Apple plants imported from Italy hit by disease in Himachal

Subhash Rajta

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 9

A large amount of apple planting material imported from Italy in 2019 has either developed disease or has not sprouted at all. As per sources, more than 1.5 lakh plant material of the total consignment was kept at the Horticulture Department’s post entry quarantine (PEQ) site at Palampur.

“More than 50 per cent of the plants did not sprout at all. Maybe the plants were overage,” said the sources.

Apart from Palampur, the planting material was kept at other sites in Sirmaur, Mandi and Chamba.

The department was not forthcoming on the mortality rate of the plant, but it admitted that a three-member committee was formed to inspect these plants following complaints from growers that the department was distributing diseased plants. The committee did random sampling of the plants at various sites and has submitted its report.

“We don’t have information regarding the mortality rate or the number of plants catching disease at the moment,” said Horticulture Director JP Sharma.

As per sources, one of the main reasons for these plants catching disease was that they were planted in peak summers in 2019. “The plants arrived late from Italy and were planted in May and June. The temperature was touching 40 degrees at that time, and there were drought-like conditions. Even the weather department had sounded a pink alert for drought-like conditions. So you can well imagine the impact it would have had on the plants, which are normally planted in February and March,” said the sources.

Besides, normal practices such as watering were disrupted due to the Covid-induced lockdown , affecting the plants.