Varieties and Benefits of Apricot farming in India

09 Aug, 2022

Apricot is a fruit that is important and mainly grown in the dry temperate and mid-hill regions of India. Original apricots are from China whereas the wild apricot which is known as the Zardalu’ is indigenous to India. 

A type of self-pollinating plant, apricot plants don't require a spouse to produce fertile offspring. Additionally, it is the most widely used fruit for everyday cooking in many nations. The best conditions for apricot fruit plants are moderate winters and little water. It is a Mediterranean crop that requires hot, dry summers with little humidity.

Ladakh produces the most apricots in India, with a total output of 15,789 tonnes. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir are India's top two apricot-producing states after Ladakh. 

In Uttar Pradesh and to a lesser extent in the North-Eastern hilly region, apricot fruit is also grown.

Local Names of Apricot known in India

Zardalu, Khubani, Khumani, Jadharu Pandu, Saara Paruppa, Sakkarai, Mutta Pazham, Sheema Pazham, etc

Climatic Conditions required for growing Apricot

Apricots are grown well in mid-hilly regions of India which requires coolers climatic conditions. Yellow apricots require warm climatic conditions and are grown from 1000 to 1500 meters above. Southwestern and Northeastern parts of India are highly suited for the growing of Apricots.

Apricots are designed to be grown in a wide variety of soils. Though mostly it preferred a well-drained soil with good organic matter content better suitable for its growth and yielding capacity.

Varieties of Apricots

1. Gold Sweet Apricot

Golden Sweet is beautiful in addition to delivering great fruit. A loud call to pollinators is made by the tree's springtime canopy of pink-hued, white blooms. The leaves have a heart-shaped, romantic appearance and are glossy enough to reflect the summer sun. The fruit's golden skin has a delicate blush that contrasts well with the vivid, green leaves. 

Golden Sweet Apricot has an upright shape, a moderate growth pace, and gets enough sun. Although Golden Sweet is self-fertile, it thrives in areas with other apricot trees.

2. Autumn Glo Tree

This apricot has a stunning color of sweet yellow and consistently scores highly on taste tests. The Autumn Glo apricot keeps its color nicely when stored in jars and is delicious in late-season pies and preserves.

The Autumn Glo dwarf apricot tree can reach heights of 10 to 12 feet, with some kinds reaching heights of up to 18 feet. 

Both the 4-in-1 and 3-in-1 planting techniques can be used to plant Autumn Glo trees. You can benefit from a longer harvest window and conserve space by doing this.

3. Golden Kist Tree 

Gold Kist is the earliest fruit to ripen, although it can be difficult to grow. It grows in rich, well-drained soil. It is enormous in size, with orange freestone skin, and tastes excellent. It can be used to cook, can, and dry food.

4. Tomcot

It is an oval-shaped, medium- to large-sized fruit that is 5.4 cm in diameter. The fruit's skin is a pale orange tint. When exposed to the sun, the exposed side blushes. Its mellow orange flesh has a sweet flavor. Canning is not an option.

5. Rival

Originated in France has a large size comes in yellow color with rosy cheeks and is harvested in Mid to late Summer.

6. Autumn Royal

Originated in southern California comes in medium to large and has a slightly yellow to orange blush harvested in the Late season of the months of May to July.

7. Perfection

It originated on the Russian Chinese Border mainly harvested in the early mid-season of has a hint of light yellow to orange color.

Benefits of Apricot

It is very nutritious and essential in a wide variety of minerals and vitamins.

1. Good sources of Vitamin A 

Vitamin A, commonly known as retinol, is abundant in apricots. It is fat-soluble and, among other things, aids in the improvement of vision. Additionally, it controls the immune system, thereby safeguarding your skin.

2. Great for your Heart

Since the fruit has high fiber content, it aids in lowering the level of harmful cholesterol in the body, protecting your heart. Additionally, it raises good cholesterol at the same time. Additionally, the potassium in the fruit balances the electrolyte levels in our body, maintaining the health of our cardiac muscles.

3. Rich in antioxidants

The phenomenon known as oxidative stress is brought on by an imbalance between the body's inability to properly detoxify the reactive chemicals that are produced and accumulate in cells and tissues. 6 Reactive oxygen species and free radicals are produced by oxidative stress, which can harm macromolecules (lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins), as well as cause tissue damage. Chronic diseases like cancer, ulcers, diabetes, heart disorders, and inflammations are brought on by these processes. Apricots are rich in phytochemicals, and they have antioxidant characteristics. 

4. Apricots are a great source of dietary fiber that will benefit your digestive system. They have nearly equal amounts of soluble and insoluble fiber overall. Your digestive tract can retain more water with the aid of soluble fiber, which also supports the growth of healthy bacteria. For balanced levels of intestinal flora, insoluble fiber is also advantageous.

How to cultivate Apricot Farming

After choosing your cultivar, you must understand how to cultivate apricots. The most crucial factors are site selection and soil. Deep, well-drained soil with a lot of organic matter is necessary for the trees. Early blooming apricot trees. Make careful to establish your trees on higher ground because there are instances in apricot tree care where a late frost might be an issue. 

Before planting, perform a percolation test by making a hole that is one foot deep and wide (30 cm.). Wait until the following day after filling with water. Refill the hole with material, then place a stick or straight edge on top. Every hour, count the water droplets. A reading of about 2 inches (5 cm) per hour is ideal.

Growing apricot trees is not too difficult if you have the right soil, sunlight, and drainage. High concentrations of salt, boron, chloride and other components are intolerable to apricots. The overall management of apricot trees will require feeding. However, if the soil was prepared for apricot tree growth earlier, they typically acquire all they require from it. The trees will require an inch (2.5 cm) of water per week, particularly while they are in flower and bearing fruit. 

To avoid having your fruit, flowers, and leaves wet, use a drip irrigation system. When the fruit first appears, thin it to 1 12 to 2 inches (3.8 to 5 cm) apart as part of your apricot tree maintenance. Because of this, the fruit will grow bigger. 

Depending on the variety, apricots often ripen in the first week of May to June. Typically, trees begin producing fruit in their fifth year and reach their peak fruiting stage between the ages of 8 and 10. And the trees keep producing fruit until they are 35 years old. As a result, you can physically gather the fruits. Fruits, however, should be picked for marketing after their surface color has changed from green to yellow. 

Fully ripe apricots can be collected by farmers for canning, freezing, and drying applications. However, due to their fragility, after collecting these fruits, extreme caution should be exercised. After harvesting, grade the fruits according to size and then put them in wooden or plastic boxes.

Start a profitable commercial apricot farming enterprise today. The following are the top advantages of starting an apricot fruit growing business that will encourage you to do so. 

Apricot cultivation is already a well-established industry with many individuals engaged in it across several nations. So you can benefit by getting information or assistance about this business. 

Apricot tree maintenance can be very challenging. But if you have the right knowledge and information, you can start this as a business and make it simple. Consequently, you might take advantage of that.