Shalimar under Niche Area Excellence (NAE)-II “Pollination management research in apple and other fruits in Kashmir Valley” under the direct surveillance of then Honorable Vice Chancellor Dr. Tej Pratap and under supreme leadership of then Director Research Dr. Shafique Ahmad Wani for a period of 5 years. The scientists involved in this project  assessed the economic value of fruit-apple pollination and the economic impact of the decline of pollination services to farmers of Kashmir Valley; research on promising pollinizers and ways to enhance pollen availability; research on pollinators and other pollination factors to evolve techniques for managed fruit pollination, suited to farmers of the Valley; promote wider use of pollinators by the farmers, as an essential input, for apple and other fruit crops, to enhance productivity and to monitor decline, its cause and its impact on pollination services. 

While doing the field surveys of some apple producing belts of District Baramulla, Pulwama and Shopian the team of scientists under the leadership of Dr. M. A. Paray, found that the condition of farmers was worsening day by day.  Majority of the farmers do not have any idea about the Pollination, Pollinators and Pollinizers and how they enhance the quality and production of apple. Inadequate pollination not only reduces apple yield by causing poor fruit set, it also increases premature fruit drop and leads to poor fruit quality. The farmers are facing acute irrigation problems in their orchards. Apple industry is the second important economy of Jammu & Kashmir after tourism. If steps are not taken in educating farmers about the pollination management then time is not so far when our farmers and our state will lose this important sector of economy.

Researchers have found that more than 97% of insects that visit apple fruit blossoms are honey bees. The optimal number of hives/ha for apples has been researched since the mid 1970s, with recommendations of 1-12 hives/ha (Delaney and Tarpy 2008). The average rate of hive stocking across the scientific literature is 2-4 hives/ha although recommendations for particular orchards may be highly dependent on environmental and landscape factors.

Arrangement of hives:

Hive placement within the orchard is a very important factor to consider. It has been shown that bees prefer to forage within 100-300 m of their hives. Many different placement scenarios have been proposed depending upon the layout of the orchard but it has been generally recommended that groups of 4-8 hives be placed at intervals of 150 m throughout the orchard. In order to allow the bees to take full advantage of the early morning bloom time, it is also important to place hives in the sunlight. The selection of good hive sites and the use of hive stands will ultimately increase flight and help to insure foraging activity under marginal weather conditions. Hives should also be elevated slightly off the ground. Hives should be placed in sunny locations that are protected from the wind; they should not be set in low-lying areas where moisture or moisture-laden air will settle.

There are about 20,000 species of the native bees in spite of honey bees that act as pollinators. Some of the research work has revealed that pollination by native bees play an important role in crop pollination. Some important families of native bees include Halictidae, Megachalidae, Andreneidae, Mellitidae and Ceratidae. One of the important objective of present research in SKUAST-K will be to identify these native pollinators and utilize them in pollination management. In China, Japan, U.S.A scientists have successfully used these native bees for pollination purposes and the burden on honey bees as pollinators has been reduced to a minimum level.

Expert’s advice

Before planting new tress in an orchard a farmer must take suggestions from the concerned agriculturists (University or Horticulture department) located almost in every district of Jammu & Kashmir. They can instruct a farmer how and where to plant pollinizers and pollinators.

Risks:

Pesticides: One of the biggest drawbacks of placing bees near any agricultural crop is the possibility of colonies or field bees being affected by pesticides. Pesticides should

be kept to a minimum while hives remain on the property. Most poisoning occurs when pesticides are applied to flowering crops, pastures and weeds.

It is strongly recommended that growers take the following steps to prevent or reduce bee losses:

• follow the warnings on pesticide container labels

• select the least harmful insecticide for bees and spray late in the early morning or at night

• do not spray in conditions where spray might drift onto adjacent fields supporting foraging bees

• Do not spray during blossom time (15-20 days)

• dispose of waste chemical or used containers correctly

• always warn nearby beekeepers of your intention to spray in time for steps to be taken to protect the bees; give at least two days' notice

• always advise nearby farmers.

 Dr. Sajad H. Paray    

The Author is working as Sr. Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah, University Rajouri and can be reached at sajadzoo@gmail.com and views and opinions are authors own.