Apple Farming in Kenya: How to make money

Apple Farming in Kenya is not new, infact ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. This is the old proverb which significance the nutritive importance of apple in human diet. Together with its relatives the plum, peach and pear, the apple belongs to the family Rosaceae. Under normal growing conditions an apple will develop into a small to medium-sized tree, of 5–10 m height, freely branching with long shoots and various types of short spurs.

Apple farming in Kenya is increasingly becoming popular due to increased demand of the precious fruit. The reason for the high demand is due to its rich nutritional content and health benefits. Returns from apple farming in Kenya are also high. Most apple fruits found in Kenyan market have originated from South Africa but local production is gaining momentum.  In Kenya, apples are grown in highlands of Kenya including Transzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Kiambu, Nyeri, Kericho etc.

Different cultivars of apples may be distinguished by the fruit’s flesh colour, juiciness, mealiness, firmness/crispness, and flesh texture. Other fruit characteristics include taste (acidic, aromatic, sweet, etc.) and skin colour (red, yellow, striped, blushing, and russeting).

1. Propagation

In order to produce true-to-type apple cultivars, vegetative propagation methods using grafting or, more often, budding techniques are necessary. For this purpose, apple seedling or clonal stock is needed. Clonal stock availability had been a major obstacle for the speedy extension of the East African apple industry. Experience has shown that only vigorous or moderately vigorous rootstocks
should be used.

2. Establishment

Apple farming for commercial production should only be attempted in locations recognized as feasible growing areas. An ideal location with optimum natural growing conditions is difficult to find in East Africa, because it has to combine two essential preconditions: cold winters and relatively hot summers.

Since cultivars with low chilling requirements are available, and dormancy and dormancy break can be induced artificially, elevations of approx. 1,500–2,200 m are the most suitable for this type of tree crop. Depending on cultivar, apple trees require 200–1,400 hours below 7 °C for optimal development. Ideal orchard locations have deep, fertile, properly aerated and well drained soils.

Soil PH on Apple Farming In Kenya

The optimum pH range appears to be between 5.5 and 6.5. Generally apples grow well in areas with an annual rainfall of 800 to 1,100 mm. It is essential that sufficient soil moisture is available during the time of bud break, flowering fruit set and fruit development. Moisture deficiency may seriously affect yield and fruit quality

Apple Varieties In Kenya

The choice of cultivar should depend not only upon where one will grow it but also upon the end use of the produce. If destined for the fresh market, the fruits must handle and ship well and have an attractive appearance. Fruits for canning or other processing, on the other hand, are selected with other specific characteristics. From among the cultivars recommended for Kenya in the
1960s, only Winter Banana and Rome Beauty have survived for commercial use and further extension. Currently Anna, Pink Lady and Golden Dorset have proved to perform well, this was based on research by Farmers Trend in 2020.

After the country’s independence from British rule in 1963, many additional cultivars were introduced into Kenya. Those that have already been evaluated and included in the propagation programme are, among others: Anna, Golden Dorsett, Grand, Acpye, Alexander, Ein Shemer, Cowin, Glocken, Law, Granny Smith, Red Rome, Mutsu, Gloster, Starking, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, and
White Winter Permain.

In most instances apple cultivars are not sufficiently self pollinating and it is therefore advisable to have cross-pollination from other suitable cultivars, which have been interplanted. These include: Winter Banana, Jonathan, Golden Dorsett, Ein Shemer, etc. Honeybees are the most important carriers of pollen amongst temperate fruit trees, and bee keeping in the orchard is therefore
essential.

Grafted Apple Seedlings

Spacing on Apple Farming In Kenya

The proper spacing of apple trees is directly associated with region, altitude, type and fertility of soil, cultivar, and rootstock. Usually 2–3 m within the row and 3–4 m from row to row are advisable. The trees must be sufficiently far apart to allow the sun to hit the lower branches if fruit of satisfactory quality is to be grown on the lower parts of the trees. The closer the trees are planted together, the more carefully they must be trained to make the planting successful. Spacings of
rows and trees should be altered independently to suit particular circumstances

3. Maintenance

In Kenya, apple farmers must deal with the tendency of apple trees to produce upright, strong and sparsely foliated unbranched shoots that are very limited in their productivity. The most common pruning procedure is to create the socalled ‘open centre tree’, but sometimes the ‘pyramid shape’ tree is preferred

Trees that are properly cared for during their formative period will be well shaped and able to support heavy crops. Once fruiting starts, the primary consideration becomes striking a balance between vegetative growth and fruit production by controlling tree height and spread, exposure to light, renewal of fruiting wood, etc.

Dormancy in apple farming

The two most important measures for successful local apple growing are the creation of an artificial resting period (dormancy) and the breaking of prolonged dormancy.

To stimulate dormancy, it is common to defoliate apple trees at the beginning of September in order to let the crop mature during the dry season. This also results in a superior crop as compared with the harvest gained by defoliation in March, at the end of the dry season.

Apple farming fertilization 

Sufficient fertilization is needed to achieve high yields and good fruit quality. The most effective fertilizer programme can best be determined on the basis of leaf and soil analysis.

Numerous apple tree leaf samples taken for examination have shown that deficiencies of trace element (like zinc, copper and manganese) are very common in Kenya.

Serving as a rough guideline, the following annual CAN (26 % N) application per tree is recommended: 150 g in the first year after planting, increased by 125 g per subsequent year to a maximum of 1.5 kg/tree/year. Also, 150 g of Double Super Phosphate (DSP) are given in the second year after planting, increased each year by 150 g up to a maximum of 2.5 kg DSP per tree.
The nutrient requirement is highest after dormancy when flowers, shoots, leaves and fruit are developing.

Thinning of apples

Very little thinning of apples is done in Kenya. Thinning improves fruit size, quality and regularity of crops and should be carried out as soon as it can be established with certainty what fruit is going to remain on the tree. The stalks of the fruit that will drop turn yellow, usually about 50 days after full bloom. The severity of hand thinning will depend upon market preferences for specific sizes of the cultivar. According to prevailing circumstances, flower/fruit clusters can be spread approx. 12–15 cm apart, or alternatively whole clusters are removed.

Weeding Apples

Weeds or interplanted crops should not compete with the orchard trees for moisture and nutrients. Cultivation is usually necessary only for weed control and should be done as shallow as possible to avoid damaging the root system.

Depending on the age of a tree, an area of approximately 60–180 cm from the trunk should be maintained weed-free. Chemical weed killers are often practical, but also mulch should be used to control weeds and conserve moisture, although the mulch must not come into contact with the trunk

Ripening of apples

Apples ripen satisfactorily on the tree and should be picked when they have reached optimum colour and size. Depending on cultivar, this will occur 5–7 months after flowering.

In Kenya, there are two main picking seasons: around February and around August. However, trials have shown that the picking time can be controlled by the timing of leaf stripping. This means that a year-round supply of fresh fruit could be feasible

Harvesting of apples

As apples appear to be hard at picking time there is a tendency to handle them in a rougher manner than more perishable soft fruits. All apples for the fresh market are picked by hand, and this should be done taking care to avoid bruising and stalk punctures, which damage the appearance of the fruit and also provide entry points for fungi, which cause storage and shelf rot.

Yields on apples

Yields depend largely on the type of rootstock used, age and cultivar combination, and certainly on the applied crop husbandry measures. Preventive control of insects and fungal diseases keeps trees healthy and is an important aspect of successful apple farming in Kenya.

4. Major Pests on Apple Farming

Aphids. These colony dwellers suck on leaves, flowers and young shoots, causing them to curl and become stunted. Aphids may also transmit viral diseases and the honeydew they produce develops into sooty mould.

Woolly aphids. Attack the aerial and underground parts of fruit trees. A white, woolly, waxy secretion and the formation of galls on branches and roots are characteristic of this insect’s damage.

Thrips. Very small, slender insects which suck on young leaves, flowers and fruits. Scale insects. There are different types which cause serious damage or die-back of fruit trees. Infested trees show a general decrease of vigour as well as leaf discolouration.

Spider mites. Tiny, mobile, reddish-brown, sucking insects which cover the leaves with a fine web system. They are very active during long dry spells when they puncture and destroy the leaves.

Systates weevils. Can occasionally be very troublesome by typically chewing leaf edges and ruining flower setting.

Chafer grubs. Live underground and can cause considerable damage to the root system. Attacked plants whither, may be stunted and often die. At the beginning of the rains, flying adults feed on flowers, fruits and leaves during the night.

Codling moth. Damage to the fruit is caused by the larvae, which upon hatching chew tunnels through the fruit during its development, particularly in the core area. Young, damaged fruits drop off the trees or become grossly malformed. Fruit at different stages of development may be attacked by several generations of moths.

Fruit flies. The most important and damaging species in Kenya are Ceratitis capitata and C. rosa. The adult female punctures and lays eggs within the skin of ripening fruits, and this often leads to rotting. The hatching white maggots burrow further into the fruit, feeding on the rotting pulp. Attacked fruits rot and usually drop prematurely.

5. Diseases that affect apple farming in Kenya

Apple scab. This fungus attacks leaves and fruit. Lesions develop on both leaf surfaces, causing distortion. Scabby dark spots are clearly seen on infested fruit; immature fruit growth is distorted and the surface may crack.

Powdery mildew. In highly susceptible cultivars like Rome Beauty or Jonathan, infection starts as white felty patches especially at the leaf margin, later extending over the entire shoot. In serious infection all parts of the blossom too may be covered with the fungus and very often fail to set fruit.

Armillaria root rot. A fungal disease that attacks the roots and can result in the death of the tree. A white layer of fungal growth can be seen under the bark of roots and trunk, and the foliage of infected trees turns from yellow to brown. It is especially problematic in recently cleared land that contains residual tree roots which serve as a source of inoculum.

Summary on apple farming in Kenya

The fruit industry is a highly dynamic and rapidly growing sector in the food market. There is increasing consumer interest in food with good nutritional value and high safety standards.

Apples are one of the most consumed and traded temperate fruit crops in the world, followed by grapes, oranges and bananas. Apple farming in Kenya continually faces new challenges, such as constantly changing consumer demands due to differential preferences for taste and flavours, climate change, and biotic and abiotic stresses.

Due to climate change and horticultural practices new pests and diseases are becoming an ever-increasing threat to the total production and quality of the product, ultimately influencing its market value. Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) must be developed to provide basic guidance to growers on how to optimise the production and reduce food safety risks in an orchard.

Studies using grower surveys or case studies increase the awareness about the current practices, problems and future needs for successful apple cultivation and to sustainably increase the quality and quantity of the apple production in Kenya.

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