Apple farmers from four districts of Himachal Pradesh got valuable practical lessons in managed pollination to increase production at the Solan based Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF).

The farmers from Shimla, Chamba, Sirmour and Mandi districts of the state were given training on the ‘Role of Managed Pollination in Apple Orchards’ under the World Bank funded Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project (HPHDP).

Fifty-two farmers along with 12 Horticulture department officials attended the camp and they were told about the importance of proper pollination. Dr Harish Sharma, the project co-ordinator, said the activity aims to explain the topic of managed pollination.

“Thorough practical sessions on the preparation of honey bee colony for pollination and the use of pollen dispenser for ensuring proper pollination in apple were organised for the participants, who all happen to be progressive apple growers,” he said.

Besides general information about the importance of beekeeping, the farmers also learned about the identification of important insect pollinators and the strategies to conserve them.

He said the main idea was to apprise the farmers on the vital role played by bees and other insect pollinators and motivate them to implement it in their orchards and reap its benefits.

Moreover, the farmers were given live demonstration at the university apiary where topics like transportation of bee colonies and bee management were discussed. The farmers were also told about the techniques as how to protect the bees in case there was a need to use spray on the trees or fields.

The farmers were also taken for a field visit to the high-density plantations of newly introduced apple varieties under the HPHDP project where the forager behaviour of the bees was explained to the farmers.

Dr Anju Khanna, Head, UHF’s Entomology department said the lack of managed pollination especially honey bee colonies was taking a toll on the agricultural output of the state.

“The lack of pollination is resulting in poor fruit set and low productivity and it eventually led to the loss of income for farmers,” she said.