RHS Level 2 R2113 Fruit Production

Question 1

State what is meant by the term top fruit and soft fruit.

Answer 1

Top fruit is fruit grown on trees.

Soft fruit is fruit not grown on trees. E.g. woody shrubs, herbaceous perennial, climbers etc…

Question 2

What are the main types of top fruit?

Answer 2

Apples
Pears
Plums
Cherries

Question 3

Name two cultivars of Apples and factors for their selection.

Answer 3

Cooker - Bramley
Heavy cropper, harvest October onwards, stores well until January if kept cold and frost free.

Dessert - Cox’s orange pippin
Good taste
Harvest end September
Doesn’t store for long 2-3wks

Question 4

Name two cultivars of pears and factors for their selection.

Answer 4

Cooker - Black Worcester
Late season, harvest October onwards
Heavy cropping
Stores for up to 2 months

Dessert - Conference
Mid season- harvest from Sept onwards
Heavy cropper
Stores for 2-3 wks

Question 5

Name two cultivars of plums and factors for their selection.

Answer 5

Cooker - Czar
Early season, harvest August
Heavy cropper
Stores for 1 week

Dessert - Victoria
Mid season, late August to September
Heavy cropper
Stores for 1 week

Question 6

Name two cultivars of Cherries and factors for their selection.

Answer 6

Cooker - Morello
Late season, late July
Heavy cropper
Freezes well

Dessert - Stella
Mid season, mid-end July
Heavy cropper
1 week

Question 7

List the major types of soft fruit.

Answer 7

Strawberries
Raspberry
Blackcurrant
Gooseberries
Blueberries
Grapes

Question 8

What are the factors to consider when choosing suitable cultivars?

Answer 8

What type of fruit do you like/want.
Do you want cane, bush or vine varieties.
What’s the purpose e.g. dessert, culinary.
Flavor
Time of cropping.
What’s the storing/freezing capabilities.

Question 9

Name a cultivar of each major type of soft fruit.

Answer 9

Strawberries - Cambridge favourite
Raspberry - Autumn bliss
Blackcurrant - Ben Gaird
Gooseberries - Leveller
Blueberries - Top hat
Grapes - Bacchus

Question 10

What choices should you consider before planting top fruit?

Answer 10

Fruit type- personal preference and suitability to location.
Fruit training - space available, suitable location, trained trees or free standing.
Position available - shady/sunny
Rootstocks - space available, size of tree, soil type, p&d resistance.
Method of supply - bare root or container
Pollination compatibility - number of trees, nearby suitable fruit trees.
Cultural requirements - amount of care needed.
Harvest time and ease and length of storage
Pest and disease resistance

Question 11

How do you maximise pollination between cultivars?

Answer 11

Have trees which flower at the same time.
Provide frost protection to prevent damaged flowers.
Use a windbreak to prevent damage to the blossom and increase insect activity.
Ensure compatible cultivars
Plant nectar rich flowering plants around trees to attract need.
Hand pollinate early flowering fruit.

Question 12

Describe the general planting of soft fruit.

Answer 12

Remove all perennial weeds before planting.
Incorporate organic matter before planting if necessary.
Plant late autumn if possible.
Use bare root plants, saves on growing media and plastic and they are cheaper.
Use certified stock if possible, obtained from a nursery that has been inspected and certified by the ministry.
Fit mulch mats (cardboard, fabric) or use good levels of organic matter.

Ongoing mulch and occasionally feed. Water in dry spells.

Question 13

Describe the production of blackcurrants with a named example.

Answer 13

Ben Gaird.
Plant 1.2-1.5m apart, 1.5-1.8m rows
Late autumn, incorporate organic matter before planting. Mulch, water in dry spells, occasionally feed.
Pruning: on planting prune all shoots down to 3 buds.
Year 1 weak growth only to 1bud.
Year 2 onwards prune 1/3 of all fruited stems out.
Prune in winter.
Fruit is produced on previous years growth.

Question 14

Describe the production of raspberries with a named example.

Answer 14

Use organic matter into the ground before planting and loosen to a depth if necessary.
Dig out a shallow trench, rather than holes, 30cm wide 8cm deep. 30cm between plants.
Mulch regularly, feed with high potassium feed.

Autumn Bliss.
Produce fruit on new growth.
Cut canes to ground level in winter.

Malling Jewel.
Summer, fruit grows on previous years growth.
From second year onwards prune fruited canes to ground level after fruiting.

Question 15

Describe some growing/training systems for raspberries.

Answer 15

Plants grown in clumps, easier to weed.
Plants grown in a line/narrow band, easier to train.
Single wire - canes are held against a single line of wires.
Double wire - canes spread out between 2 parallel lines of wires. Greater yield.

Question 16

Describe the production of strawberries with a named example.

Answer 16

Cambridge favourite.
Sunny site, well drained, incorporate organic matter before planting, plant in autumn.
Spacing 37-45cm between plants, 60 cm between rows.
Rotation:
Year 0 plant in August
Year 1 light crop, keep runners pinched out.
Year 2 heavy crop, keep runners pinched out unless saving one per plant for propagation.
Year 3 heavyish crop, remove after fruiting.

Remove old leaves after fruiting.

Question 17

State the advantages of certified stock.

Answer 17

Virus free.

Guaranteed true to name and type.

Question 18

Describe how quality and yield can be determined by planting.

Answer 18

Correct planting will give optimum conditions for a tree to establish strongly.
A well planted tree can determine it’s health in later years.

Question 19

Describe how quality and yield can be determined by base and top dressings.

Answer 19

Base dressings are not necessarily required, it is better for roots to establish and spread into the surrounding soil rather than remain in a nutrient rich planting hole.
On poor soil it might still be necessary to apply nutrients in some form to ensure good establishment.

When tree is growing and fruiting top dressing will add more nutrients by being applied to the periphery of the root system.

Question 20

Describe how quality and yield can be determined by mulching.

Answer 20

Nutrients can be applied as a mulch to improve quality and yield.
Could also help with water retention in dry spells.

Question 21

Describe how quality and yield can be determined by weed control.

Answer 21

Mulching can help suppress weeds, weeding is necessary to avoid competition and allelopathy. Particularly with young trees or very dwarf trees.
Mulching, feeding and weeding all affect optimum levels of nutrients needed to maintain a healthy plant which produces a high yield.

Question 22

Describe how quality and yield can be determined by irrigation.

Answer 22

Without suitable moisture at the roots the tree will become stressed and could shed fruit leading to lower yields. Could also become more susceptible to p & d leading to poorer quality.

Question 23

Describe how quality and yield can be determined by training systems.

Answer 23

Training fruit trees increases the production of high quality fruit.
It also ensures good air and light distribution.
Apples and pears - espalier or cordons.
Stone fruit - fans.
Good for space saving positions such as post and wire or against wall or fence.

Question 24

Describe how quality and yield can be determined by pruning.

Answer 24

Part of training and shaping.
Carried out in winter on most trees (apples & pears) to maintain a shape, with good air and light distribution.
It will stimulate new vegetative growth (don’t do this when cropping can be affected) so can help maintain vigour of tree.
Pruning is required to remove dead, damaged and diseased wood to maintain the health and cropping of tree.
Stone fruit, plums and cherries, should be pruned between mid May and mid July to avoid fungal diseases.
Formative pruning always in winter.

Question 25

Describe how quality and yield can be determined by pest and disease control.

Answer 25

Diseases affect vigour by sapping energy therefore reducing cropping capability.
Pests can attack fruit therefore affecting quality.

Question 26

Describe the importance of formative pruning for tree shape and yield.

Answer 26

Formative pruning on Apple trees to produce a productive open centred bush.
Year one:
Maiden tree/whip planted, winter, cut back to 27inches, just above a bud to encourage formation of primary branches.
At end of growing season, November, select 4 strong branches, cut back vigorous ones by half and less vigorous ones by two thirds. Prune to outward facing bud, remove unwanted branches.
Year 2:
At end of seasons growth, secondary branches grown, select a further four new growth branches to keep.
Cut back all leaders by half or two thirds for less vigorous growers.
Prune back any laterals on the inner parts not required for secondary branches to four buds.
Leave outside laterals unpruned. Remove unwanted branches.
Year 3:
End of growing season, Cut back the vigorous leaders by half and less vigorous by two thirds.
Prune back laterals on the inside to four buds, leave laterals on the outside unpruned.
Year 4:
Branch framework is now formed.
Cease leader pruning (unless growth is weak).
Leave outward laterals unpruned, cut back inside laterals on inside to 4in.
Where flower buds have already formed on laterals cut back to the topmost flower bud.

Question 27

State 4 methods of ensuring effective pollination in fruit production.

Answer 27

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