Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

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May 2025Archived

 

Field picture submitted by Elizabeth Fichtner

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Fruit Report: Page

Rootstocks

Nemaguard has been the standard rootstock in California peach, plum and nectarine orchards for many years. Recently, a variety of new rootstocks have become available from numerous breeding programs around the world. This section provides information on the characteristics of these stocks.
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Thinning

Peach, plum and nectarine varieties generally set more fruit than can be grown to a desired size, and thus need to be thinned. The common practice is to do this by hand, which can be very expensive.
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Irrigation

Water is a precious commodity in California agriculture. We have conducted a number of research projects to figure out how irrigation water can be conserved in peach orchards. Our first objective has been to determine the precise water use of peach orchards using a large weighing lysimeter.
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Girdling

Trunk or scaffold girdling is performed on early season peaches and nectarines to increase fruit size, advance maturity and reduce the number of harvests. It is most effective when the seed length in the fruit is about 10 mm (3/8"), which generally occurs around one month after bloom.
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Pruning & Training

Pruning is an essential, although expensive, procedure in stone fruit orchards. In order to optimize this practice, we have conducted many research projects over the past 30 years and have come to two main conclusions. First, trees should be minimally pruned in the first couple of years.
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Sampling for Nutrients

Regular leaf sampling for nutrients can be a valuable tool for diagnosing nutritional problems in the orchard and also evaluating the effectiveness of one's fertilization program.
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Magnesium (Mg)

Magnesium deficiency is rare in California stone fruit orchards. Symptoms include a "V" shaped chlorotic area at the apical end of leaves. Irregular necrotic areas along the margin of leaves can also develop.
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