The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Himachal Pradesh, conducted a one-day capacity building workshop on "Sustainable Apple Orchard Management" at Nerwa in Shimla district on Friday. The event saw participation from a large number of apple growers from the Chopal region, along with officials from the Department of Horticulture and experts from leading institutions. The workshop aimed to disseminate information on the latest scientific and modern orchard management practices.
Expert Insights on Disease Management and Soil Health
Kushal Mehta, a subject matter specialist, emphasized the importance of adopting sustainable and scientific orchard management practices. He highlighted the necessity of following the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) guidelines for disease management in apple orchards to prevent the development of fungicide resistance. Surender Jasta, another subject matter specialist, demonstrated the scientific method of collecting leaf samples for nutrient analysis, enabling growers to assess soil health accurately.
Modern Marketing and Storage Techniques
Jayant Negi, Regional Business Development Manager at Zentron Labs, underscored the importance of modern marketing systems, market linkages, color sorting, and grading. He explained how these techniques could help growers achieve better prices for their produce. The program commenced with a welcome address by Manilokeshwar Chauhan, Director and State Head of CII-Himachal Pradesh. Sachin Sharma, Director of Agro Farm Venture Pvt. Ltd, elaborated on the quality parameters required for storing apples in Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage. He informed growers that Total Soluble Solids (TSS), starch index, fruit firmness (pressure), and seed color are key indicators for selecting fruits suitable for CA storage.
University Experts Address Scientific Production
During the technical session, experts from Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, delivered lectures on various aspects of scientific apple production. Naveen Sharma spoke on scientific orchard management, canopy management, balanced nutrition, pruning, flowering, fruit set, crop regulation, and fruit quality. Sangeeta Sharma focused on integrated pest management (IPM), specifically addressing mite management, woolly apple aphid, San Jose scale, and the safe and judicious use of pesticides.
