Assessment of Thematic Areas for Training Needs of Apple Growers in Shopian of Jammu and Kashmir Districts, India

Nature has endowed the state of Jammu and Kashmir (India) with wide range of agro- climatic conditions which permits the production of varieties of temperate fruits. The district Shopian was purposively selected, because of potentiality for the development of horticulture, mainly because 90 percent area of the district was under apple plantation. The study was conducted in different altitudes and major training need components identified for the study were crop production, plant protection, harvesting and marketing etc. It was observed that integrated disease management received highest score in all the three altitudes under study, and was the most prioritized thematic area for training needs. Soil and water testing received first priority in mid and high altitude areas while it got second level of priority in low altitude areas. The training needs for micro irrigation system in orchards were given lowest priority by the fruit growers in all the three altitudes.