Performance of some Exotic Pear Cultivars under Temperate Conditions of Kashmir

Seven exotic varieties and two commercially grown cultivars of pear grafted on quince were evaluated for various physio-chemical characteristics for two years in the orchard of Department of Horticulture, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Among various physical characters, Red Anjou recorded maximum fruit length (6.88cm), fruit diameter (5.77cm), fruit weight (111.36g) and fruit volume (118.48cm2), followed by Coscia for all these characters. No significant variation was recorded for L/D ratio among the pear cultivars. Maximum fruit firmness (20.77 lb/inch2) was scored by Cosco-D. Coscia registered maximum TSS (14.04%) along with minimum acidity (0.30%) and highest TSS/acid ratio (46.80). Highest reducing sugar (7.92%) and total sugar (9.26%) was scored by Coscia, followed by William Bartlett as 6.77% of reducing sugar and 7.96% of total sugar. From the present study it is clear, that Red Anjou and Coscia performed well under Kashmir conditions and is suitable for commercial purpose

Growth, fruit set and yield of Santa Rosa plum as affected by nitrogen and boron under rainfed conditions of Kashmir Valley

Present experiment was carried out in a seven year old private plum orchard near SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar Campus, Srinagar during 2012 and 2013, to examine the response to nitrogenous fertilizer and boron on growth, fruit set and yield of plum var. Santa Rosa. Urea @ 500 g (N1), CaNO3 @ 1450 g (N2), N1 + 50 g boron (N3) and N2 + 50 g boron (N4) were applied at T1 = Full dose in spring, T2 = Full dose after harvest and T3 = 3/4 dose in spring and 1/4 dose after harvest. Observations were recorded on parameters viz. incremental tree girth, shoot extension growth, plant height, plant spread, leaf area, fruit set, fruit drop, yield, yield efficiency. All the growth parameters were high in treatment combination N1T1. Maximum fruit set (19.68 % and 20.90 %) was recorded in N3T2, yield (20.60 kg/tree and 22.88 kg/tree) was recorded in N4T2, yield efficiency (0.45 and 0.46 kg/cm2) was recorded in N4T2 and minimum fruit drop (4.25 % and 4.55 %) were recorded under the treatment combination N4T2 and N4T3, respectively in the both the years. Both sources of nitrogen and boron can be considered as best fertilizer in plum orchards for improving the growth, fruit set, fruit yield, yield efficiency

Studies on Intraspecific Biodiversity of Horticultural Traits and in vitro Shoot Morphogenetic Response in Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Germplasm

The present investigation entitled “Studies on intraspecific biodiversity of horticultural traits and in vitro shoot morphogenetic response in walnut (Juglans regia L.) germplasm” was carried out in order to document the available genetic variability in walnut germplasm and to select elite walnut genotypes possessing superior attributes and quality traits. During the survey, data was recorded on one hundred fifty two (152) walnut trees growing in different areas of Kashmir valley. The study also involved establishment of response of elite walnut selections to different plant growth regulators in shoot morphogenesis. Remarkable variability was observed in seedling walnut trees for different morphological, nut and kernel characters. Tree canopy/spread varied between (1.20-12.50 m), stem diameter (0.3-3.6 m), leaf length (5.25-24.50 cm), leaf width (2.55-13.50 cm), nut weight (8.5-35.0 g), nut diameter (24.5-50.5 mm), nut length (30.0-60.0 mm), kernel weight (3.50-15.0 g), kernel percentage (31.03-70.0), protein content (14.15-24.25 %) and oil content (50.22-70.0 %). Similarly, variations were also reported for other characters viz., tree vigour, growth habit, branching habit, leaflet shape, shoot colour, nut shape, shell texture, shell colour, shell seal, shell strength, shell integrity, kernel shrivel and kernel colour. Woody species have been found to be far more difficult to clone in vitro than herbaceous plants. Poor response of the explants from mature woody species to in vitro manipulation is usually associated with the problem of browning and explant necrosis. The present studies were conducted on forced explants from three walnut selections (SKUAST 002, SKUAST 008, SKUAST 010). Murashiage and Skoog’s basal medium supplemented with 0.3 mg/l-1 Benzylamino purine and 0.1 mg/l-1 indole-3-butyric acid gave best response in the establishment of initiating cultures, minimum media browning (80.44 %), minimum explant browning (78.22 %) and minimum mean browning score per explant (9.17 %). The survival (23.45%) and growth of the cultures (21.77%) was also found to be maximum in MS medium supplemented with BAP 0.3 mg l-1 and IBA 0.1 mg l-1