One of the country’s premier research institutes, The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) will be working with the Himachal Pradesh Government and apple growers to rejuvenate rootstocks scientifically and promote organic farming.
TERI has done a study in collaboration with YS Parmar University of Horticulture Science at Solan and other institutes for Biotechnological intervention for the propagation and improvement of apple rootstocks and has come out with some encouraging
finding.
The meeting of scientists and officials from the institute with the State Government officials is likely to take place by next week in which issues like enhancements of productivity of apple and propagation and improvement of apple rootstocks will be discussed.
TERI had also conducted a pilot project in Uttarakhand and results have proved to be encouraging and thus the institute looks for working in Himachal Pradesh, where apple is a major bread earner in higher reaches of the hilly State. The major aspects of TERI study with YS Parmar University of horticulture science was to selection of elite rootstocks, establishment of meristem cultures, development of cost effective tissue culture protocols, large scale multiplication of rootstocks through micro-propagation.
Using the above mentioned standards or protocols, approximately 42,000 tissue cultured plants were transferred to the fields either bare rooted or in poly bags at Solan and Mashobra in Himachal Pradesh, Supi and Almora in Uttarakhand and Kashmir in Jammu and Kashmir.
All these plants have given healthy and encouraging results which will be applied with the help of State horticulture department and apple growers which would enhance the productivity of delicious apples and rejuvenate the old rootstocks of the tree.
Chief secretary Sudripto Roy confirmed that TERI will be working with the State Government and apple growers and a meeting is slated
to finalise the modalities on the project which would help the apple growers at large by using scientific farming techniques and rejuvenation of rootstocks.