Shopian: A premature snow last year has trigged early pruning of apple trees this year with many farmers starting to trim the trees post harvest to lower chances of any damages due to snow.
The practice that usually started post leaf fall in months of December and January is being carried fervently by oarchdists early on.
Last year a snowfall on November 3 caused heavy losses to Horticulture sector by damaging a number of apple, pear and cherry trees across the valley with Shopian district bearing the major brunt.
Farmers say the reason for a hurried pruning is to save trees from the type of damage encountered last year.
However, branch trashing amidst loads of green leaves is a tough job for the pruners, as one has to spent time to save the fruit bearing tips while cutting the unwanted branches.
Bilal Ahmad Malik, an orchardist from Shopian who has stored his apples in cold stores based at Lasipora has hired five men skilled men for pruning of apple tress.
According to many orchardists, a late spray of fungicides because of breakout of diseases in August has also kept leaves green. By November otherwise, they said, the leaves would have turned yellowish.
Gulzar Ahmad, a horticulture expert said that most of the orchards have green leaves which used to be yellowish at this stage.
“There are some costly fungicides which if sprayed at late stage keep leaves green and this is not a worry,” he said adding that trees need to be braced well to face any snow.
Apart from pruning, many growers told Kashmir Reader, that they have tried to brace the trees by stacking them with wooden poles, wires, ropes, steel rings, and even using nut-bolts as snow on green leaves be damaging. “Most
of our trees are damaged last year and they have no strength to bear another premature snow spell, and now we have opted for branch pruning before apple packing,” Tariq Ahmad Dar, another orchardist said. He said that 150
fruit bearing trees were damaged in his orchards last year.
The pruning of fruit trees except cherry and almond is an annual practise. Unwanted branches are cut while the fruit tips and necessary branches and fruit buds are maintained in a proper manner, using scientific guidelines.
Meanwhile, in upper reaches of the district like Keller, Hirpora, Sedow, DH-Pora and other areas, farmers are still busy in apple picking and packing.
In plains, the men who people used to hire for pruning of trees are busy in other works because of the shortage of non-local labour in valley.

Raashid Hassan