Exposing apples to radiation increases their shelf life and helps the fruit stay fresh and crunchy for longer periods, a study has found raising hopes of better returns for growers who adopt the new technique.

In the study, conducted by Delhi-based Shriram Institute for Industrial Research, freshly harvested apples from different parts of Himachal Pradesh were irradiated under gamma rays.

"After irradiation the samples were stored under ambient and cold storage conditions and it was found that after two months the spoilage was only 14 percent as against 75 percent of non-irradiated apples," the researchers said.

The State Bank Of India (SBI) under its project, Uptech: Apple Orchards, had commissioned the study.
 
The results were demonstrated to several groups of farmers and scientists of the state horticulture department to encourage them to adopt the technique.

The study concluded that the irradiation technique, by increasing shelf life, would enable the growers to sell their produce at the right time and thereby fetch better returns.

The state's apple economy is said to be around Rs.10 billion. The fruit is also the major cash crop of Himachal, which, along with Jammu and Kashmir, produces almost the entire apple crop of the country.