Apple variety ‘Kanwar Majholi Selection-1’ registered by PPV&FRA
Participatory Fruit Improvement Bears Fruit: Farmer Apple Variety Registered
The participatory crop improvement efforts of a progressive apple orchardist and scientists from the Regional Horticulture Research and Training Station(RHRTS), Mashobra of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni have borne fruit. The university has been successful in the registration of a new farmer apple variety. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) has officially denominated the variety as ‘Kanwar Majholi Selection-1’.
This variety is the result of sustained efforts by progressive orchardist Late Joginder Singh Kanwar of Majholi, Kathog in Shimla district, in collaboration with scientists from RHRTS Mashobra.
Dr. Dinesh Singh Thakur, Associate Director of RHRTS Mashobra, explained that in 2016, during a routine visit to his orchard, Late Joginder Singh Kanwar noticed some unusual early-maturing and dark-coloured fruits on the lowermost limb of a 47-year-old Red Delicious apple tree. These fruits were distinctly different in colour from the rest of the fruits on the same tree. Scientists from UHF Nauni at Mashobra were contacted to examine the variation.
In 2017, a team comprising Dr. Dinesh Singh Thakur and Dr. Neena Chauhan surveyed the orchard and identified the variation as a whole branch mutation. The team initiated scientific evaluation by isolating budwood from the mutated limb and grafting it onto dwarfing M9 rootstock to assess the stability of the desirable traits and fruit quality. The variety was observed and analyzed over 4–5 years at Mashobra, located at an elevation of 2,286 metres above mean sea level.
Dr. Devina Vaidya, UHF Director of Research, informed that the university took steps to protect the variety as a new farmer variety under the name ‘Kanwar Majholi Selection-1’ and submitted an application for registration to PPV&FR. She added that scientists from RHRTS Mashobra collected the necessary passport data and remained actively involved in the development and documentation of the variety since 2016. Their efforts were finally rewarded with the official registration of the variety.
Congratulating the farmer’s family and the scientists, Vice Chancellor Prof. Rajeshwar Singh Chandel said that this marks a significant step in the university’s policy to recognize and support farmers in registering unique varieties for the benefit of the wider farming community. He noted that the registered variety possesses all the desirable qualities of Red Delicious, along with early and intense dark coloration. Furthermore, he highlighted that adoption of this variety in fog-prone areas, where achieving high fruit colour is challenging, could prove to be a viable option for growers.
Dr. Chandel further added that, with prior permission from the farmer’s family, the variety is currently being evaluated for multi-location performance trials by scientists of the university under the name ‘Kanwar Red’.
