The temperate fruit apple has found a new abode. Forget apples from Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, soon apples from Visakhapatnam, Haryana, Karnataka and Varanasi are going to keep your health in check. In an experimental revolution brought by Indian scientists, various districts in the tropical regions are emerging conducive for apple plantation.
Restricted to the orchards of Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh till now, the apple trees are adorning the gardens of various locations across India.
Apples grown in tropic regions bear fruit in just 2 years in contrast to 5-6 years in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. No wonder, apple grown in hot climatic conditions is giving the chilly chimes of hilly states a run for their money. Shunning the popular belief that apples can only be grown in chilly weather, the new variety of apples can be cultivated in temperatures as high as 45-48 degree Celsius in summer.
Farmers wanting to move out of the traditional crop cycles are innovating farming ways that allow them to plant the crop not grown in their geography. The specialty of these locations is their temperature that does not go below 10-12°C even in December- January.
More than 3,000 apple trees have been planted in several regions of Karnataka and the model is expected to be replicated in other states of the country soon.
