Phenological Features of Four Exotic Apple Cultivars on M9T337 Rootstock under High Density Plantation in North Himalayan Region of India

This study was conducted to define the phenology of flowering of four apple cultivars grafted on M9T337 rootstock and cultivated in the Experimental Orchard of Division of Fruit Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science & Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir during the year 2014. In the study it were recorded days to bud break, silver tip stage, green tip stage, leafing out, pink bud, initial and final bloom, duration of flowering and days to petal fall of apple cultivars viz. Super Chief Sandidge, Gala Red Lum, Fuji Zhen Aztec and Golden Clone B. The results reveal that bud break, green tip, silver tip and leaf initiation showed significant differences for the different cultivars. Cv. Gala Red Lum took minimum number of days for starting bud break (15.27 days after reference date) and silver tip stage (20.20 DARD), while ‘Golden Clone B’ was the last to attain these different phenological stages. Full bloom was earliest (52.29 DARD) on ‘Gala Red Lum’ and later (58.79 DARD) on ‘Golden Clone B’. The duration of flowering ranged from 12.28 days on ‘Super Chief Sandidge’ to 13.69 days on ‘Golden Clone B’. Remarkable variations were thus observed in the phenology of flowering of the investigated varieties under temperate conditions of Jammu and Kashmir.