Blooming behavior and pollen characteristics of exotic apple cultivars under high density planting systems of Kashmir

Abstract

The present investigation entitled “Blooming behavior and pollen characteristics of exotic apple cultivars under High Density Planting System” was undertaken at experimental fields of Division of Fruit Science, SKUAST-Kashmir, during the year 2017. The productivity of apple in Jammu and Kashmir is 12 metric tons per hectare, when it is compared with the productivity of developed nations of the world this figure is very low and there is plenty of difference in the productivity. In order to curtail this gap, eight exotic apple cultivars introduced from Holland, of uniform age namely Mitch Gala, Elrosa, Wiltons Star, Golden Delicious Reinders, Red Delicious Camspur, Red Braeburn, Jonagold A and Jonagold DC Robijin on M9T337 rootstock, were evaluated under Kashmir conditions. Blooming behavior and pollen characteristic measurements were performed on all the cultivars. Flowering characteristics revealed that earliest blooming cultivar was Red Braeburn while as Golden Delicious Reinders was the late blooming cultivar. In case of flowering duration maximum days of 13.03 was recorded in Golden Delicious Reinders while as minimum of 10.33 days in Elrosa. Maximum pollen viability (80.80%) and pollen germination (73.38%) was recorded in cultivar Golden Delicious Reinders while as Jonagold DC Robijin recorded minimum percentage of pollen viability (50.30%) and pollen germination (34.66%).