Resources for Fruits
Title | Available As | Summary | Date | ID | Author |
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Specialty Muskmelons | Jan 30, 2019 | 2906-1372 (SPES-98NP) | |||
Pepper Weevil | Jun 6, 2022 | 3104-1558 (ENTO-507NP) | |||
Virginia Virtual Farm to Table: Strawberries | Jul 6, 2020 | 4H-909NP | |||
Growing Pears in Virginia | Pears are the second most important deciduous tree fruit after apple, and it has been grown in Europe since prehistoric times. Pears belong to the genus Pyrus and probably originated near the Black and Caspian Seas. French and English colonists brought pears to America and the first record of pears in the North America was in Massachusetts in 1630. Although pear is a popular fruit, it is not grown as widely as apple. Pears can be grown throughout much of North America because they tolerate a wide range of climatic conditions. |
Sep 14, 2020 | 422-017 (SPES-257P) | ||
Growing Cherries in Virginia | Cherries are grown in many parts of the world, but they have never gained the popularity in North America that they have in Europe and the Middle East. Cherries probably originated in the region between the Caspian and Black Seas, where trees still grow in the wild. |
Sep 21, 2020 | 422-018 (SPES-258P) | ||
Growing Peaches and Nectarines in Virginia | An orchard is a long-term investment and careful planning is essential to ensure economic success. Establishing and maintaining a peach planting to bearing age (three years) costs about $3,500 per acre. Mistakes made at planting often cannot be corrected; other mistakes that can be corrected could seriously jeopardize the economic success of the orchard. Because profit margins for commercial fruit plantings are small, orchards should be established only under the most favorable conditions for success. |
Aug 17, 2020 | 422-019 (SPES-232P) | ||
Pruning Peach Trees | Annual pruning is a critical management practice for
producing easily harvested, heavy crops of high quality
peaches. However, pruning is not a substitute for other
orchard practices such as fertilization, irrigation, and
pest control. Pruning practices vary slightly in different
regions of the United States, but have changed little in
the East during the past 70 years. Although pruning may
vary slightly for different varieties and localities, certain
general practices should be followed. The successful
pruner must understand the principles of plant growth,
the natural growth habit of the tree, and how the tree
will respond to certain types of pruning cuts. Improper
pruning will reduce yield and fruit quality. |
Jul 15, 2020 | 422-020 (SPES-221P) | ||
Training and Pruning Apple Trees | Proper training and pruning of trees is a major component
of a profitable apple orchard operation. Successful
pruning is an art based upon scientific principles of
tree growth and physiology and an experienced understanding
of tree response to various pruning cuts and
practices. Each tree is an individual and should be
treated accordingly. Varieties differ in growth characteristics
and response to pruning cuts, rootstocks, soil,
and growing conditions. It is important that orchard
designs, objectives, and goals be clearly defined and that
pruning principles are developed accordingly. Mediumto
high-density plantings require greater commitment to
detailed training and pruning than low-density orchards
and should not be attempted unless such a commitment
is made. |
Jul 15, 2020 | 422-021(SPES-222P) | ||
Growing Apples in Virginia | Growing apples in the home garden can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, but consistent production of high quality fruit requires knowledge of tree and fruit growth and a willingness to perform certain practices at the appropriate time. Virginia is on the southern fringe of the U. S. apple producing region. Most apple varieties produce the highest quality fruit when night-time temperatures are cool (less than 60°F) at harvest time. Apples grown under warmer conditions tend to be large, soft, poorly colored, and less flavorful than when grown under cooler conditions. Our warm humid summers are also conducive for infection of many diseases. For these reasons, the best Virginia apples are grown at elevations higher than 800 feet above sea level in the western part of the state. However, even apples grown in eastern Virginia usually have quality superior to apples purchased in the supermarkets. |
Aug 17, 2020 | 422-023 (SPES-233P) | ||
Training and Pruning Apple Trees in Intensive Orchards | Since the mid 1970s in the U. S., the number of apple trees per acre in new orchards has gradually been increasing. Orchard intensification is motivated by the desire to produce fruit early in the life of the orchard to rapidly recover establishment costs. Intensification is possible by using dwarfing rootstocks that control tree size, induce early cropping, and produce large quantities of fruit relative to the amount of wood produced. |
Aug 17, 2020 | 422-024 (SPES-234P) | ||
Physiology of Pruning Fruit Trees | Woody plants are pruned to maintain a desired size and shape and to promote a certain type of growth. Ornamental plants are pruned to improve the aesthetic quality of the plant, but fruit trees are pruned to improve fruit quality by encouraging an appropriate balance between vegetative (wood) and reproductive (fruiting) growth. |
Aug 17, 2020 | 422-025 (SPES-235P) | ||
Peach and Nectarine Varieties for Virginia | Peach and nectarine are both members of the genus and species Prunus persica, and probably differ by only a single gene for skin pubescence (hairs on the fruit surface). One probably originated as a mutation of the other, but we do not know which came first. The species originated in China and was taken by traders from there into Persia, Greece, Italy, and other temperate areas of Europe. Peach and nectarine varieties may have yellow or white flesh. In Virginia different varieties ripen over a wide range of dates, from early June until mid-September. Varieties also differ in fruit size, susceptibility to some diseases and susceptibility to low winter temperatures, chilling requirements, and fruit disorders such as fruit cracking and split-pit. Descriptions of some of these characteristics are included in the next section of this publication. |
Aug 17, 2020 | 422-762 (SPES-236P) | ||
Small Fruit in the Home Garden | As a general rule, plant selection and production area
in a home garden should be limited to what you can
properly care for. It is better to have a small, welltended
planting area rather than a large, neglected
one. Small fruits offer certain advantages over fruit
trees for home culture because small fruits require
less space for the amount of fruit produced, and they
bear fruit one or two years after planting. Success with
small-fruit planting will depend on the attention given
to all phases of production, including crop and variety
selection, site selection, soil management, fertilization,
pruning, and pest management. |
May 5, 2022 | 426-840 (SPES-399P) | ||
Specialty Crop Profile: Blueberries | May 1, 2009 | 438-103 | |||
Specialty Crop Profile: Ribes (Currants and Gooseberries) | May 1, 2009 | 438-107 | |||
Supermarkets as Alternative Market Outlets for Virginia-Grown Berries | Feb 28, 2019 | 448-508 (SPES-121NP) | |||
Brown Rot on Peach and Other Stone Fruits | Brown rot is one of the most destructive diseases of peach and nectarine in Virginia, and also occurs on other stone fruits such as apricot, cherry, and plum. When environmental conditions favor this disease, crop loss can be devastating. |
Feb 16, 2024 | 450-721 (SPES-554P) | ||
Soil Test Note 21: Home Fruit Trees | Apr 14, 2023 | 452-721 (SPES-489NP) | |||
2024 Pest Management Guide - Horticultural and Forest Crops | Jan 19, 2024 | 456-017 (ENTO-568P) |
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Taste of Farming: Small Fruit Production | Apr 4, 2022 | ALCE-296-14 | |||
Taste of Farming: Strawberry Production | Apr 4, 2022 | ALCE-296-15 | |||
Assessing the Economic Feasibility of Growing Specialized Apple Cultivars for Sale to Commercial Hard Cider Producers | This publication describes a set of associated budget
spreadsheets that utilize a systematic means to assess
the feasibility of growing specialty apple cultivars for
sale to commercial hard cider producers. |
Mar 20, 2019 | AREC-46P (SPES-117P) | ||
Identification and Management of Spotted-Wing Drosophila in Virginia Berry Crops | Jul 14, 2020 | ENTO-387NP | |||
Assessing On-Farm Produce Safety Risks: Performing a Hazard Analysis | Jan 20, 2022 | FST-400NP | |||
Assessing On-Farm Produce Safety Risks: General Practices | Jan 20, 2022 | FST-401NP | |||
Assessing On-Farm Produce Safety Risks: Pre-Plant Stage | Jan 20, 2022 | FST-402NP | |||
Assessing On-Farm Produce Safety Risks: Harvest Stage | Jan 20, 2022 | FST-404NP | |||
Assessing On-Farm Produce Safety Risks: Post-Harvest Handling Stage | Jan 20, 2022 | FST-405NP | |||
Assessing On-Farm Produce Safety Risks: Preparing for GAP Certification | Jan 20, 2022 | FST-406NP | |||
Effective Communication of Cider Sensory Quality: A White Paper | The purpose of this white paper is to convey findings of a large Hard Cider Sensory Project conducted from 2020-2022, with realistic applications for how best to communicate the sensory quality of cider. Recommendations made in this white paper are based on the most current research in the field initiated by researchers at Virginia Tech and Cornell University. These sensory-focused research projects were funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support growth of the hard cider industry particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. |
Sep 6, 2023 | FST-455NP | ||
Marinated Tomatoes | Apr 15, 2022 | HNFE-978NP | |||
A Guide to the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Certification Process | Jan 24, 2018 | HORT-252NP (HORT-285NP) | |||
Mixed Infection of Strawberry Mottle Virus and Strawberry Mild Yellow Edge Virus in the Southeastern United States | Apr 17, 2023 | HORT 268P (SPES-488P) | |||
Shoppers Guide for Berry Plants in the Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas | Apr 5, 2023 | HORT-270NP (SPES-481NP) | |||
Results for the 2017 VSU Blueberry Variety Field Trial | Mar 20, 2019 | SPES-108NP | |||
Crop Load Management in Commercial Apple Orchards: Chemical Fruit Thinning | May 31, 2019 | SPES-134P | |||
A Survey of Strawberry Production Practices in Virginia | Aug 12, 2019 | SPES-150P | |||
Frost/Freeze Protection in Strawberry | Aug 27, 2018 | SPES-56NP | |||
Blackberry Fruit: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits | Mar 16, 2022 | SPES-366P | |||
Chemical Options for Defruiting Young Apple Trees | Apple trees can produce plenty of fruits in the first two years of planting. If kept on the tree until harvest, these fruits would have a negative effect on tree growth and structure. Defruting newly planted and young apple trees (e.g., 2nd and 3rd leaf), particularly those on dwarfing rootstocks, allows the trees to fill their allotted bearing space and become structurally capable of bearing a decent crop by the fourth and fifth year. Although defruting can be achieved manually by removing flower clusters and small fruitlets, several chemical options can make defruting much faster and less labor-intensive. This publication aims to provide information about the rates and application timing of chemical materials apple growers can use to effectively defrut young trees. |
Apr 14, 2022 | SPES-396NP | ||
Rootstock Effects on Tree Growth and Yield of ‘Honeycrisp’ Apple under Virginia State Climatic Conditions | May 4, 2022 | SPES-398NP | |||
Apple Blotch Disease | In this publication, we describe apple blotch disease, also known as Marssonina leaf blotch, an emerging apple disease in the Eastern United States. This disease leads to severe apple tree crown defoliation that indirectly affects the apple fruit size, color, yield and twig development. The causal gent of this disease is a fungus Diplocarpon coronariae (also known as Marssonina coronaria). |
Jun 14, 2023 | SPES-509NP | ||
VCE Ag Today: Preparing for Strawberry Harvest | Apr 9, 2021 | VCE-1027-44NP |