India’s agriculture experiences a sea of climate change which impacts the fruit crops in varied ways. It has also impacted traditional apple cultivation in Himachal Pradesh. Geographically, HP’s apple belt is spread over the districts of Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba, Sirmaur and Lahaul Spiti. Owing to global warming, these geographical regions have seen a rise in temperature in the recent years. This is the reason, many states are encouraged to shift the farming to higher altitudes, but, logistically it becomes a difficult task.

In the recent state budget, government announced a programme for developing apple varieties which require less chilling environment and can survive in low altitude areas as well. A sum of INR 2 crore was also allocated to import good quality shoot-stocks and pollinates. Going as per the plan, around 500 acres of farming altitudes will be brought under the new and improved varieties in the coming years.

After all these striving efforts by the government to increase apple production, the next challenge is to save the crops from fungus and other harming diseases. This is where HPM India comes in the picture. With its robust technological proficiency in place HPM India is constantly manufacturing agriculture aggravators that are helping farmers and agriculturists across the nation to set farming to a growth graph.

Tomato is a warm season crop and thrives well in temperatures ranging from 10°C to 30°C, with optimum range of 21°C – 24°C. It requires different climatic range in various stages of growth and for the fruit quality. The plant requires low to medium rainfall. A long dry spell causes cracking of the fruit while bright sunshine at the time of fruition gives the fruits their dark red color.

The tomato plant faces various challenges, some of the most common and problematic ones being: Diseases, Fungal growth, Puffiness- Caused by poor soil nutrition and under-fertilization, Attack by insects – The list of insects attacking the tomato plant is long- Acari mites, aphids, leafhoppers, green vegetable bugs, cutworms, eggfruit caterpillars, weevils, crickets, locusts and many more. Insect attacks damage the plants, leading to fruit rotting, leaf curling, wilting and defoliation, fungal diseases and poor crop yield. Crop rotation is a traditional means of pest control and helps in breaking life cycles of insects and pests. Trap crops are also effective in controlling pests. Marigold and cucumber are commonly used as trap crops with tomato to attract the tomato fruit worm, thus protecting the tomato crop when inter-planted with it.

Amongst a list of fungicides that HPM is producing, Ziram 27% CS, sold by the trade name of Hindustan Ziram, is a product that acts as a messiah for Apple orchards in HP. Let us take a look at the specifications of Ziram 27% CS (HINDUATAN ZIRAM)

It is a proactive fungicide which acts as a repellent to birds and rodents and to control many fungal diseases in a wide range of field crop. It is used as a foliar spray. It can be used for a variety of field crops such as apple, banana, nuts, vegetables and other ornamental crops. It mainly controls early and late blight of potato/tomatoes, downy mildew and black rot of vines and cucurbits, scab of apples, Sigatoka of bananas, and melanose of citrus. It should be used in accordance with climatic conditions and approval of local authorities. Ziram has a multi-site contact action. Recommended dosages per hectare is 2.3 to 3.5 ltre formulation in dilution of 750 to 1000ltr water is the most recommended. It is available in 500ml, 1ltr, 5ltrs and bulk packaging as per the requirement of customers.

HPM India is working relentlessly for the upliftment of agriculture and farmers in India. The sole mission of the company lies in ensuring self reliance in productivity. Being the fore-runners and contributors to green revolution drive, HPM is a name to reckon with.

The innovations that are brought to surface by the adept team is creating a wide range of crop protection products and plant nutrients. You can rely on the name for all your fertilizers, farming seeds and products that boost production. Apple farming in HP is definitely seeing a boost, as the crops are now protected by Ziram 27% CS produced by HPM India.