Shimla News: Alternaria disease has increased the problems of apple gardeners, loss of crores
Shimla, July 16: Apple growers in Himachal Pradesh are facing a serious crisis as the apple season has begun. The outbreak of Alternaria disease has affected up to 95 per cent of apple plants in some of the major apple growing areas of the region including Rohru, Kotkhai, Jubbal, Chaupal and Theog in Shimla district. This worrying situation came to light after inspection by teams of Dr. YS Parmar Horticulture and Forestry University Nauni.
Alternaria disease, which appears as brown and black spots on apples, is causing premature apple fall, raising concerns among apple growers and leading to losses worth crores.
Symptoms of Alternaria disease first appear in apple leaves, causing circular dark green spots to form on the upper surface of the plants. The dark green spots gradually turn brown and then dark brown, while the rest of the leaf turns yellow. As the Alternaria disease progresses, the leaves are falling prematurely, completely affecting the growth and quality of apples.
Explaining the gravity of the situation, Dr Sanjay Chauhan, subject expert, Horticulture Department, said: “Alternaria disease is very fatal for apple. The leaves fall off the apple plant even before the apple is harvested, leading to complete spoilage of the fruit.”
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A team from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Shimla inspected orchards in about 20 villages of Rohru, Kotkhai and Jubbal in Shimla district and identified Alternaria disease based on the symptoms observed. The infection rate varied in different orchards, with some orchards having up to 95 per cent infection. The severity of leaf disease reached 56.3 per cent in some areas.
Another team of KVK reported the infection rate of Alternaria disease between 60 to 70 per cent in Theog, while the infection rate of Alternaria disease was quite low in Chaupal and Nerwa areas, at a maximum of 3 per cent.
Dr. Usha Verma, in-charge of KVK Rohru, attributed several factors for the spread of Alternaria disease. “The disease spread due to low rainfall conditions from November 2023 to July 2024 and intermittent rains in June 2024. In addition, the high population of mites put the plants under stress, which further increased the outbreak of leaf spot disease.”
Scientist Dr. Aarti Shukla said that improper use of chemical sprays has weakened the apple plants, making them more susceptible to disease.
Dr. Shalini Verma said that the disease outbreak was more severe in those growers who did not use the fertilizers approved by the department properly.
The situation is very serious for apple growers, who are now facing huge losses due to premature fruit drop and spoilage caused by Alternaria disease. Immediate measures and assistance from agriculture authorities are required to minimize this impact and protect the remaining healthy orchards.
As apple growers in Himachal Pradesh are going through a challenging phase, the focus will be on controlling this disease and finding effective solutions to prevent further damage to the crops.
Collaboration between apple growers and agriculture scientists will be crucial in overcoming this outbreak and ensuring sustainability of apple cultivation in the region.
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