Everything you need to know peach cultivation, growth and production. Learn about:- 1. Introduction to Peach 2. Climate and Soil Required for Growing Peach 3. Planting 4. Training and Pruning 5. Manuring and Fertilization 6. Weed Control 7. Harvesting and Postharvest Management 8. Grading and Storage 9. Varieties 10. Uses.
Contents:
- Introduction to Peach
- Climate and Soil Required for Growing Peach
- Planting of Peach
- Training and Pruning of Peach
- Manuring and Fertilization of Peach
- Weed Control of Peach
- Harvesting and Postharvest Management of Peach
- Grading and Storage of Peach
- Varieties of Peach
- Uses of Peach
1. Introduction to Peach:
It is a deciduous tree growing to 5- 10 m tall, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It is classified with the almond in the subgenus Amygdalus within the genus Prunus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell.
The scientific name persica derives from an early European belief that peaches were native to Persia (now Iran). The modern botanical consensus is that they originate in China, and were introduced to Persia and the Mediterranean region along the Silk Road in early historical times, probably by about 2000 BC. Introduction of the cultivated peaches probably took place in the latter half of the 19th century.
Important historical peach-producing areas are China, Japan, Iran, Turkey, and other countries in the Mediterranean region, where they have been grown for thousands of years. More recently, the U.S.A. Canada and Australia have also become important.
Oceanic climate areas like the Pacific Northwest and the British Isles are generally not satisfactory for peach growing due to inadequate summer heat, though they are sometimes grown trained against south-facing walls to catch extra heat from the sun. Trees grown in a sheltered and south-facing position in the British Isles are capable of producing both flowers and a large crop of fruit.
In India, it is being grown in the mid-hill zone of the Himalayas extending from Jammu and Kashmir to Khasi hills 1,000-2,000 m above mean sea-level. Low-chilling peaches are grown in submountaneous region and Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh. It is also being grown to a limited scale in the hills of south India and in the north-eastern region of the country.
The total production of peach in world (2004 FAO) is 15,561,206 MT. Peaches and nectarines are produced commercially in 71 countries worldwide on about 3.5 million acres.
It is a vigorous growing tree, but small tree with a spreading canopy, usually 6-10 ft in cultivation. Trees are short-lived, generally living only 15-20 years, and even less on sites with a history of peach cultivation. The leaves are lanceolate, 7-15 cm long and 2-3 cm broad. Flowers are light pink to carmine, to purplish; 1-1.5″ in diameter.
Ovary is perigynous, surrounded by a hypanthium. The flowers are produced in early spring before the leaves; they are solitary or paired, 2.5-3 cm diameter, pink, with five petals. It is self- pollinating, normally grown without pollinizers. The fruit is a drupe, with a single large seed encased in hard wood (called the “stone” or “pit”), yellow or whitish flesh, a delicate aroma, and a velvety skin that bruises easily. The seed is red, oval shaped and 1.5-2 cm thick. Peaches, along with cherries, plums and apricots, are stone fruits (drupes).
2. Climate and Soil Required for Growing Peach:
Peaches should be located in full sun, and with good air flow. This allows cold air to flow away on frosty nights and keeps the area cool in summer. Peaches require humid climate with cold winter and dry summer. It is moderately winter hardy and sensitive to low temperature injury. Peach trees grow very well in a fairly limited range, since they have a chilling requirement that subtropical areas cannot satisfy, and they are not very cold-hardy.
The trees themselves can usually tolerate temperatures to around -26 °C to -30 °C, although the following season’s flower buds are usually killed at these temperatures, leading to no crop that summer. Flower bud kill begins to occur at temperatures between -15°C and -25°C depending on the cultivar (some are more cold-tolerant than others) and the timing of the cold, with the buds becoming less cold tolerant in late winter. Certain cultivars are more tender and others can tolerate a few degrees more cold. In addition, a lot of summer heat is required to mature the crop, with mean temperatures of the hottest month between 20 °C and 30 °C.
Spring frost is a problematic issue in many peach-growing areas. The trees tend to bloom fairly early in spring, around the same time as daffodils. The blossoms can often be damaged or killed by freezes – typically, if temperatures drop below about -4 °C, most blossoms will be killed. However, if the blooms are not fully open, they can tolerate a couple degrees colder.
Swelling buds are injured at – 6.5 °C. Sites which are free from early spring frost are more suitable as peaches bloom early in the season. The blooming period can be delayed by the application of Gibberellic acid (200 ppm) before leaf fall or by application of Ethephon, to avoid the risk of spring frost.
Deep valleys are not ideal sites because cold air settles in these areas, and frost and freeze injuries are very common. The land with gentle slope is ideal. However, on steep slopes peach should be planted preferably in the mid portion.
Deep and well-drained, loamy to moderately sandy soils rich in organic matter are best. Peaches are highly susceptible to waterlogging and prefer perfect drainage. Sites previously planted with peaches are avoided since they are prone to the peach tree short life syndrome (PTSL, also called peach tree decline), which greatly reduces orchard productivity.
Several nematodes attack peach roots, resulting in poor growth and reduced longevity. Ring nematode (Criconemella xenoplax) has been implicated as the predisposing agent for PTSL, and they move fastest in sandy soils. Fertile and heavy soils are hazardous as it makes heavy growth and hence results in winter injury. The pH of the soil should be between 5.8 and 6.8 Acidic and saline sols are unfit for peach cultivation.
3. Planting of Peach:
The planting is done in winter. The planting should be cleared that is without bushes and weeds. The land is ploughed or dug and arrangement of drainage be made in advance of planting. In hilly areas, contour planting system is adopted in steep slope, otherwise terraces may be prepared.
In plains, square system of planting is common. Pits of 1m x 1mx 1m size at a distance of 4.5 m in hills, are dug during September-October. The pits should be refilled with fertile to soil mixed with 40 kg of well-rotten farmyard manure. And 10 litres solution of Chlorpyriphos (1 ml/litre) to each pit to avoid any damage from insects. In Tatura trellis and Meadow system, peach is planted at a distance of 5 m x 1 m (2,000 plants/ha) and 2 m x 1 m (5,000 plants/ha) respectively.
4. Training and Pruning of Peach:
Free-standing trees are trained most commonly to open center with 3-5 scaffolds radiating from the trunk 18-36″ above the ground (left). Peaches can be trained to central leader (lower left), or perpendicular V (lower right); a variety of trellised systems are used in Europe. If sunlight exposure is a limiting factor (hills), vase or open centre system of training is generally used.
In this system, during planting the stem is cut to a height of 60-80 cm from the ground level and only 3-4 branches are allowed to develop on it. In the following dormant season, these 3-4 branches arising in opposite directions with wide angled crotches are headed back. The unwanted branches are thinned out.
Pruning should be done so as to produce 25-50 cm of growth annually under temperate condition, which is sufficient for maintaining optimum productivity. During early bearing, the selected shoots should be lightly pruned by removing 20-30% linear growth after corrective pruning of the tree.
After 7- 8 years of bearing, the corrective pruning should be followed by removal of linear extension growth to the extent of 70-80%. In July Elberta peach, pruning should be done to retain 40 fruiting shoots and each shoot it headed back to 15 nodes.
5. Manuring and Fertilization of Peach:
Peaches have a high nutrient requirement, needing more nitrogen than most other fruit trees. An NPK fertilizer can be applied regularly, and an additional mulch of poultry manure in autumn soon after the harvest will benefit the tree. If the leaves of the peach are yellow or small, the tree needs more nitrogen. Blood meal and bone meal, 3-5 kg per mature tree, or calcium ammonium nitrate, 0.5-1 kg, are suitable fertilizers. This also applies if the tree is putting forth little growth.
The farmyard manure along with P and K should be given in December- January. Half of N should be given in spring before flowering and the remaining half a month later if irrigation facilities are available.
In rainfed areas N fertilizers may be applied in one lot 15 days before bud- break. The manures and nitrogenous fertilizer are applied by broadcasting evenly in tree basins and then mix them with soil properly. Phosphatic and potassic fertilizers are applied in trenches (20-25 cm width and 10-15 cm deep) at a distance of 1-2 m from the main trunk. The trees should be irrigated lightly immediately after the application of manure and fertilizers.
Peach suffers with Fe deficiency. To meet-out the Fe requirement of tree foliar application of 0.5-1.0% ferrous sulphate or by soil application of 50-250 g chelated Fe (Fe-EDDTA) at 20-30 spots around the tree in small holes is recommended. Trunk injection of 1% ferrous sulphate or ferric citrate is also beneficial in extreme cases.
Aftercare:
In high hills areas July Elberta, and Redhaven, Sunhaven, Kanto 5 and Shimizu Hakuto varieties have prolific bearing. Their fruit size remains small as a result of excessive cropping.
Treat them as follows:
6. Weed Control of Peach:
Weed control is done by using Simazine and Atrazine (2.9 kg/ha), Turbacil (0.8 kg/ha) as pre-emergent and Paraquat (4.0 litres/ha) and Glyphosate (4.32 kg/ha) as post-emergent herbicides are quite effective to control weeds without any phytotoxic effect. In nursery, Oxyflurofen (0.5 kg/ha) and Diuron (2 kg/ha) are good to control weeds.
For optimum growth, peach trees require a constant supply of water. This should be increased shortly before the harvest. The best tasting fruit is produced when the peach is watered throughout the season. Drip irrigation is ideal, at least one dripper per tree. Although it is better to use multiple drippers around the tree, this is not necessary. A quarter of the root being watered is sufficient.
Water stress during dry and hot summer result in fruit drop, reduced fruit size and quality. In hills, at least two irrigations should be given during the fruit development period. Irrigation should be stopped a few days before harvesting and at the time of dormancy, when the plants should become sufficiently hardened to withstand cool weather. Due to scarcity of water in hills, drip irrigation is recommended.
7. Harvesting and Postharvest Management of Peach:
The peach comes into bearing after 2 years of planting in the field. The plants bear for about 20 years. The yielding capacity increases with the age of the plant. Trees are very precocious, producing some fruit in the 2nd year after planting. The days from full bloom to maturity vary in different cultivars.
They are:
All peach fruits do not mature simultaneously. Measurement of fruit firmness is recommended in cultivars where skin ground color is masked by full red color development before maturation. Maximum maturity- The flesh firmness at which fruits can be handled without bruising damage is measured with a penetrometer with an 8 mm- (5/16″) tip. Bruising susceptibility varies among cultivars.
High consumer acceptance is attained on fruit with high soluble solids content (SSC). Fruit acidity, SSC/acidity ratio, and phenolic content are also important factors in consumer acceptance. There is no established minimum quality standard for peaches and nectarines.
A large number of maturity indices -days to maturity, calendar date, fruit size, firmness, sense of touch, pit discoloration, freeness of pit, taste, ground colour, sugar, acidity, starch, sugar: acid ratio – have been assessed on different cultivars. Therefore, these may be harvested in 3-4 pickings at 4 days interval.
For distant markets, they should be harvested when they attain good colour but are still hard and ripe, whereas for local consumption tree ripe peaches are harvested by twisting with hand. The peak harvesting period for different peach cultivars in hills is mid-May (Shan-e-Punjab)-mid-July (July Elberta and Shimizu Hakuto).
Optimum Temperature:
-1 to 0°C (30.5-32°F) Freezing point varies depending on SSC from -3 to -2.5 °C (26.5 to 29.5 °F)
Optimum Relative Humidity:
90-95% R.H.; an air velocity of approximately 50 CFM is suggested during storage.
Rates of Ethylene Production:
< 0.01-5 μl/kg.hr (range) at 0°C (32°F), 0.02-10 μl/kg. hr at 5°C (41 °F), 0.05-50 μl/kg.hr at 10°C (50°F) and 0.1-160 μl/kg .hr at 20°C (68°F). The lower end of this range is for mature but unripe fruit; higher values are for ripe fruit.
Responses to Ethylene:
In general peaches and nectarines harvested when fruits are well matured and do need exogenous ethylene application. A few cultivars may need to be exposed to ethylene to ripen properly.
Responses to Controlled Atmospheres (CA):
The major benefits of CA during storage/shipment are retention of fruit firmness and ground color. Decay incidence has not been reduced by using CA 1-2% O2+ 3-5 % CO2. CA conditions of 6% O2 + 17% CO2 are suggested for reduction of internal breakdown during shipments, but the efficacy is related to cultivar, pre-harvest factors, market life and shipping time period.
Yield:
The average yield of fully-grown trees of different varieties varies from 50 to 125 kg in hills. In conventional plantations, 7-10 tonnes/ha and in Tatura Trellis about 23 tonnes/ha yield can be obtained.
Postharvest Handling:
Market life varies among them and it is strongly affected by temperature management. Maximum market life is obtained when fruit is stored at approximately 0°C. Maximum market life varies from 1-7 weeks for nectarine cultivars and from 1-5 weeks for peach cultivars. Because internal breakdown is the main limitation to market life, minimum postharvest life occurs when fruit is stored at 5°C.
Cultural practices have an important role in determining fruit quality and storage potential. Leaf nitrogen content between 2.6-3.0% is advised to obtain high red color development and maximum storage performance. Small size fruit grown in the outside canopy position have a longer market life than large size fruit grown in the inside position.
Packing line operations are standard; fruit are first hydro-cooled to reduce temperature, then culled, brushed and waxed, and sorted for size. Peaches are de-fuzzed during the brushing/waxing process. Fruit are packed into 25 lb boxes, and shipped immediately after harvest in refrigerated trucks or after short storage periods due to poor shelf life.
8. Grading and Storage of Peach:
Peaches are graded to fetch better price in the market. Size grading is essential for uniformity and packing in standard cartons or boxes. Peaches have a short shelf life of about 2 weeks under most conditions. They are not susceptible to chilling injury so can be stored at 31-32°F to maximize shelf life.
The recommended cold storage conditions are 0°-0.3°C and 85-90% relative humidity. Peaches are generally packed in wooden boxes. But nowadays universal CFB cartons are also used.
9. Varieties of Peach:
There are thousands of peach cultivars worldwide, and far more are cultivated in economic quantities than for many other tree fruits.
Cultivars fall into one of three major groups:
1. Nectarines:
The nectarine is a cultivar group of peach that has a smooth, fuzzless skin. Though grovers treat fuzzy peaches and nectarines as different fruits, they belong to the same species. Nectarines have arisen many times from fuzzy peaches, often as bud sports. Nectarines can be white, yellow, clingstone, or freestone. Regular peach trees occasionally produce a few nectarines, and vice versa. Labeled and marketed differently from peaches, nectarines are simply fuzz-less peaches.
2. Freestone Peaches:
Fresh market peaches.
3. Clingstone Peaches:
Used primarily for canning.
The adherence of the flesh to the stone per se doesn’t affect canning quality, but firm flesh texture is linked to the clingstone trait, so clingstones are used for canning. Clingstones also retain shape better, and have brighter color and clearer juice than freestone when canned. White-fleshed cultivars are popular in the Orient, but yellow flesh cultivars are preferred in the USA.
In mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh Stark Earlyglo, Stark Early, White Giant, Starking Delicious and Candor are new promising varieties. In subtropical regions of north India Flordasun, Dawn Rambler and Dawn Rose are grown. For tarai region of Uttar Pradesh; Safeda Early Cream and SRE 6 for; and Prairie Dawn are cultivated.
10. Uses of Peach:
Peaches are known in China, Japan and Vietnam not only as a popular fruit but for the many folktales and traditions associated with it. In China, the peach was said to be consumed by the immortals due to its mystic virtue of conferring longevity on all who ate them. The peach often plays an important part in Chinese tradition and is symbolic of long life. The peach blossoms are also highly prized in Chinese culture, ranked slightly lower than mei blossom.
Peaches have few marketing niches other than fresh and canned fruit. Freestone peaches are sold fresh, and clingstones are virtually all canned. About 98% of nectarines are marketed fresh. The utilization breakdown is as follows Fresh – 45-55%, Canned – 35-40%, Frozen – 5%. Per capita consumption is 9.5 lbs/year, considering peach and nectarine together. It is rich in proteins, sugar, minerals and vitamins.