Sopore Mandi

apples and other fruits generally produced in Kashmir are by far better than those of the same varieties produced in other regions in the Himalayas which receive monsoon. Kashmir apples have exhibited better keeping quality (shelf life) under local conditions. A western expert, who was coopted as one of the judges at a fruit show/exhibition declared that the Cox orange apple produced in Kashmir was qualitatively superior (taste, juice, and crispness) to one produced in his home country. About 15-20 per cent of the total area under fruit plantations is assessed irrigated and over 80 per cent area as unirrigated. Approximately 300,000 households are the owner operators of fruit crop holdings in Kashmir with over 70 per cent of the holders owning and operating 0.2 to 0.4 hectare holdings and only 4 per cent holders own holdings between 1 to 12 hectares. Kashmir is now forging ahead with standardized rootstocks as in other countries with Italian and Bulgarian assistance. A lot more remains to be done to enhance productivity per tree/unit area. Vavilov (1887-1942), the great Russian geneticist and plant Explorer/Collector has made study of the distribution of the economic plants in 60 countries of the world. Vavilov's conclusions 1926 and 1935 determine the centers of origin of almost all cultivated Pome, Stone, and nut fruits of temperate regions to Persia and Afghanistan. Search of ancient literature - Sanskrit, Hebrew, Chinese, for names of fruits has provided another valuable source of information concerning the native habitat of many cultivated plants and some of Vavilov's conclusions have had to be modified on this score. It appears that Vavilov did not peep into Kashmir Himalayas and thus left valley of Kashmir pomologically undiscovered. Kashmir was a princely state then within British India and continued so until late 1947. The British Government had taken Gilgit area of the state bordering Russia on lease from Maharaja of Kashmir. The British must have been controlling therefore the entry and movement of Russians particularly into Kashmir valley then. This has obviously deprived Kashmir the real habitat in Himalayas of temperate fruits (Pomes, Stones and Nuts) being explored, recognized and recorded as the oldest home of temperate fruits. I hope the present day Pomologists, Horticulturists, Plant Explorers, and Collectors will take a view and seek amendments of generic records known so far.