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Essay on Peach
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Origin and Distribution of Peach
- Essay on the Area and Production of Peach
- Essay on the Importance and Uses of Peach
- Essay on the Choice of Varieties of Peach
- Essay on the Plant Protection Measures of Peach
- Essay on the Diseases of Peach
Essay # 1. Origin and Distribution of Peach:
Peach (Primus persica Batsch) has a good position amongst stone fruits and is rated as third most important temperate fruit in India. In the plains of north India, cultivation of peach has attained a significant position during the last few years and still there is scope for putting more area under this fruit. With the introduction of low chilling varieties, the crop is becoming popular in sub-tropical plains of north India.
Early writers were of the opinion that the peach is native of Persia. However, the cultivated form of the peach came from China. DeCandolle claims to have found references to the peach in the Chinese literature of 2000 B.C. F.N. Meyers reported finding many wild peaches in China.
Theophrastus, 332 B.C. gives the first account of the peach in Greece, and it is highly possible that this fruit was introduced there as a result of Alexander’s expedition to the Fast. Virgil 71-19 B.C. gives the first account of the peach in Rome. The references of peach in the English literature were found in the twelfth century but when it was brought to England is not known.
The Spanish introduced the peach into America and 50 years after Cortez it was a common fruit in Mexico. Indian tribes of the South soon took up the culture of the peach and were instrumental in its dissemination. Father Hennepin claims to have found many peach trees on his voyage to Louisiana. From the early domestication of the peach in Mexico and Southern U.S., a distinctive type or race of peaches has developed, which recognized as the “Indian Race” of peaches. During colonial times the peach was commonly grown in Virginia and adjacent colonies.
The peach is grown as a commercial and home fruit in most of the temperate countries of the globe. Extensive plantings of peaches occur in Turkistan and Persia. Of late years peach has assumed importance in several parts of Africa. It is the most common fruit of Argentina and grown for drying purpose in Chili.
Considerable plantings of the peach are found in Australia and New Zealand. France has long been famed for its peach orchards. In Japan, peach is among the leading fruits. China also grows many peaches and here a large number of forms and types are found. In USA, the peach ranks second only to the apple in commercial importance.
Essay # 2. Area and Production of Peach:
The major peach producing countries are China, Italy, Spain, USA, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Chile, France and Argentina. China is the leading producer of peaches accounting for 50 per cent of world production. The world production is estimated 21.5 million metric tonnes with average productivity of 13.7 mt/ha. The other peach producing countries are Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, India, South Africa, Australia, Tunisia and Algeria.
In India, varieties which need more cold for breaking the dormancy are commonly cultivated in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the hilly tracts of the Punjab. The varieties which need a subtropical climate are grown in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, etc. Peach is also grown on a limited scale in the hills of South India and the northeastern region of India.
In India, high chilling peaches are grown in Jammu and Kashmir to Khasi hills. Low chilling peaches are grown in Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. Total area under peaches in India, in 36400 hectares with productions of 2.86 lakh mt. annually. The total area under peach cultivation in Himachal Pradesh is about 5101 hectares. In Punjab, the area under peaches is 1649 hectares which produce 29134 tonnes of fruits per year.
Essay # 3. Importance and Uses of Peach:
The peach is delicious, juicy and highly palatable fruit. It is a rich source of vitamin A, iron and protein. Total soluble solids in different varieties range from 10.0 to 12.0 per cent and acidity 0.4 to 0.6 per cent. Fruits contain about 8% sugar, 0.8% minerals and 1.5% proteins.
The fruit is generally consumed fresh but delicious squash is commonly prepared. It can also be processed as canned and dried products, frozen preserves, jam, nectar, juice, beverage and marmalade etc. Peaches are also good source of low calorific diet.
Essay # 4. Choice of Varieties of Peach:
Peaches are cultivated on commercial scale in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand.
The varieties commonly grown in these areas are as follow:
1. Himachal Pradesh:
Early Varieties- Red-haven, Stark Red Gold, Early White Giant, World’s Earliest, Snow Queen (Nectarine)
Mid-Season Varieties- July Elberta, Sun-haven
Late Variety- J.H. Hale
2. Punjab:
Yellow Fleshed- Partap, Florda Prince, Shan-i-Punjab, Earli Grande
White Fleshed- Prabhat, Sharbhati, Khurmani
Nectarine- Punjab Nectarine
3. Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh:
Early Varieties– July Elberta, Saharanpur, Peshwari, Prabhat
Mid-Season Varieties- Alexander, Crowford Early, July Elberta
Late-Season Varieties– J.H. Hale, Parrot Delux.
4. Jammu and Kashmir:
i. J.H. Hale, Alexander, Co Smith- A number of high quality sub-tropical peaches evolved in the U.S.A., particularly in Florida and California, were introduced at PAU, Ludhiana during 1968. Some of these cultivars have recorded excellent performance under these sub-tropical conditions.
ii. Red-Haven- It is an early variety suitable for mid hills. Fruits are medium- sized, round, very lightly fuzzy, attractive and having yellow skin overlaid red to deep red. The flesh is firm, fine textured, melting and almost freestone when ripe. It has outstanding flavour but the skin tends to tear easily during harvest.
iii. Alexander- It is an excellent early season cultivar which ripens in the last week of May to first week of June. Fruit is medium to large in size, round, skin is smooth and beet-root purple with some patches of pod green colour. The flesh is soft, greenish white, juicy, very sweet and aromatic. It is a free stone variety. However, its keeping quality is not good.
iv. Elberta- The variety is used for canning. Fruit is large, round with smooth skin of pale yellow having red splash. The flesh is firm, juicy and very sweet. It is a free stone variety.
v. Stark Red Gold- It is an early variety and start ripening from last week of May. Fruits are medium sized, moderately fuzzy. The skin colour is orange with a blush of red. The flesh is yellow and stone is semi cling. It is a high yielding variety.
vi. Sun-Haven- It starts ripening from the first week of July. Fruits are medium-sized, round and skin is bright red. The flesh is yellow, fine, firm textured and has good flavour. It is freestone variety when fully ripe.
vii. J.H. Hale- The fruits are medium in size, roundish ovate, skin colour red purple yellow and sub acidic in taste. It is free stone variety. It ripens in third week of July.
viii. Partap- Tree is medium in vigour. Its fruits mature in the third week of April. Fruit weight is 65-70 g, almost round, and yellow with red-over colour. The flesh is firm, yellow and freestone when fully ripe. The fruit contains TSS 12% and acidity 0.7%. Average yield is 70 kg fruits per tree.
ix. Shan-i-Punjab- This is another early cultivar, maturing in the first week of May. Tree is vigorous in growth. It produces large fruits of 5-5.5 cm diameter weighing about 90 gms each. The colour of the fruit is yellow with red blush, juicy and sweet, with excellent taste, flesh yellow and with completely free-stone. The fruit is quite firm in texture and can withstand transportation. In addition to its table use, this cultivar has also been found suitable for canning. Its TSS is 12% and acidity is 0.74%. The average yield is about 70 kg per tree.
x. Flordaprince- Tree is vigorous and the fruits mature in the fourth week of April. Fruit size medium (65-70 g), yellow with red blush at maturity, flesh firm, yellowish and stone at fully ripe stage. TSS is 12% and acidity 0.5%. Average yield is 100 kg fruits per tree.
xi. Earli Grande- Tree is semi vigorous, high yielding and fruit maturity occurs in the first week of May. Fruit is large (90 g) and flesh firm, yellowish and free stone at full ripe stage. Keeping quality is good. Its TSS is 10.5% and acidity is 0.7%.
xii. Sharbati- The tree is spreading and vigorous. Fruit is medium to large, greenish yellow with rosy patches, very juicy, flesh-white with excellent taste and flavour. Ripens in the first week of July. Average yield 100 to 120 kg per tree. TSS in 13% and acidity 0.33%. It is a Clingstone variety.
xiii. Prabhat- Tree is semi-vigorous. The fruits are medium in size, round with an attractive red blush, flesh white, juicy, sweet and free stone when fully ripe. TSS is 12 per cent and acidity 0.37 per cent. The average yield is 64 kg per tree. It matures in the third week of April.
xiv. Punjab Nectarine- Tree is vigorous and spreading. The fruits are large in size, fuzzless, weighing 90 g, round, attractive with 90 – 100 per cent red blush over yellow ground colour at maturity. The flesh is yellow, firm, melting and free stone at full ripe stage. TSS is 11.5 per cent, acidity 0.8 per cent. The average yield is about 40 kg per tree. It matures in second week of May.
xv. Khurmani- The tree is medium and upright in growth. It blooms in early February and fruit ripens in first week of June. The fruit is large, weighing about 70 g and is attractive with red colouration. It is slightly pointed at the base. It is a clingstone cultivar with white, soft, juicy flesh. TSS is 13% and acidity 0.4%.
Essay # 5. Plant Protection Measures of Peach:
i. Peach-Leaf Curl Aphid (Brachycaudus Helichrysi Kalt):
It is a polyphagous pest. The pest suck the cell sap from vegetative buds. Leaves infested with this aphis acquire a characteristic curly appearance generally from March to May in the plains and from April to June in the hills.
The pest can be controlled by spraying 800 ml of Rogor 30 FC (Dimethoate) in 500 litres of water immediately after the fruit-set. If necessary, spray should be repeated after 15 days.
ii. Peach Black Aphid (Pterochlorus Persicae Cholodkovsky):
They cause damage by sucking the sap from the bark of the stem, limbs and branches from April to June. The continuous drain of cell sap devitalizes the tree, which affect the fruit setting capacity as well as fruit size. To check this pest, spray 800 ml of Malathion 50 EC in 500 litres of water on the colonies on the stem and limbs as soon as the pest congregates on these parts. Spray should be done when the sun is high.
iii. Chaffer and other Defoliating Beetles (Adoretus Spp.):
Adult beetles appear with break of monsoon and feed on leaves during night and hide during day. In case of severe attack, fruits are also scrapped near the apical end. Eggs are laid in the soil, grubs feed on roots and other organic matter and sometimes the grubs feeding on roots cause the death of tree.
As soon as the damage starts, spray in the evening with one kg of Carbaryl (Sevin 50% WP) in 500 litres of water should be done. If the damage continues or the insecticidal deposit in washed away by rain, spray should be repeated after 5 or 6 days.
iv. Peach Fruit Fly (Bactocera Dorsalis):
Fruitfly is a serious pest of fruits. The incidence of this pest starts in early May in north India and continues till the crop is over. Fruits nearing maturity are punctured by the fruit-fly for egg laying. Its larvae feed and develop in the ripening fruit. The infested part of the fruit rots. A dirty-brown fluid oozes from the site of an egg puncture on pressing the infested fruits. The badly attacked fruits even drop. Isolated orchards are less infested by fruit fly.
Burry the infested fruits at 60 cm depth. Hoeing of orchard should be done in May and June to expose the pupae which are present mostly at 4-6 cm depth. Plant early maturing cultivars i.e. Partap, Prabhat, Earli Grande, Florda Price, Flordasun and Shan-i-Punjab.
Spray 1250 ml (0.05%) Sumicidin 20 EC (fenvalerate) in 500 litres of water in mid-May and repeat after one week if required. Fix fruit fly traps @ 16 traps/acre in the first week or May for the control of fruit flies. Recharge the traps if required.
v. Flat Headed Borer (Sphenoptera Dadkhani):
It is a serious pest on peach. Adult beetles appear in middle of March and feed on foliage. Eggs are laid singly scattered all over the tree trunk and main branches. On hatching, young grubs feed below the bark making minute irregular galleries.
The bark gets loosened, and splits. Full grown grubs bore into the wood. Outside on the bark, gum globules ooze out from the entrance holes. Leaves turn pale and the growth of the tree arrested. In severe infestation the entire tree may die.
Drench spray of 1000 ml chlorpyriphos 20 EC in 500 litres of water during June after the harvest of crop and in October.
Essay # 6. Diseases of Peach:
i. Shot Hole (Stigmina Corpophila):
Dark brown scattered lesions appear on leaves which enlarge rapidly. Abscission of the diseased leaves results in shot holes. The disease can be controlled by spraying with Captan, Ziram or Thiram (o.2%) at leaf fall or bud swelling stage.
ii. Peach Leaf-Curl (Taphrina Deformans):
This disease found in temperate and rarely in subtropical climate. The disease destroys new leaves in the spring and causes defoliation, thus reducing the vigour of the plant. Leaves become thickened, reddened, twisted and puckered. Young twigs become swollen and pale and may die back.
To check this disease, carry out the dormant spray with 0.2%. Ferbam (200 g in 100 litre of water). A single spray of copper oxychloride (0.3%), carbendazim 50 WP (0.05%) or of Captan 50 WP (0.3%) applied 3^4 weeks of bud-swell provides effective control of disease.
iii. Powdery Mildew (Podosphaera Leucotricha):
Shoots and leaves become covered with a powdery or pearly-white coating during hot, dry weather. The tender buds in the axils of the mildewed leaves are also attacked. Ultimately, their skin becomes corky, rough and may crack.
To control this disease, diseased shoots should be pruned. Spray before the blossoms open, at petal fall, and again two weeks later with 0.1%. Morestan and Aureofungin (1 g per 10 litres of water) should be given. One spray of each during May-June should be given in addition.
iv. Brown Rot (Sclerotinia Fructicola and S. Fructigena):
Fungus causes wilting and killing of petals and young twigs. The leaves wither and drop. Canker develops on large limbs and the bark is killed, cracks open and exude gum. On fruit, light brown spots appear as small round areas which enlarge within a few days and the entire fruit rots, shrivels and becomes a hard, dry and wrinkled mummy, hanging on the tree or falling to the ground.
Collect and destroy the fruit mummies by burning or burying them in soil. The infected twigs and cankers should be cut out and burnt. Spray the trees with captan @ 0.2% (200 g in 100 litres of water) about 3 weeks before harvesting the fruits. If disease is severe repeat spray at fortnightly intervals after harvesting the fruits. Avoid injury during picking of fruits.
v. Peach Leaf Spot (Phyllosticta Cerasicola):
Small, angular, ash coloured spots appear on the underside of the leaf which results in pre-mature defoliation.
To check the disease, spray mancozeb 1250 -1500 g in 500 litres of water during growing season.
vi. Viruses:
Viruses usually found in temperature climate but rarely in sub-tropical climate. Symptoms appear as mosaic mottling, leaf-curling, puckering and reduction in the leaf size. There is excessive proliferation of buds. The severely affected tree in the orchard should be replaced with the progeny tested virus free nursery stock. Insect vectors and mites should be controlled with appropriate spray during the season to reduce the transmission of the virus. The use of graft wood or bud wood from infected mother tree should be avoided. The indexing of virus free mother trees prevents the further spread of viruses.
vii. Crown Gall (Agrobacterium Tumefaciens):
In recent years, the incidence of crown gall disease has been observed in peach nurseries and orchards. The disease in characterised by formation of tumors of varying sizes especially at the crown portion and sometimes on roots and other parts of the plant.
For raising disease free plants in the orchard following points may be kept in view:
(i) Procure disease free plant-material from a reliable source.
(ii) Avoid injury to the roots and crown portion of the plant at the time of uprooting from nursery, replanting and performing other cultural practices in the orchard.
(iii) Keep the plants free from insects, nematodes and rodent injuries.
(iv) Discourage the exchange of plant material without knowing its sanitary condition.
(v) Uproot and destroy the diseased plant from nursery/orchards whenever noticed.
(vi) While planting, the diseased roots of the plant are pruned and remaining root system is dipped for one minute in 5% solution of bleaching powder and then planted in the orchard.