Bandipora, May 25: The cherry crop in this north Kashmir district has been hit by incessant rains Valley received in the past week.
 Concerned growers told Greater Kashmir that the cherry was in its bloom in various villages of the district namely Aragam, Malanagam, Aloosa and Mantrigam. “But the continuous rains damaged all,” they said. 
 “The heavy rains, wind and cold wreaked havoc with the cherry crop, interrupted bee pollination, increased disease and pest pressure,” said Arsalah Habib, a grower, adding that this would ultimately affect the production.
 Malik Faheem, an agriculture post graduate, said: “The heavy rains have affected the bee movement that is essential for pollination, which can further affect the cherry production.”  
 Experts said cherry bloom usually begins in mid-March and continues through early May and the bee activity is a must for the huge pollination to get the more and more crop.
 “The problem is that when it rains the bees can’t work. It needs dry weather with 25-30-degree temperature for the bees to fly and pollinate the crop,” experts said.
 Experts stressed the need for applying fungicides to protect various fruits from disease.
 “The immediate thing farmers need to do is to apply fungicides to the orchards to protect the fruit from the disease,” they said.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 25 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 25 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 IST