Physical disorders are not caused by
insects or diseases but rather by
environmental factors. Examples include:
split and shattered pits, double fruit, cleft
sutures, button fruit, blind wood, delayed
foliation, and excessive red flesh. The
instance and severity of these conditions can
be affected by management practices and this
article suggests possible management
strategies to lessen the severity of these
problems in the orchard.
Frost Probabilities in
Texas
This study
examines temperature data and peach tree
bloom data at 7 sites in Texas (4 in the
high-chill region, 2 in the medium-chill
region, and 1 in the low-chill region) over a
32 year period. Relative freeze frequency,
number of frosts per year, and length of
frost periods for each region are compared.
Peach Rootstocks, Which
Should You Use?
The most
commonly available peach rootstocks available
in the U.S. are discussed with respect to:
resistance to rootknot nematodes, tolerance
to calcareous soils, tolerance to wet soils,
cold hardiness, and susceptibility to peach
tree short life (PTSL) associated with the
ring nematode.
Chill Accumulation, its
Importance and Estimation.
Stone fruit trees require sufficient
winter chill-accumulation in order to break
dormancy properly. Insufficient
chill-accumulation causes weak and delayed
bloom and foliation, as well as decreased
fruit set and quality. These problems are
discussed and different methods of estimating
chill accumulation are compared.
Is Topworking Right for
You?
Topworking
is the practice of grafting entire trees over
to another variety. This can be useful to
replace entire blocks of trees with a more
productive variety, or for changing
individual 'off-trees' within a variety
block. Topworking can also be a quick way of
testing new varieties because the grafted
trees come into production sooner than a
nursery tree. Growers are encouraged to
establish and maintain testing blocks in
their orchards.
