Peach

Question 1

Which are the three most important countries for peach production in the world?

Answer 1

China, EU (Turkey), USA

Question 2

Which are the three most important countries for peach production in the EU?

Answer 2

Spain, Italy, Greece

Question 3

Which are the three most important importer countries for peach?

Answer 3

Russia Federation, Switzerland, Ukraine

Question 4

Which are the most important import origins to the EU for peach?

Answer 4

Chile, South Africa, Morocco, and Turkey

Question 5

How is the fruiting bud in a peach tree structured?

Answer 5

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

Question 6

What is the difference between peaches and nectarines?

Answer 6

Peach: pubescent (hairy) skin
Nectarines: glabrous (no hair) skin

Question 7

What are the characteristics of canning peaches?

Answer 7

Stone is removed
Pubescent skin
Clingstone (machine used for processing must remove flesh close to stones)
Yellow non-melting flesh

Question 8

What are the differences between non-melting and stony-hard peaches?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What are desired characteristics of peach cultivars?

Answer 9

? 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

Question 10

What is the main issue with early peaches and nectarines?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

What does the suffix “crest” indicate?

Answer 11

It is associated with early ripening cvs.

Question 12

What are the standard cultivars for the calendar of peach and nectarine ripening?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Which rootstocks are more suitable for vigor control?

Answer 13

Controller 5 (selected in the USA)
Adesoto
Ishtara

Question 14

Why have white peaches lost their importance, and why did yellow peaches become the standard for the peach industry?

Answer 14

White peaches have poor storability and are sensitive to manipulation (browning on skins and flesh)
Yellow peaches are more suitable, leading to their substitution

Question 15

Which rootstocks are most used in the world, and why?

Answer 15

GF 677: tolerant to replant disease, seedling
Nemaguard: tolerant to nematodes, standard for USA, dry area, clonal rootstock, high vigor

Question 16

Which rootstocks are less susceptible to waterlogging?

Answer 16

GF 677
MRS 25: from plum species, tolerant to wet soil (issue with peach as very susceptible)

Question 17

What is the limiting factor for the cultivation of peach trees in the northern area?

Answer 17

Spring frost during blooming: blooms very early in the season
Temperature below -4°C during blossoming is detrimental

Question 18

What defect is caused by low chilling?

Answer 18

Pointed fruits (elongation of the fruit)
Issues for manipulation and storability, easy to bruise

Question 19

What are the differences between Catalan vase and open vase training systems in peach?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Which training system is most suitable for cool climates and why?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

Which is the most efficient trellis system for yield, and which is best from an economical point of view?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

What pruning operations are suggested for peach pruning?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

How can the fruit load be regulated using pruning?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

What are the strategies for fruit thinning in peach, and what are the differences between early and late cvs?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

What are the effects of girdling, and in which cvs is it usually applied?

Answer 25

Effects: increases fruit yield/size, anticipates ripening, reduces shoot vigor
Applied to early cvs for better quality

Question 26

What is the range of Kc for peach?

Answer 26

0.45 to 0.80
0.90 to 1.15 mid-season, depending on active ground cover

Question 27

What are the effects of summer pruning in peach?

Answer 27

Removes internal suckers
Increases light penetration, improves quality, color, and fruit size
Can decrease water consumption during summer by reducing leaf area
Cost is recovered by winter pruning

Question 28

What is the recommended amount of N, P, and K fertilizer for peach trees?

Answer 28

N: 100 kg
K: 80 kg
P: 10 kg
For 30 tons per ha of yield

Question 29

What is the maximum storage duration for peach?

Answer 29

Some cvs can last up to 35 days at -0.5°C.

Question 30

What are the major postharvest disorders in peach?

Answer 30

Chilling storage: internal breakdown, dry texture, flesh browning, lack of juiciness
Alligator skin: high dehydration during storage, lack of humidity