Fast Facts On Peaches and Nectarines
1.Plant background
Stone fruit, botanic name Prunes persica, originating from China and
from Northern Persia ,from the Rosaceae family.
Contents List:
1. Plant background
2. Botanical description
3. Varieties
4. Climate conditions
5. Leading Peaches and Nectarines growing countries
6. Growing season
7. Rootstock
8. Soil
9. Nursery
10. Tree treatments
11. Harvest
12. Tree spacing
13. Irrigation
14. Critical stages for water stress
15. Irrigation management with water shortage
16. Recommended irrigation method
17. Fertilization application
18. Yields
19. Main diseases
20. Main pests
21. Frost protection
 Peaches and Nectarines - Full article
2. botanical descriptions
Trees grow to a height of 4.5-7.0m with a diameter of 3-4m.The leaves have a “saw tooth” edge. Pink blossoms appear in the spring before the leaves begin budding. Flowering season is relatively long, with beautiful flowers often with many small blossoms. Blossoming begins early spring – February--March in the northern hemisphere, and in the corresponding months in the southern hemisphere. The trees produce commercial yields from their third year, and keep producing for about 15-20 years. The highest yields are attained in the 6 th to 12th years. Blossoms of most varieties are hermaphrodite, which means they self- pollinate, though some varying require bees for pollination. Peaches prefer a dry climate during blossoming. Blossoms grow on year-old branches, with two blossoms encircling the growth buds. Fruit ripens 3-5 months after blossoming. Fruit buds – form on the branch, which grows during the growing season, and will bear the fruit the following season, I.E. year old branches bear the fruit.
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3. Varieties
There are two main groups of varieties: Freestone (as its name implies the flesh separates easily from the stone), and Clingstone (a harder variety, the flesh does not separate easily from the stone, as implied).There are a large number of varieties for different periods, starting from early summer through to autumn (end of October). The most famous Freest one varieties are Alberta, Hale, Red haven, Jubik, Gold queen, Springcrest. The best know Clingst one varieties are Fortuna, Puloro, Johnson, Harbelle, Garnel beauty. In general, there are thousands of peach varieties.
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4. Crop climate conditions
Due to early blossoming, frost is problematic in most countries where peaches grow. Peach varieties grow in a wide range of climates from tropical to sub-artic (northern Canada). Peaches require a varied range of cold units ,but mainly 600-900 units. In some new varieties 200 cold units are sufficient. Tree branches can withstand cold of -32 °C, but blossoms suffer damage at -2 °C.
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5. Leading peaches and nectarines growing countries (2002)
|
Planted area (ha) |
Production (tons) |
Yield (T/ha) |
|
China |
549.800 |
5.29.800 |
9.570 |
|
Italy |
92.700 |
1.586.600 |
17.100 |
|
USA |
76.000 |
1.440.200 |
18.600 |
|
Spain |
71.600 |
1.247.400 |
17.420 |
|
Greece |
52.500 |
739.600 |
14.090 |
|
Mexico |
38.600 |
198.000 |
5.280 |
|
Egypt |
34.000 |
257.000 |
7.560 |
6. Growing season
Peaches require 90-180 days from blossoming to ripening, with early varieties ripening in July and late varieties in September-October.
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7. Rootstock
Peach and Nectarine rootstocks are mainly, Seedling, Merobalan, Apricot,and rootstocks of almond /peach. Peach rootstocks are mainly varieties of peaches.
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8. Soil
Medium light soils, well-drained soils are preferable; optimal pH is 6-7.In heavier soils ,trees should be planted on mounds. Trees should not be planted in soil without proper drainage. It is common to graft saplings in the nursery, and plant them during dormancy. Saplings are planted with roots exposed, and not in bags, though it is possible to prepare one-year saplings that are planted in a lump.
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9. Nursery
It is common to graft saplings in the nursery,and plant them during dormancy. Saplings are planted with roots exposed, and not in bags, though it is possible to prepare one-year saplings that are planted in a lump.
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10. Tree treatments
Standard pruning is vase shaped, which is compatible with the tree’s shape, and enables light and radiation penetration to the fruit and foliage. There are additional pruning methods, such as hedge pruning, and central axis. With many varieties, manual or chemical thinning out is required, so that fruit will grow to required size.
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11. Harvest
Normally manually harvested, but in industrial orchards for cut fruit and for juice, harvesting is mechanical.
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12 Tree spacing
Traditionally trees are spaced 6x6m,with about 300 trees per ha in the densely planted orchards, trees are planted 4.0 -4.5x2m,with 1,000-2,000 trees per ha.
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13. Irrigation
Irrigation coefficients – Kc based on pan evaporation rate according to the northern hemisphere (the Kc also changes according harvesting seasons). General water requirements depend on the harvesting. date: 450-750 m per season. Beginning of irrigation – depends on the soil moisture
conditions, blossoming and leaf budding in the spring. In regions where there are summer rains – rainfalls exceeding 5mm must be taken into account.
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14. Critical stages for water stress in the soil in peach and nectarine orchards
Water stress during t he critical stages could result in serious damage and a reduction in yields, Mainly during the blossoming and fruit -set , and the fast development of the fruits ages, from April to June in the northern hemisphere, and during the corresponding months in the southern hemisphere.
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15. Irrigation management with water shortages in peach and nectarine orchards – deficit irrigation
Following are several means of action that will enable deficit irrigation, while reducing economic damages to the orchard and to the yields.
- Apportion water based on profitability of the sections, according to tree conditions and harvest dates, wherein the better sections will receive the necessary water quantities, at the expense of the poorer sections.
- Water is apportioned according to expected yields in the orchard sections. Sections where a high yield is expected, will receive water at the expense of sections,
where expected yield is low.
- It is recommended to thin out the fruit, removing the small fruits and leaving the large fruits on the branches. This can be done manually or chemically.
d. Reduce the canopy by pruning, thus reducing the water evaporation from the foliage. This is particularly important in stone fruits, such as peaches and nectarines. When pruning trees, it is important to be careful when pruning, as this could cause excessive vegetative growth.
- Green pruning is preferable, and in early varieties, summer pruning is possible.
- The yield must be adapted to the allocated water allowance, and not the water to the yield.
- The peach fruit grows rapidly during two periods:
(1)after fruit-set, and (2)before ripening. The period between these periods is called the stone-hardening stage, during which the water quantities can be reduced significantly, and this should be taken into consideration when determining water applications.
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16. Recommended irrigation methods
Drip irrigation is recommended – in older orchards with traditional spacing, 1-2 laterals per row; in closely planted orchards – one lateral per row. The recommended distance between drippers is 0.5-0.6m. Discharge rate will normally be 2.3 l/h. Irrigation frequency will be according to soil type, every 1-3 day. The accepted equipment in mountainous regions is Ram, and in level terrain Tiran or Ram, and UniRam for subsurface drip. Irrigation should be applied according to soil type every 1-3 days, and pulse irrigation. Just before ripening, the water consumption increases. Irrigation rate: 1.3-1.6 mm/h
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17. Fertilization applications
Before planting:400-600kg/ha P 2 O 5 and 600-700 kg/ha K 2 O. During year s 1,2 &3 150,200,&250 grams N per tree accordingly. For fruit bearing trees, when yields are high, large
fertilizer quantities are needed.
N – 180-200 kg/ha, P – 50-60 kg/ha
K – 250-300 kg/ha
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18. Yields
35-50 tons/ha.
19. Main diseases
Leaf curling, verticilium wilt ,rust, powdery mildew, stone brown rot, silvery leaves, rhizopus rot.
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20. Main pests
acalytus, erythroneura, pterochloroides persicae, capnodis, scolytidae, cankers, fruit flies (anastrepha), thrips, oxycarenus hylimiponnis ,cydia.
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21. Frost protection
peaches are sensitive to frost ,particularly to early frost. Fruit-set in early varieties area already adversely affected at -1 °C.90%of the blossoms will be destroyed if temperatures reach –3.9 °C, when the peach tree is in full bloom.90%of the blossoms will be destroyed if temperatures will reach – 6.1 °C,when trees start to bloom. In light of these data, it is recommended that a sprinkler system be installed for frost protection, using SuperNet for every tree, with an actual irrigation rate of at least 3.5mm/h on the wetted area.
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