GS PAPER III: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.

Context: A farmer from Himachal Pradesh has developed an innovative self-pollinating apple variety that does not require long chilling hours for flowering and fruit setting.

• This has spread to plain, tropical, and subtropical areas in various parts of India, where the temperature is as high as 40 -45 ºC during summer.
• Commercial cultivation of this apple variety has been initiated in Manipur, Jammu, low lying areas of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, and fruit setting has been expanded to 23 states & UTs so far.
• This innovative apple variety – HRMN 99 can be grown in low chilling conditions.
• The innovative variety was scouted by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1722642

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