**2.4 Climate and soil**

Plum requires varying types of climate and is grown from subtropical plains to the temperate high hills. The European-type plums require temperate climate and are grown in high hills at an elevation of 1300–2000 m ams1. It requires about 800–1000 h of chilling below 7°C during winter to break rest period. Japanese plum requires 100–800 h of chilling, and winch is met in midhill areas located at an elevation of 1000–1600 m amsl. Plums can be grown in areas where winters are cold and summers are hot. Cold, wet and windy weather during bloom is detrimental for good fruit set as spring frost injury causes damage to bloom. A northern slope is preferred particularly for Japanese plum, which tends to delay the bloom period and thus avoids early frost injury. Plum requires 90–110 cm well-distributed rainfall throughout the year. Prolonged drought during fruit growth and development and excessive rains during fruit maturity hamper fruit quality. Although plum can grow on a wide range of soils, deep, fertile and well-drained loamy soils with a pH of 5.5–6.5 are the most suitable. The soil should be free from hard pan, waterlogging and excessive salts. Very heavy or light soils are not suitable. The Japanese plums do well on average soils having high pH.
