Fruit Classification

1
Fruit Classification

• Tree Fruit
• Apples
• Pears
• Peaches
• Plums
• Cherries
• Etc.

2
Fruit Classification (cont.)

• Small Fruit
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Brambles (blackberries and raspberries)
• Grapes
• Etc.

3
General Characteristics of Fruit Crops

• Genetics
• Heterozygous (Dont breed true from seed.)
• Vegetatively propagated (cloned)

• Grafted onto rootstocks
• Size control
• Adaptation

• Rooted cuttings

4
Growth Habit

• Perennial
• Live for many years
• Several years of development before fruit
  production
• Woody
• Apple, peach, cherry, etc.
• Grape, blueberry, brambles, etc.
• Herbaceous
• Strawberry (also grown as annual)

5
Plant Development

• Juvenile to mature (vegetative to fruit)
• Varies by crop (1 yr. To 5-7 yrs.)

• Fruit buds develop during the summer, go dormant,
  over winter, then produce flowers/fruit
• Cold injury from winter freezes and spring frosts
  cause a loss of fruit production

6
Factors for Successful Fruit Production

• Site Selection
• Cultivar (Variety) Selection
• Cultural Management

7
Site Selection

• Minimum winter temperature
• Fruit bud survival

• Length of growing season
• Date of last Spring frost
• Date of first Fall frost

• Air drainage (to avoid frost problems and aid in
  disease control)
• Slope
• Prevailing winds-orientation of rows
• Borders/fence rows/woods

8
Site Selection (cont.)

• Sunlight exposure
• Slope aspect
• Orientation of rows
• Shade from borders

9
Site Selection (cont.)

• Soil characteristics
• Soil texture (particle sizes)
• Sand SiltClay

• Soil Types
• Sand70 sand
• Poor water holding capacity
• Low organic mater content
• Nutrient leaching problems

10
Site Selection (cont.)

• Soil characteristics (cont.)
• Soil Types (cont.)
• Clay35 clay
• High water holding capacity
• Poor aeration due to water-logging
• Poor root penetration
• Increased disease problems
• Harder to cultivate

• Loam mixture of sand, silt and clay that
  displays intermediate properties

11
Site Selection (cont.)

• Soil characteristics (cont.)
• Soil Depth
• Adequate rooting depth (30 )
• Low water table
• Lack of impervious subsoil layer

• Soil Chemistry
• Proper pH (5.5 to 7.0) (Except blueberries that
  require acid soils 4.5 to 5.2)
• Moderate fertility (N, P, K)
• High organic matter content

12
Site Selection (cont.)

• Soil characteristics (cont.)
• Idea soil for fruit production
• Sandy loam or loam texture
• Deep, no impervious layers
• Well-drained with a low water table
• Proper pH
• Moderately fertile
• High organic matter content
• Free of troublesome weed, disease and insect pests

13
Cultivar (Variety) Selection

• Adaptation
• General
• Cold hardiness
• Heat tolerance
• Days needed for fruit maturity
• Date of bloom (frost avoidance)
• Disease and insect resistance

• Site specific Match cultivar to site
• Adaptation to soil type
• Disease and insect resistance
• Frost tolerance

14
Cultivar (Variety) Selection (cont.)

• Marketing (Intended Use)
• Home use
• Pick-Your-Own sales
• Retail sales
• Wholesale sales (processing)

15
Cultural Practices

• Pruning and training systems
• Achieve optimum balance between vegetative and
  reproductive growth
• Develop and maintain proper plant form
• Must have understanding of a plants growth habit
  to know how to prune and train

16
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Tree Fruit
• Training to desired tree form and size
• Improve sunlight penetration
• Increased yields, better fruit quality
• Ease of harvest

• Small Fruit
• Balance fruit load to vegetative growth
• Improve sunlight penetration
• Reduce competition between plants
• Fill row space
• Improve fruit quality and yields

17
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Disease and insect control
• Cultural control methods
• Resistant cultivars
• Proper pruning
• Proper fertilization
• Proper irrigation practices

18
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Disease and insect control (cont.)
• Chemical control methods
• Proper pest identification
• Proper pesticide choice
• Proper timing of application

19
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Weed control and row-middle management
• Herbicide or cultivated strips under row
• Eliminates weed competition for water and
  nutrients
• Reduces disease and insect problems

20
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Weed control and row-middle management (cont.)
• Sod cover in row middles
• Provides site for beneficial insects
• Allows easy equipment access
• Prevents soil erosion

21
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Plant Nutrition
• To maintain health and vigor for consistent,
  long-term production
• Soil testing
• Before planting to determine nutrient status, pH,
  EC, etc., so adjustments can be made
• Foliar testing
• After establishment to determine nutrient status
  of crop

22
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Integrated pest management
• Use resistant varieties where possible
• Scout for insect and disease development
• Pheromone traps/insect counts
• Economic thresholds
• Proper timing of pesticide applications
• Monitor weather conditions to forecast insect or
  disease development
• Protect beneficial insects with proper pesticide
  selection
• Grow cover crops to harbor beneficial insects
• Maintain proper nutrient status

23
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Harvest and handling
• Harvest
• Hand
• Machine

• Harvest parameters are determined by intended use
• Sugar content (Brix, soluble solids)
• Sugar / acid ratio
• Taste or texture
• Color

24
Cultural Practices (cont.)

• Harvest and handling (cont.)
• Post-harvest handling
• Cooling
• Controlled atmosphere storage (low O2, high CO2)
• Modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP)