Effect of Elanta super (n-Acetyle thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid) on fruit set, yield and quality of apple cv. Starking delicious

Abstract

Apple is predominant temperate fruit crop of North Western Himalayan region of India. Apple dominates the fruit production and contributes about 49% of the total area and 85% of the total fruit production in Himachal Pradesh. In spite of the tremendous increase in area and production of apple, fruit quality particularly size, shape and colour is one of major concern. Keeping the objective to increase fruit set, yield, shape and colour an experiment was conducted in a private orchard at Sandhu in district Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The trial was laid out in a randomized block design with five treatments, which were replicated four times. Elanta super @ 1.0ml /L and 1.5ml/L was applied at pink bud, 30 days after pink bud, petal fall, 15 days after petal fall and 30 days after petal fall stage during the year 2015 and 2016. Foliar spray of Elanta Super at petal fall stage @1.0ml/L followed by 1.5ml/L 15 days after petal fall recorded maximum fruit set (22.73% and 28.68%), L/D ratio (0.93 and 0.98) and colour of fruit (62.50% and 76.58%) during both the years. Lowest fruit drop (17.78% and 16.36%) and highest yield (102.50 and 89.13kg/tee) and fruit weight (137.62g and 144.15g) was recorded in trees sprayed at petal fall stage @1.0ml/L followed by 1.5ml/L 30 days after petal fall stage.