eChapters

Introduction

Pitaya also known as Dragon Fruit is a superfruit indigenous to central and South America that is grown all over the world. It has a faint, sweet taste much like an earthy watermelon. It’s a fast growing crop and the plant as can have produced for more than seven to eight years. The fruit of this plant having red skin covered with large scale and white or pinkflesh contains some black seeds. It can be used in jams, ice creams, jelly production, fruit juice, and wine. This fruit is famous in Thailand, Vietnam, Israel and Sri Lanka. This fruit cultivation is excellent in regions where less rainfall is expected. This fruit plant is treated as an ornamental plant as well as a fruit producing plant. Dragon fruit contains 73.9 kcal, 1 g protein, 0 g fat, 0.5 g fiber, 23 g carbohydrates, 23 g sugar, calcium 30 mg. 10.9 mg sodium and 1.79 mg vitamin C. Dragon fruit is consumed as a fresh fruit or can be used in jams, ice cream, jelly production, fruit juice and wine. This fruit is also used in face packs.

Introduction

The flesh contains 60–65 percent sugar, 2 percent protein, 2.5 per cent fiber, 0.4 per cent fat and 2 per cent mineral matter. Date palm contains 75-80% carbohydrates in the form of invert sugar. It is a good source of easily assimilable iron (7.3 mg/100g) and is hence prescribed to anaemic patients along with honey. It fed on running water and its head on the fire of the sky.

Introduction

It is found growing wild in the sub-tropical and tropical parts of India. The edible part of annona is the areoles. It has about 120 species, five of them having pomological significance, and four of the five species are important in commerce. Custard apples are cultivated mainly in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, and Orissa.

Introduction

Citrus is the leading tree fruit crop in the world. In India, citrus ranks second in area, sharing 12.8% of the total area under fruit crops with a 9.6% share in production. In the citrus group, mandarins are the most important, occupying 50% of the total area under citrus, followed by sweet oranges and limes. “Limolin”: the glycoside which is responsible for the bitter taste of citrus fruit juice.

Introduction

An herb known as priyal is a drug of the Ayurveda and the Unani system of medicine. It is known to have tonic, cardiotonic, and astringent properties and is also used in the treatment of skin diseases. It is commonly known as Chironji. It is a commercially useful tropical plant. The Chironji tree is a medium-sized evergreen deciduous tree, growing 50 ft tall. It bears fruits, each containing a single seed, which is a popular edible nut, known as chironji. It is common in India, mostly in eroded land. This tree is distributed in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and also commonly found in Uttar Pradesh.

Introduction

Sweet form sugar: Glucose, 0.16% oxalic acid 0.06% malic acid. The fruits are attractive, golden-yellow in colour. Bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi L.) ‘Cucumber tree’and ‘Tree Sorrel’are synonyms of bilimbi. Its produced gherkin. It is also known as five-corner fruit or five-edge fruit. Malaysia, Popular in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia and India. Carambola is a good source of vitamin A, B, and C, minerals, especially Fe, K, Mg and P. The composition of fruit is 75 to 80% pulp, 5 to 7% total soluble solids, 9.4% carbohydrates, 0.4% protein, 0.5 to 1.0% acidity, 0.9% fibre, 570 to 700 IU of vitamin A and 0.3 to 0.5% minerals. It is used as a dessert fruit or for preparing juice, jam, jelly and pickles. It has medicinal value also. Ground leaves and shoots for chicken pox, root extract as an antidote for poisoning and pulp of immature fruits for cleaning brassware. It is used as an alternative to tamarind in cooking.

Introduction

Breadfruit has long been an important staple crop and a primary component of traditional agroforestry systems in the Pacific, where numerous varieties are grown. Breadfruit was first domesticated in the western Pacific and has been spread by humans throughout the region over the past 3,000–4,000 years. From

Melanesia to Micronesia to Polynesia, many islanders grow and use breadfruit as part of their daily diet. Breadfruit has a significant and often unappreciated legacy in Hawai. It is one of the canoe plants brought from the society Islands centuries ago, and the variety they brought, known simply as ‘Ulu (same as the

Hawaii a word for breadfruit), was widely grown throughout the archipelago.

Introduction

The ber is a vigorous-growing, small-spreading tree with almost vinelike drooping branches. The round to oval reddish brown has 5.4–8.0% sugar and 85–95 mg of ascorbic acid (Vit. C) per 100g. The tree is a host plant for rearing lac insect (Tachardia lacca). Lac insect rearing helps in the production of lac. The powder of ber roots has very many medicinal properties, such as cure for ulcer, fevers and wounds. The stem bark powder is a remedy for diarrhea. Ber also shows strong self-incompatibility (gametophytic). Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh is a leading state in “ber” production.

Introduction

The West Indian Cherry is a very important fruit because of its high ascorbic acid content (10-33g/kg edible pulp). It is widely distributed throughout tropical America, Africa and the West Indies. It is also called Acerola, Cereza in Puerto Rico, Barbados cherry in Florida and Texas. Leading producer’s countries of cherry are Turkey, USA, Chile, Uzbekistan and Iran. The plant is ornamental and when laden with clusters of its crimson fruits, presents a very attractive appearance. It is a medium-sized shrub and can serve as an ornamental tree on account of its fruits, flowers, foliage and drooping branches. Eating one or two fruits every morning will meet the daily requirement of vitamin C. This is a small shrub or small-sized tree growing up to 8.0 m in height and doing well in a tropical climate. The flowering seasons are May and November.

Introduction

The fruit is recognized as the fourth most important global food commodity.

It is used as a staple fruit in most African countries and is used as ripe (table)

or raw fruit (cooking). This fruit is available throughout the year. All the plant parts are being used. Banana is a tropical, herbaceous, monocotyledonous and monocarpic fruit crop.

Introduction

Bael, one of the oldest fruits cultivated in India, has a mythological significance, viz., leaves used for the worship of Lord Shiva. The flower contains numerous stamens, which is hypogenous. The seed is monoembryonic. It is a deciduous tree with trifoliate leaves. Aegle is a monotypic genus with deciduous foliage. Bael has dimorphic twigs.

Introduction

It is a subtropical, evergreen fruit tree. Its trees can be short-spreading and fairly bushy or grow erect to a height of 20 m. Tree demand for this fruit has been increasing over the past few years in many countries. It has become an important fruit in international trade. Mexico, Colombia, Dominic Rep, Peru, Indonesia, South America and South Africa are the major producers of avocado. In India, it is grown as a backyard tree and is found in small pockets on the hill slopes of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Composition and uses: One of the most nutritious fruits, rich in fat, protein, and minerals and low in carbohydrates, is the avocado. It can be safely eaten by diabetics. Fruit is used as a dessert in salads, ice creams, and milk shakes.

Immature fruits may have a bitter flavour that may be reduced on ripening; the peel of avocado has 3 antifungal compounds. Its energy value is twice as much as banana fruit. Rich in fat 26.4% and low sugar 1% content and rich in K, Fe, Vitamin B, As the sugar content is low, it can be recommended as a high-energy food for diabetics. Fruit is a rich source of oil, ranging from 5–20% used for the cosmetics industry.

Introduction

Aonla or Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn. Syn. Phyllanthus emblica) is one of the important indigenous fruits of the Indian subcontinent. Most of the xerophytes are members of the Euphorbiaceae.

The tropics are evergreen, while the subtropics are deciduous. The highest concentration of vitamin C in aonla is found in mature fruit rather than immature fruit. The special attribute is its capacity to retain vitamin C even in a dried stage, which is not possible in other fruits.

Aonla contains six seeds per fruit, and in it is found zygotic dormancy. Flowers are borne in the axils of the leaves on determinate shoots.

Fruit crops are mostly composite plants consisting of scion and rootstock, except banana, papaya, and strawberry. Rootstock exhibits a great influence on the performance of a scion in terms of production efficiency, yields, quality, adoptability, and resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. The primary function of a rootstock is to provide anchorage or support to the scion by growing deep into the soil and also regulating the uptake of moisture and nutrients. The rootstock cannot be changed during the life-time of a plant, so it makes it inevitable to pay more focused attention to it because its functions are long-term and complex.

Maturity (commercial or horticultural): Refers to the stage at which the produce is optimally accepted to the consumer.

Maturity index: The maturity at harvest determines the quality and postharvest shelf-life of the fresh fruits. The study of maturity indices helps to harvest the crop at right time.

Judging maturity: There are various means of judging maturity but they vary according to the kind of fruits, local soil and climatic conditions, but generally farmers follow visual means (appearance). But this is not a perfect method, many a times it may mislead the farmers.

Fertilizer Requirement of Fruit Trees

Fertilizer requirement of the tree is determined by visual assessment of deficiencies soil nutrient status and plant tissue nutrient status. Among these methods, tissue nutrient analysis is gaining importance primariarily due to fact that it assesses the effective amount of nutrient utilized by the plant. It also detects the hidden deficiency of the nutrient before the symptoms appears on the tree. Standardised tissue nutrient norms for various elements are available for different crops.

In manipulation of plant development, training and pruning are important for which our knowledge about plant development and its phenology has to be complete. These practices are important in fruit crops.

The selection of a system for planting depends on the conditions and topography of the orchard’s location, plant species to be planted and orchard management practices. Generally, six systems of planting are recommended for fruit trees.

Sexual plant propagationis multiplication of the plants by fussion of male and female gametes is called sexual plant propagation e. g seed and seedling plant. It is two types:

A. Sexual Propagation

B. Asexual Propagation

Pomology: Pomology is a branch of horticulture that deals with the cultivation of fruit crops. When given a liberal and flexible translation, the word “pomology” means the science of fruit. The term is derived from the Latin word pomum, which means “Fruit” and the Greek term logy, which means “Science.

Fruit

“A true botanical fruit is defined as a mature or ripened ovary with or without accessory organs.” Classifcation refers to the grouping of individuals with similar identities, related in genetic make up, evolution or climatic requirements. The major units of classification are order, family, genus, sub family, species, variety/cultivars and clone or strain. All fruit crops bear flower and seed (spermatophyte) and belongs to class Angiosperm except in (Pinus gerardiana) of gymnosperm.

Most of the fruits are covered under the dicotyledonous families of Angiosperm except banana, pineapple, date and coconut which belong to monocotyledonous families e.g. Musaceae, Bromeliaceae and Arecaceae (Palmae) respectively. The families of economically important fruits include Rosaceae (all pome, stone fruits and strawberry), Rutaceae (citrus fruits, bael and woodapple), Musaceae (banana and plantain), Vitaceae (grapes and Anacardiaceae (Mango, cashew and pistachio nut, hog plum) etc.

Important Points to Remember

• The word “biotechnology” was first coined in 1917 by a Hungarian agricultural engineer, Karl Ereky. He used it to describe a system for raising pigs on sugar beets as their primary food source. He defined Biotechnology as “all lines of work by which products are produced from raw materials with the aid of living things”. He defined such a new terminology since most of the industries use mechanical devices - machines - to make things, biotechnology uses living organisms to make products of economic value.
• Many different scientific fields are responsible for emergence of this biological revolution. They are biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, physiology, computer science and what not?
• Hence, a newer, refined, definition of biotechnology was offered by U.S. Office of Technology Assessment: “Any technique that uses living organisms to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific purposes.”
• The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as: “Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.”
• Schleiden and Schwann proposed cell theory in 1838.

Important Points to Remember

• Microbiology is the study of living organisms of microscopic size majority of which are too small to be observed with naked eye, include bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoa and the infectious agents at the borderline of life that are called viruses.
• However, a few members of some microbial groups like algae and fungi are clearly visible without the aid of microscope.
• It is concerned with their form, structure, reproduction, physiology, metabolism and classification. It includes the study of their distribution in nature, their relationship to each other and other living organisms, their effects on human beings and on other animals and plants, their abilities to make physical and chemical changes in our environment and their reactions to physical and chemical agents.
• Most microorganisms are unicellular in which all the life processes are performed by a single cell. All living cells contain protoplasm which is a colloidal organic complex consisting of largely proteins, lipids and nucleic acids.
• The major groups of microorganisms include Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic microorganisms.

Important Points to Remember

• The term Biochemistry (biosG = life) was first introduced by a German chemist Carl Neuberg in 1903. Biochemistry may be defined as a science concerned with the chemical nature and chemical behavior of the living matter.
• Major organic molecules present in the living beings are: carbohydrates, proteins (of course, including enzymes), lipids and nucleic acids.
• Carbohydrates are the most abundant organic molecules in nature. They are primarily composed of the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
• The name carbohydrate literally means ‘hydrates of carbon’. The simplest carbohydrates are the monosaccharides that have the general formula (CH2O)n where n is 3 or more.
• Carbohydrates may be defined as polyhydroxyaldehydes or ketones or compounds which produce them on hydrolysis. The term ‘sugar’ is applied to carbohydrates soluble in water and sweet to taste.

Important Points to Remember

ROSE

• Botanical name: Rosa spp.
• Family: Rosaceae
• 2n = 14
• Origin: North Hemisphere (Himalyas)
• Flower colour: Red (commonly)

Important Points to Remember

Cauliflower

• Botanical name: Brassica oleraceae var. botrytis
• Family: Crucifereae
• 2n = 18
• Type of vegetable: Leafy vegetable
• Origin: Mediterranean region

Important Points to Remember

Apple

• Botanical name: Malus x domestica Borkh.
• Family: Rosaceae
• 2n: 34
• Origin: Asia Minor to Western Himalayas

Important Points to Remember

• Statistics is a branch of mathematics that deals with the data collection, examination, description, and display of numerical data masses.
• Statistics is used in various aspects of life, like in robotics, data science, business, weather forecasting, sports, and much more.
• An ambiguous term. It often denotes the arithmetic mean, but it can also denote the median, the mode, the geometric mean, and weighted means, among other things. Beware if something reports “the average” without making it clear which average.
• The geometric mean of n numbers {x1, x2, x3, …, xn} is the nth root of their product: (x1×x2×x3× … ×xn)^1/n.
• The samples are one of the sub-set of the population, whereas a population is an overall set of things or individuals of a specified group.

Important Points

• A farmer with limited funds may operate in a range of increasing returns to capital is however, not an irrational producer.
• A firm is a particular business firm.
• A higher rate of accumulation of capital relative to the rate of population growth adds to the real stock of capital of a nation.
• A profit maximizing farmer will maximize the output for given level of outlay.
• An isolation curve is negatively inclined.

Important Points to Remember

• The word ‘Extension’ is derived from Latin roots ‘ex’ and ‘tensio’.
• The use of the term ‘Extension’ originated in England in 1866 with a system of University extension which was taken up first by Cambridge and then Oxford Universities.
• James Stuart is considered as father of University Extension.
• Dr. K.N. Singh is known as father of Extension in India.
• Agricultural extension operates within a broader knowledge system that includes research and agricultural education.

Important Points

Factors for Insects Abundance

• More number of species: In the animal kingdom more than 85 per cent of the species belongs to insect group. Total number of insects described so far is more than 9 lakhs.
• Large number of individuals in a single species: e.g., Locust swarm comprising of 109 number of individuals, occupying large area.
• Great variety of habitats: Insects thrive well under varied conditions.
• Long geological history: Insects were known to occupy this earth for more than 350 million years, which is a good track record. This has given the insects’ great variety of adoptions under different conditions.

Important Points to be Remember

• Father of Indian plant pathology – E.J.Butler
• Father of Plant virology – Beijerinck
• Wheat rust is associated with Indian scientist – K.C.Mehta
• Kresek phase of rice is due to – Bacterial leaf blight
• Bakanae disease of rice is also known as – Foot rot and Foolish seedling disease

Important Points to be Remember

• Lysosome was discovered by – Duve (1955)
• The term chromosome was first named by – Waldayer
• Power house of the cell – Mitochondria
• Two lines different for a single locus is called – Isogenic line
• Ploidy level in seeds – Embryo – 2n, Endosperm – 3n

Important Points to be Remember

• Total number of essential nutrient elements required for plant growth -17
• Man made cereal – Triticale
• Father of India’s green revolution – Dr M.S. Swaminathan
• Na, Ve, Ni, Si, Co, Se and I - Beneficial nutrients
• Is added to prevent nitrogen losses from FYM decomposition-SSP

Important Points to Remember

• The active factor of soil formation is : Climate
• Black soils (Vertisols) are formed mainly from the weathering of: Basalts
• Which soils have the highest cation exchange capacity : Black soils
• Plants wilt when soil water content goes below: 15 bar
• Available phosphorus in fertilizer is the fraction: Water soluble + Citrate soluble P

Introduction to GIS

QGIS (Quantum GIS) is an open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) software has been used to showcase various exercises pertaining to viewing, editing, analyzing, and printing of the geospatial data. QGIS helps to allow the users to easily access and manage geographic data stored in folders on local disks or relational databases available on the user’s network. QGIS supports raster, vector, and mesh layers. QGIS also allows using data from external sources with the help of web services such as Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service. QGIS is a constantly developing software as anyone can add new features or update existing tools. Newer versions of QGIS are frequently released on the official website. It is a cross-platform software that can be installed in Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

15.1 Introduction

The genus Castanea, (chestnuts and chinkapins), belongs to the family Fagaceae, which includes other important timber producing genera such as Quercus and Fagus. The chestnuts are native of Western Asia, Europe and Northern America. Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) is a native of China, Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata) is native of Japan and South Korea and European chestnut is native of Mediterranean countries of South Europe and Asia miner (Conedera et al., 2004; Davis et al., 2006). The Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima), Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata), American chestnut (Castanea dentata), and European chestnut (Castanea sativa) are widely cultivated owing to the economic relevance for their fruits (Larue et al., 2021 and Song et al., 2021). Interspecific hybrids which have emerged from disease resistance work are used for nut, timber and as rootstock.

14.1 Introduction

Hazelnut is also known as Cob nut or Filbert nut. In its natural form the hazelnut is a deciduous, monoecious, multi-stemmed bush, but commercially should be grown as a single trunk tree. Tree sizes are up to 6 m tall in the commercial state. The term ‘Hazel’ was derived from Anglo-Saxon word ‘Haesel’ meaning bonnet, whereas ‘Corylus’ was derived from Greek word ‘Korys’ meaning Hood or helmet. There are nine widely recognized species. five of those are shrubs: C. avellana, C americana, C. cornuta, C. heterophylla, and C. sieboldiana, and four are trees: C.columa, C. jacquemontii, C. chinensis, and C. ferox (Thompson et al., 1996). The nuts of C. avellana are large with superior quality; this species is less hardy and used in breeding programs either exclusively or combination with other species (Thompson et al., 1996). Hazelnuts are deciduous trees or shrubs, grown for their edible nuts. Hazelnuts are large multi-stemmed shrubs or small trees with rounded leaves which possess a doubly serrated margin (each tooth bears another tooth). Hazelnut can reach a height of 3–8 m (10–26 ft) and can live for many years, although its commercial life span is usually about 40 years.

13.1 Introduction

Pecan nut is cultivated for edible fruits (drupaceous nuts) consumed as dried fruit or as processed food, as an ornamental plant, and to promote timber wood production (Wakeling et al., 2001 and Marozzi et al, 2017). In recent years, demand for pecan kernels has increased worldwide, partly because of the good flavour of the kernel, their high nutritional value or as an alternative crop to traditional and widely known nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts, etc.). In USA, it is considered as “Queen of nuts” because of its value both as a wild and as a cultivated nut. Poonch district in Jammu & Kashmir holds the reputation of “Pecans Capital of India.” Pecans can be available in the market year around in this region.

12.1 Introduction

Walnut (Juglans regia L.), called “the magic tree” since ancient times, is one of the most economically significant and widely distributed cultivated species for its timber and nutritious nuts all over the world. It is an important source for food, medicines, phytotherapeutic products, raw material in the wood industry and biomass. The nuts are also known as “King of Nuts”. Walnut is known to be trees with a high market potential. Its nutritious nuts and good quality timber are highly valued and the market demand is correspondingly high. It is known for its high-quality nuts and timber. It makes it an economically and nutritionally important tree species. Almost all plant parts and their by products have been used in one or other way. It is the most widespread nut tree in the world (Sharma, 2022). It is relatively fast-growing reaching a total height of 18-30 m and a canopy width of 12-18 m. Roots are sensitive to oxygen depletion which can occur in wet conditions.

11.1 Introduction

The kiwi fruit is native to China, also known as Chinese Gooseberry. It was brought to New Zealand from China by missionaries in the early 20th century with the first commercial planting occurring several decades later. In 1960, it was renamed Chinese Gooseberries. It is a new fruit crop in India which is cultivated on a small scale and people do not know much about its cultivation. In India, it was first planted at Bangalore and after that in Himanchal Pradesh in 1963. In India, Kiwi is mostly grown in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.

10.1 Introduction

Persimmon is known as the national fruit of Japan. In India, persimmon was introduced by the European settlers somewhere in 1921. At present it is grown on a limited scale in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, hilly areas of Uttar Pradesh and parts of eastern India. No organized cultivation of this fruit has yet been undertaken in India. The fruit is commonly known as ‘Japaniphal’ which is cherished for its unique flavour and high nutritional content. It is mainly originated from China, Japan and Korea (Lucas-Gonzalez et al., 2017) and is cultivated in warm region of China, Japan, Brazil, Italy and Mediterranean region (Bubba et al., 2009). It was originally cultivated in China and Japan, and it is therefore also known as the ‘Chinese date plum’. Persimmon is good source of various bioactive compounds that possess antioxidant activity which is beneficial for human health, owing to their ability to prevent from various chronic diseases.

9.1 Introduction

Almond is one of the major and oldest tree-nut crops of the world. It is a close relative of peach. It was bought to California in the 17th century by Spanish. In India it was first introduced into Kashmir during 16th century by Persian settlers. The tree bears a fruit called a drupe consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed inside. Almonds are generally cross-pollinated. Therefore, the common honeybee plays a vital role in the production of the nuts. A compound called ‘Amygdaline’ differentiates the bitter almond from the sweet almond. In the presence of water (i.e., on hydrolysis), amygdaline yields glucose and the chemicals, benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid (HCN). The salt of HCN known as cyanide is poisonous. The bitter almond is slightly broader and shorter than the sweet. Bitter almonds yield 4-9 mg of hydrogen cyanide per almond. Almonds are cultivated in many parts of the world, with the five leading countries being the U.S., Spain, Australia, Iran and Morocco.

8.1 Introduction

The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry) is one of the most preferred soft and attractive, tasty and nutritious fruit with a distinct and pleasant aroma, and delicate flavour. The fruit of strawberry is technically known as an accessory fruit and the fleshy part is derived not from the ovaries (achenes) but from receptacle. The common cultivated strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) is a widely grown hybrid plant resulting from the cross between two American species, Fragaria chiloensis of western North and South America and Fragaria virginiana of eastern North America. Its name has been derived from farmers mulching called “Straw”, earlier the strawberries were just planted for medicinal purpose but later on Carlus Linneaus for the first time introduced strawberry as edible fruit (Lieten et al., 1995). Strawberry is herbaceous perennial. It is an aggregate accessory fruit (not a berry indeed), meaning that the fleshy part is derived not from the ovaries of the flower but from the receptacle, that holds the ovaries. Each apparent seed (properly named achene) on the outside of the fruit is actually one of the ovaries of the flower, with a seed inside it. This fruit is widely appreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright red colour, juicy texture, and sweetness. It is consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in prepared foods such as preserves, fruit juice, pies, ice creams, milk shakes, and other desserts (FAO, 2012).

7.1 Introduction

Cherry is one of the important temperate stone fruits of the world. It is widely grown in the cooler climates where the span of winter is wide and very much pronounced. Sweet cherry is tall, attaining a height of 18 m, and pyramidal form. The branches are usually erect, and leaves are large, thin, variable pubescent beneath and coarsely serrated. Sweet (Prunus avium L.) and sour (P. cerasus L.) cherry ripen first among stone fruits followed by apricot, peach and plum. Sweet cherry comes first on the fresh market; hence, it is in high demand during late spring and early summer. Sweet cherry cultivars with red fruit colour lead the market while cultivars of yellow, white, or blush colour are in less demand. Sour cherries have smaller fruit size and are less firm than sweet cherries. The vast majority of the sour cherries are processed. The tree of sour cherry is usually 6-9 m tall, open headed, round topped or spreading and often without a central leader. The leaves are much smaller, dark green in colour and more numerous and trees are hardier than those of sweet cherry. Diameter of sour cherry fruit is about 2 cm.

6.1 Introduction

Plum is one of the important and widely cultivated fruit crops of temperate regions of the world. It occupies a unique position amongst the stone fruits in world fruit production and ranks next to peaches in economic importance. Plums are the most taxonomically diverse stone fruits which belongs to genus Prunus of sub-family Prunoideae and family Rosaceae (Potter et al., 2007). There are about 42 species of plum but the cultivated plums are derived from two species namely Prunus domestica (European plum) and Prunus salicina (Japanese plum). The Japanese plums are widely grown in the country whereas the European plums are grown only on a limited scale. The European plums are most often produced for the dried fruit market particularly in France and California, where it is called prune and dried plum, respectively. In the recent past some prunes have been introduced for fresh market in Himachal Pradesh. These prunes are sold fresh like plums and have become quite popular.

5.1 Introduction

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is an important fruit crop of temperate regions of India. In India, it is mainly grown in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and on a limited scale in North Eastern states. It is popular worldwide owing to their high nutritional value and delicious flavour, which not only can be used as fresh fruit but also has a high importance as processed product (Moradinezhad and Jahani, 2016). Apricot is drought resistant, salt tolerant, hardy and less susceptible to pests and diseases and can be grown with minimum cultural care in the tracts which are otherwise unfit for cultivating other temperate fruits.