author(s)
Haseeb UR Rehman, Manzoor Ahmad Ganai, AB Shakoor Khanday, Tasneem Mubarak and Shahid Ahmad Shergojry

abstract
This study\r\ninvestigated the impact of adopting the recommended apple spray schedule on\r\ndisease, pest problems, and profitability in three horticultural zones of\r\nKulgam district, J & K (UT), India. Data was collected from 300 apple\r\ngrowers (150 adopters and 150 non-adopters) during 2022-23 and 2023-24. Results\r\nrevealed that disease and pest problems varied among adopters and non-adopters,\r\nirrespective of the horticultural zone. Besides this, the zone of apple\r\ncultivation has a prominent effect on the disease and pest pressure. Weather\r\nconditions, scientific horticultural practice, and the use of specific\r\nagrochemicals contributed mostly to the yearly variation of disease and pest\r\nincidence among adopters and non-adopters. Scab along with other foliar diseases was lower in\r\nthe case of adopters as compared to non-adopters irrespective of the study\r\nyear. Scab disease was noticed 4.22% among adopters and 20.89% in non-adopters\r\nduring 2022-23 while as during 2023-24 this value was 3.33% and 24%\r\nrespectively among adopters and non-adopters irrespective of the zone. Just\r\n2.67% adopters and 13.33% non-adopters faced scab problem in Manzgam during\r\n2022-23 which was the lowest among zones. A similar trend was observed in other\r\nfoliar diseases both in case of adopters and non-adopters with the minimum\r\nincidence in Manzgam and maximum in the Qaimoh zone. Yearly variation in\r\ndisease and pest problems as observed during the current study highlights the\r\nimpact of long-term adoption of recommended practices. Least leaf miner (0.67%)\r\nand mite infestation (2%) among adopters were observed in the Manzgam zone\r\nduring 2022-23. However, Qaimoh zone proved better in terms of less infestation\r\nof Sanjose Scale (2%), beetles, and aphids than in other zones both in the case\r\nof adopters and non-adopters during a two-year study. Adopters exhibited significantly higher\r\nbenefit-cost ratios i.e., 2.55 in Manzgam, 2.42 in Kulgam, and 2.35 in Qaimoh\r\ncompared to non-adopters of the same zones due to reduced input costs, improved\r\nfruit quality, and higher yields. These findings emphasize the crucial role of\r\nproper plant protection spray scheduling in enhancing apple production and\r\nprofitability in the region.