Apples In Vizag
One can see a lot of infrastructure and industrial development in Visakhapatnam. Now, we can be proud of one more feather in our cap…or actually, apple in our basket!
Chintapalli-based Regional Agricultural Research Station, with the help of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), has proved that apples can be grown here. The land on the slopes of Eastern Ghats in Chintapalli, about 100 km from Vizag city, was used for this exercise.
CCMB scientists procured 60 saplings of three varieties from Shimla and planted in them at Chintapalli in 2014. Scientists of the Regional Agriculture Research Station closely monitored the growth and now all the trees are bearing fruits; each tree yielding 30 to 35 fruits.
Senior scientist Dr B Umamaheswara Rao informed that they had selected a place close to thick forest where the minimum temperature hovers between 3 degrees Celsius to 6 degrees Celsius in winter. This is the ideal condition for growing apples.
This was followed by a strict and diligent supervision for two years which has now actually “bear fruit”. Each tree has a life span of 40 years and starts flowering soon after the winter from February to March. “The fruits will be ready for harvesting by June,” Dr. Rao added. He foresees the horticulture department going for mass production in four years from now.
