Effect of various mulches on growth, yield and quality attributes of apple

Influence on growth, yield and quality attributes of 10-years-old apple trees as influenced by different mulching treatments were studied. The dry grass and black polythene mulches were observed to be equally effective in producing the maximum annual extension growth, whereas the effect of mulching on bloom density and initial fruit set were found to be non significant. The final fruit retention and subsequent yield were recorded the highest from the tree receiving the dry grass mulch, while the minimum fruit yield and maximum fruit drop were observed under clean cultivation. The application of organic mulches gave relatively low T.S.S. and high acidity than black polythene mulching and clean cultivation. The poor aeration, non-decomposable nature and high cost are the constraints of using black polythene as a mulch material. In view of the superiority over other organic muIches and clean cuItivation, the use of dry grass as the mulch material for increasing the productivity of apple orchards is recommended under humid temperate mid hill conditions of Uttaranchal.