Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

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Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES

Transcript of Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Page 1: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist

TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND

NECTARINES

Page 2: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Training system decisions must start before planting

Know what the orchard will look like when mature Follow a plan

Traditional vs. New Systems Open Vase Perpendicular-V - focus on early fruit

production and high yield

SCRI – Innovative Technologies for Thinning Fruit Testing thinning equipment in both

systems Uniform “plane” of fruiting area has been

most successful

ORCHARD TRAINING SYSTEMS

Page 3: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Traditional System In many other locations – can take 6-8 years for trees to fill in

spaces Florida = ideal growing conditions with 7-8 feet of growth per year

Trees can grow together in close spacings within one year

Spacing: 15 x 20 = 145 trees 10 x 20 = 218 trees

Trees trained to 3-4 scaffolds Cover each quadrant to optimize light interception

Tree height set at 8 feet Optimize activities without use of ladders

OPEN VASE TRAINING SYSTEM

Page 4: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Pruning young trees:

OPEN VASE

Year 1 Year 2

Page 5: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Pruning TechniquesDormant Pruning

Remove vigorous shoots (watersprouts) Shape tree Choose fruiting wood Thin branches

Summer Pruning Reduce height of tree to 8 feet Remove dead shoots Remove hanging shoots close to ground Increase light penetration to middle of tree

Be careful of sunburn! Light is very important to form flower buds for next year

OPEN VASE

Page 6: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

System developed in CaliforniaSpacing:

6’ x 18’ or 20’, depending on previous system 403 trees/ac

Trees are trained to two main scaffolds 50-60 degrees apart between scaffolds If angle is too vertical (<20° from vertical), scaffolds will be weak If angle is too horizontal (>45° from vertical), scaffolds are

sunburn-proneTree height set at 8 feet

Optimize activities from ground

PERPENDICULAR-V

Page 7: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Pruning young trees:

PERPENDICULAR-V

Year 1

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/391-540.pdf

Page 8: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

PERPENDICULAR-V

Year 2

Year 3+

Page 9: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Pruning TechniquesDormant Pruning

Remove vigorous shoots (watersprouts) Shape tree Choose fruiting wood as close to scaffolds as

possible Thin branches

Summer Pruning Reduce height of tree to 8 feet Remove dead shoots Increase light penetration to fruiting wood

Thin shoots Be careful of sunburn – leave a few upright shoots in middle

May have to do 2 or 3x with this system Excessive vigor in FL

PERPENDICULAR-V

Page 10: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Decision Tools – Which system is right for your orchard?

Spacing and cost considerations 145 Trees/Ac vs. 403

Trees/Ac. 15’ x 20’ vs 8’ x 20’ Increased costs with

tighter spacing Costs are fixed at

$11.00/tree

ORCHARD TRAINING SYSTEMS

Page 11: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Labor considerations Higher density =

higher labor costs Thinning more

costly Perpendicular-V

easy to establish and prune May have to

summer prune multiple times to maintain system

ORCHARD TRAINING SYSTEMS

http://njaes.rutgers.edu/peach/orchard/peachyields.pdf

Page 12: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Training considerations Open vase system = longer time per tree to prune, thin, etc. Perpendicular-V = uniform system, shorter time required per

tree/activityTree loss due to disease, insects, etc.

In higher density system, loss of yield due to resets is minimal

Returns to grower Overall yield per acre is higher with perpendicular-V What does your market need?

Delivery in bulk vs. spread throughout season

ORCHARD TRAINING SYSTEMS

Page 13: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Byron, GA Redglobe/Guardian Trees were in 4th leaf

(2002)Gross Income

Open Vase 61.82 lbs x 145 trees/ac x

$2.00/lb = $17,927/ac

Perpendicular-V 30.93 lbx x 403 trees/ac x

$2.00/lb = $24,929/ac

**Subtract out other costs to get net income

TRAINING SYSTEM CASE STUDY

http://njaes.rutgers.edu/peach/orchard/peachyields.pdf

$24,929/ac gross income

Page 14: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

Start small Open Vase has been successful in FL Prospective growers should minimize investment costs

Trials for established growers High density system (Perpendicular-V) Established stream of income before diving in

Other considerations Cost Spacing (available land?) Skilled labor force

Training Tree replacement and yield loss

WHICH IS RIGHT FOR ME?

Page 15: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

QUESTIONS?

Gulfking, May 2010

Page 16: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

IBA ROOTING EXPERIMENT

Page 17: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

IBA Concentrations: 0, 1000, 2000, 4000 ppm

Cutting collection 2009

August 3 (softwood) August 10 (softwood) August 17 (semi –

hardwood) 2010

January 20 (hardwood) Late June July (2-3 times) August (2-3 times

2011 January

Compare timings with IBA concentration to determine successful combination

OPTIMIZING ROOTING CONDITIONS FOR CUTTINGS

Page 18: Mercy Olmstead, Ph.D. Stonefruit Extension Specialist TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PEACHES AND NECTARINES.

ROOTING SUCCESS

Sharpe Rootstock(clonal plum)

Flordaguard Rootstock