The 1990 census of the United States revealed a substantial increase in the ethnic diversity of the American population. Federal dietary guidelines recommend that American consumers double their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. For quite some time, the ethnic diversity of the population and the associated food patterns have been exposing Americans to a panorama of exotic produce from overseas as well as from selected domestic sources (Greene, 1992). The specialty produce industry in the United States is hardly more than 30 years old, but the niche market for these fresh food items is the fastest growing segment of the produce industry (Vietmyer, 1984). Over the last decade, the consumption of produce has increased steadily, whereas the demand for exotic specialties grew exponentially. Consumer awareness of the nutritional value and health benefits of exotics and adventurism to try fascinating and unusual produce and other edibles raise the demand for exotic fruits, vegetables, and other horticultural commodities (Ritchy, 1978). Displays of exotic horticultural special-ties are now becoming a mainstay in supermarkets, with specialty themes ranging from the islands of Asia, Latin America, and the tropics, among others. Shipments of tropical produce and goods rose from 2000 t in 1980 to 70,000 t in 1990, and to 680,000 t in 1991, while more than 1,000,000 t of specialty crops were shipped during 1992 and after (Greene, 1992).Americans not only are more health-conscious but also demand more diverse and ethnically flavored foods. With population shifts, changes in diet, and the persistent fascination of Americans with novelty items, the demand for specialty fruits and vegetables likely will continue to rise through the 1990s and beyond. Domestic production to satisfy ethnic demands for exotic or nontraditional horticultural commodities necessitates developing the technologies to grow these crops locally. To accomplish this objective, there is a definite need for systematic horticultural research to generate the required information for cultivation and management of these crops. Ongoing small-or large-scale research projects at several institutions indicate ample enthusiasm among the horticultural community. These trends demonstrate that an overview of current research efforts on these commodities is appropriate at this time. This workshop precisely served that purpose through a structured open forum for researchers in various
The two commercially important fruiting cherries in North America are Prunus cerasus L. (sour) and P. avium L. (sweet). Carbon partitioning between individual organs, reproductive and vegetative, is dependent upon photoassimilate supply from photosynthesis and storage carbohydrate, as well as the ability of the translocation system to deliver these resources to sinks (Layne and Flore, 1995). Sink strength of individual organs varies with time of year, and age of the plant, as the sink demands and seasonal development pattern of the plant changes with time. Herein we will review assimilate supply and storage, seasonal partitioning patterns, and the impact that biotic and abiotic stress has on supply, partitioning, and control.
Anti-hail (protective) netting was originally developed to protect horticultural crops from hail damage. Netting reduces the amount and modifies the light reaching the orchard canopy. It also has the potential to optimize conditions for canopy and fruit growth and mitigate abiotic stress as climate change leads to increased temperatures. This study measured the effect of different colors of netting on the above and below-ground environment and apple sunburn incidence in a 3-year-old 'Honeycrisp' apple orchard growing in an irrigated desert climate in comparison to a traditional uncovered control. Netting did not affect air temperature or relative humidity within the orchard canopy, but reduced wind speed by 40% compared to the uncovered control. Netting reduced soil temperature and improved soil moisture at 20 and 40 cm depths throughout the study period compared to the uncovered control. Amongst different colors of netting tested in this study, pearl and blue netting significantly reduced soil temperature compared to red netting. Netting also reduced photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) by approximately 20% and strongly reduced fruit surface temperature during hot periods. During full sunlight, differences in maximum fruit surface temperature between the uncovered control and the protective netting were 2.6 to 4.3°C under full sun conditions and reduced the incidence and severity of sunburn measured at harvest. As temperatures warm in the future, netting provides a viable option to mitigate some of the negative effects of excessive temperature and light on apple production in hot, dry growing regions.
This chapter covers the origin and dissemination of peach, taxonomy of cultivated peach and wild relatives, and peach morphology (tree, leaf, flower, fruit, endocarp and seed), fruit development, fruit appearance and composition, biology and phenology, floral biology and fruit set, chilling and heat requirements, phenological phases, time of flowering, time of ripening (fruit development period), and cultivar classification.
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