Peaches

Question 1

Define a calendar

Answer 1

the cycle of events in a year

Question 2

Define nectarines

Answer 2

a type of peach with no fuzz

Question 3

Define Sherman’s Red

Answer 3

Da cultivar of peach known for its red colour and sweetness

Question 4

Define dormancy

Answer 4

the period of time in a peach tree in which buds are covered in a hard scale - like material

Question 4

Define pruning

Answer 4

the process of removing unwanted or dead wood so the peaches grow optimally

Question 5

Define variety

Answer 5

a cultivar of subspecies of peach

Question 6

Define variety

Answer 6

a cultivar of subspecies of peach

Question 7

Define kikuyu

Answer 7

a weed that grows around peach trees

Question 8

Define secateurs

Answer 8

a tool used for pruning trees

Question 9

Describe the market the school peach enterprise is trying to meet

Answer 9

• the peaches are harvested when the following market specifications are achieved :
  slightly unripe, over 6cm in diameter, fruit with no sting, lumps and dimples
• peaches are sold to the school canteen and students

Question 10

Explain why the variety of peach Sherman’s Red was chosen

Answer 10

• it does not have a high chill requirement (300 hours below 7 degrees Celsius)
  this is good because they do not require very much cold weather to initiate tree flowering, and the winter at Ruse is not very cold with only about 5 frosts
• it is an early maturing variety was chosen so the fruit would mature in the late November and early December when there would be plenty of students still at school to buy them

Question 11

Explain the site choice for the peaches

Answer 11

• it has a northerly aspect, its slope faces north which is desirable for maximum amount of sunlight for photosynthesis therefore letting the trees have the best opportunity to grow and produce fruit
• has a gentle slope which aids in good drainage so the tree roots are not waterlogged and growth restricted
  peaches are prone to fungal disease such as Phytophthora Root Rot (collar rot) so good drainage
• soil is adequate for growing peaches if it is supplemented with fertilisers
• the soil is a clay loam that is low in Nitrogen & Phosphorus

Question 12

Describe the life cycle of the Queensland Fruit Flies:

Answer 12

• adult female injects her eggs into host fruit, laying up to 100 days
• eggs hatch into creamy yellow maggots after 2-3 days which star out small but rapidly grow to 9mm
• after chewing their way out of the fruit (7-10 days), they fall of the fruit and burrow into the ground where they undergo metamorphosis
• the pupa is oval shaped, brown and hard. If the conditions are suitable the flies emerge, mate and the cycle continues
• adult flies are 7mm long and are reddish - brown with distinct yellow markings

Question 13

Describe the effect of fruit fly on plants

Answer 13

• the fruit of the peach tree quickly rats as it is soft
• the skin around the injections become discolored and eventually the entire fruit falls off to the ground
• later on, the pest can spread rapidly over surrounding area so it is important to treat it quickly

Question 14

Describe management of fruit flies in a commercial setting

Answer 14

IPH(integrated pest management): management of agricultural and horticultural pests that minimises the use of chemicals and emphasises natural and low toxicity methods
- one way to control Queensland Fruit Fly is to introduce parasitoid wasps into the area
- these wasps find their way by using vibrations from growing maggots and injecting their eggs into the maggot the only downside is that this method is only effective on reducing populations o fruits flies for the following year as the damage is already done once maggots enter the fruit
- another method is using insecticides

Question 15

Describe the life cycle for peach leaf curl

Answer 15

• caused by fungus Taphrina deformans
• it lies dormant in the summer in small structure called ascospores as it is sensitive to heat and prefers cool temperatures
• they germinate in autumn, creating spores that hibernate over the winter
• in late winter, and early spring, they spore emerge infecting susceptible trees by their newly growing leaves and causing curling later

Question 16

Describe the effects of peach leaf curl

Answer 16

• leaves become curled, distorted and are initially pale green in colour before turning red
• the colour fades as the fungus begins to produce masses of powdery grey spores on the upper surface of the leaf
• shoots are sometimes thickened, distorted and yellow-green in colour, heavily infected shoots may be killed
• peaches smay grow irregular rough patches and fall prematurely
• if not treated, infected trees will slowly weaken over many years

Question 17

List management practices that happen in Winter on the calendar of operations

Answer 17

• spray fungicide (lime sulphur or copper based): spray twice before bud burst in buds stems, trunk and ground prevent leaf curl & brown rot
• pruning: remove old diseased wood, shape tree into a vase by removing inward facing branches to increase light penetration
• blossom thinning : allow space between fruit later which encourages larger fruit to develop

Question 17

Describe management practices for peach leaf curl

Answer 17

• ti is impossible to kill fungus once it has infected the leaf so the best course of actions is to pluck off he leaf and dispose of it
• it can be prevented by fungicide
• must be applied before budburst, most potent after buds start to swell
• if you had a hard time with it last year, you can apply it three times:
• once in the autumn during leaf fall
• once before budswell and the last one a week after budswell
• it may also be prevented using resistant cultivars or grafting

Question 18

List management practices that happen in Spring on the calendar of operations

Answer 18

Place Dakpots into treese or pheromone lures: this is done to monitor the presence of male fruit flies
Baiting with Eco natural lure & traps: to control fruit fly populations
Fruit Thinning” thin fruit when they reach the size of a marble (10-15mm) allow (100mm) between each fruit
Spray Fungicide: to prevent Brown rot and peach leaf curl
Apply liquid feed seasol as a foliar spray: thickins leaves to prevent insect attacks and promotes good health
Irrigation: as needed with a timed drip system
Netting: When fruit is half size to prevent bird damage and exclude fruit fly
Harvesting: harvest when fruit are ripe but firm to prevent bruising
Grading: 6cm diameter, price can change
Marketing: sell in canteen, price may change due to market conditions

Question 19

List management practices that happen in Summer on the calendar of operations

Answer 19

Summer Prune: prune water shoots
Irrigation: as needed with a timed drip system
Apply Dynamic Lifter: to promote vegetative growth

Question 20

Describe weed management in the peach orchid:

Answer 20

Gazanias:
- form a living mulch
- outcompetes other weeds
- spot spraying with roundup which is a herbicide which kills all plant life
- tarp smothers out weeds and prevents grass