Apple (Malus domestica)
- Family: Rosaceae
- Origin: Asia Minor to Western Himalayas
- Type: Temperate fruit
- India’s Rank: 11th in the world
- Share in Indian Temperate Fruit: 55% area, 75% production
- “Apple Bowl of India”: Himachal Pradesh
- Leading Producing State: Jammu & Kashmir
- Cultivar Developer: Thomas Andrew Knight (first cultivar)
Botany & Pollination
- Flower Colour: White to pink
- Chilling Requirement: ~1000 hours below 7.2°C
- Pollination:
- Delicious group: Self-incompatible, need cross-pollinizer
- English types: Self-pollinated, act as good pollinizers
- Pollinizer Proportion: 11–33% trees in orchard
- Fruit Drops:
- Early Drop: Lack of pollination
- June Drop: Moisture stress/environmental conditions
- Preharvest Drop: Abscission layer + Ethylene
Climatic Needs
- Optimum Temp. for Pollen Germination: 21.1–26.7°C
- Summer Temp.: 21–24°C (for active growth)
- Critical Water Requirement Period: April–August
Propagation & Rootstocks
- Commercial Propagation: Stooling
- Seed Stratification: 4–7°C for 60–90 days
- Scion Grafting: Avoid during active growth
Rootstocks
|
Type |
Name |
Traits |
|
Seedling |
Malus baccata |
Common in India |
|
Dwarf |
M-9 |
High density planting |
|
Ultradwarf |
M-27 (M-13 × M-9) |
Smallest |
|
Semi-dwarf |
M-4, M-7, MM-106 |
Aphid-resistant, high density |
|
Semi-vigorous |
MM-111 |
Drought + Aphid-resistant |
|
Vigorous |
Merton-793 |
Aphid-resistant |
Storage & Processing
- Storage Temp.: ~0–4°C
- Product: Cider (fermented apple wine)
- Processing Varieties: Rome Beauty, York Imperial, Stayman Winesap, Northern Spy, etc.
Popular & Notable Varieties
By Maturity
|
Type |
Varieties |
|
Early |
Tydeman’s Early, Irish Peach, Benoni, Fenny, Early Shanburry |
|
Mid |
Red Delicious, Top Red, Richared, Jonathan, McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, American Mother |
|
Late |
Yellow Newton, Winter Banana, Granny Smith, Lal Ambri, Rymer |
- Spur Types: Stark Crimson, Red Chief, White Spur
- Colour Mutants: Top Red, Skyline Supreme, Hardiman
- Scab-Resistant Varieties: Liberty (resistant to all fungal diseases), Prima, Florina, Macfree, Jonafree, Redfree, Priscilla, Sir Prize, Nova Mac, Nova Easygro, Freedom, Shireen, Firdous
- Low-Chilling Varieties: Anna, Michel, Schlomit, Neomi, Vared, Tamma, Tropical Beauty, Parlin’s Beauty (suitable for processing)
- Crab Varieties: Red Flush, Crimson Gold, Yellow Drops, Nodrift
Indigenous & Hybrid Varieties
|
Variety |
Parentage |
|
Ambri |
Indigenous, long shelf-life, biennial |
|
Lal Ambri |
Red Delicious × Ambri |
|
Amb Red |
Red Delicious × Ambri |
|
Amb Starking |
Starking Delicious × Ambri |
|
Ambroyol |
Royal Delicious × Ambri |
|
Amrich |
Rich-a-Red × Ambri |
|
Sunheri |
Ambri × Golden Delicious |
|
Chaubattia Princess |
Red Delicious × Early Shanburry |
Exotic Apple Varieties by Country
|
Country |
Table Varieties |
Processing Varieties |
|
USA |
Red Delicious, Gala Sales, Fuji, Empire |
Rome Beauty, Stayman Winesap, Freedom |
|
UK |
McIntosh, Empire, Maypole |
McIntosh, Cortland |
|
France |
Rainette, De Flandres, Cabarett |
– |
|
Germany |
Tonagold, Gloster |
– |
Disorders & Traits
|
Disorder |
Affected Variety |
|
Bitter Pit |
Golden Delicious, Yellow Newton |
|
Internal Browning |
Yellow Newton |
- Triploid Cultivars: Baldwin, Winesap, Gravenstein
- Northern Spy: Aphid-resistant
- Red Gold: Pollinizer for Red Delicious and Starking Delicious
- Meadow Orcharding: 20,000–70,000 plants/ha (super high density)
