Apple orchards in Himachal Pradesh have fallen victim to a disease called scab after a gap of 38 years, taking growers by surprise. In certain pockets as much as 60 percent of the apple crop has been affected.
Ashutosh Chauhan, an orchardist from Ratnari in Shimla district, says, “The last time this disease broke out was in 1982-83. I was probably in kindergarten. Most of the new generation of orchardists are way too young to have any memories of it. Now, it has spread again and we failed to diagnose it in its early stages.”
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