Peach Flashcards
Which are the three most important countries for peach production in the world?
China, EU (Turkey), USA
Which are the three most important countries for peach production in the EU?
Spain, Italy, Greece
Which are the three most important importer countries for peach?
Russia Federation, Switzerland, Ukraine
Which are the most important import origins to the EU for peach?
Chile, South Africa, Morocco, and Turkey
How is the fruiting bud in a peach tree structured?
A flower bud
Brindles have an apical bud that is a veg bud, and the laterals are flower buds
Typical bud of stone fruits: per each node there is one veg bud and two lateral flower buds
Another structure: stone fruit spur with one apical veg bud and a crown of several flower buds
What is the difference between peaches and nectarines?
Peach: pubescent (hairy) skin
Nectarines: glabrous (no hair) skin
What are the characteristics of canning peaches?
Stone is removed
Pubescent skin
Clingstone (machine used for processing must remove flesh close to stones)
Yellow non-melting flesh
What are the differences between non-melting and stony-hard peaches?
Non-melting: high soluble pectins, sensitive to ethylene, very low reduction in flesh firmness
Stony: lower solubility of pectins, not sensitive to ethylene, very limited reduction in flesh firmness
What are desired characteristics of peach cultivars?
? Red color
Yellow flesh: higher resistance to restorability, sensitivity to bruising, longer storage and shipping time, easy manipulation
Non-melting or stony-hard (consumer’s preference), suitable for storability
Different timing of ripening to elongate the ripening calendar and achieve the highest price in spring
What is the main issue with early peaches and nectarines?
Size (early are small)
Lower time to increase fruit size, causing lower yield per ha
Thinning fruits much harder than mid-season cv, resulting in lower yield
What does the suffix “crest” indicate?
It is associated with early ripening cvs.
What are the standard cultivars for the calendar of peach and nectarine ripening?
Redhaven for peaches: intermediate vigor, very productive, large, yellow flesh, non-melting
Big Top for nectarines: vigorous and highly productive, yellow non-melting, clingstone, intense red, large
Which rootstocks are more suitable for vigor control?
Controller 5 (selected in the USA)
Adesoto
Ishtara
Why have white peaches lost their importance, and why did yellow peaches become the standard for the peach industry?
White peaches have poor storability and are sensitive to manipulation (browning on skins and flesh)
Yellow peaches are more suitable, leading to their substitution
Which rootstocks are most used in the world, and why?
GF 677: tolerant to replant disease, seedling
Nemaguard: tolerant to nematodes, standard for USA, dry area, clonal rootstock, high vigor
Which rootstocks are less susceptible to waterlogging?
GF 677
MRS 25: from plum species, tolerant to wet soil (issue with peach as very susceptible)
What is the limiting factor for the cultivation of peach trees in the northern area?
Spring frost during blooming: blooms very early in the season
Temperature below -4°C during blossoming is detrimental
What defect is caused by low chilling?
Pointed fruits (elongation of the fruit)
Issues for manipulation and storability, easy to bruise
What are the differences between Catalan vase and open vase training systems in peach?
Catalan vase: obtained by repeated topping, more open canopy, primary, secondary, and tertiary branches
Open vase: 4 to 6 main branches, fewer ramifications, always kept empty inside, manually pruned early, wide branching angles for easy harvest
Which training system is most suitable for cool climates and why?
Wall systems like spindle and Palmette are more suitable for short growing seasons. In the north, the growing season is shorter, allowing for mechanical thinning with platforms.
Which is the most efficient trellis system for yield, and which is best from an economical point of view?
Yield: Tatura trellis system (Y systems) intercepts more light but requires higher labor
Economical POV: Perpendicular V system leads to the lowest need for hand work; for late cvs, the VR system is recommended
What pruning operations are suggested for peach pruning?
After the first year: bulk cuts to form lateral branches
Second year: select important branches and remove internal branches
Thinning cuts and heading back cuts to open the canopy
Thinning lateral brindles to reduce the number of flowers, especially important in early cvs
Heading back cuts to remove branches oriented towards the center and open the canopy
Keep brindles close to primary branches to reduce space needed
How can the fruit load be regulated using pruning?
Thinning: manually, usually at the stage of pit hardening, after June drop, reduces competition, increases size and yield
Keep only the largest fruits, space them along brindles to reduce competition
What are the strategies for fruit thinning in peach, and what are the differences between early and late cvs?
Strategies: manual and mechanical thinning
Manual thinning is more costly
Mechanical thinning of flowers: less effective, requires control, no damage to fruits
Best strategy: combine mechanical early in the season with hand thinning
Early cvs: need heavy thinning to reach acceptable fruit size, reduced crop load increases fruit size less significantly than in late cvs
Late cvs: photosynthesis has a higher effect on fruit load, less thinning required
