Resources
Publications
AGRS-045. This production guide provides commercial fruit growers, extension educators, consultants, and others with information on fruit culture; orchard nutrition; spraying; pesticides; storage of tree fruit crops; and control of weeds, insects, diseases (including sharka, or plum pox virus), and mice. Hard copy version of this publication can be purchased for $25 +shipping and Handling.
AGRS-099. This 186-page guide, which replaces AGRS-60, Small-Scale Fruit Production, is a resource for people with one acre or less who wish to produce fruit on a small scale and who are not legally licensed to use pesticides. A Hard copy version of this publications can be purchased for $12 + shipping and handling
UJ255. This 12-page publication provides information on a few successful propagation methods that can be used on fruit trees. Wrapping and waxing, collecting scion wood, types of grafting or budding--bench grafting, cleft graft, bark and inlay grafts, budding, shield or T-budding, and chip budding--are discussed. Also included are photographs and a list of grafting supply resources.
Specialty Crop Innovations
If you have any questions or comments regarding the information in this report, please contact: Tara Baugher (tab36@psu.edu or 717-334-6271)
Factsheets
Pear maturity indices are not as reliable or consistent as those used for apples. The indices that are similar to those used on apples historically have not been as consistent for different years or orchards. The exception to this is firmness and possibly days after full bloom.
Many people mistakenly believe that fruit trees come true to name from seeds. In reality if you collect seed from a fruit grown on a plant these seeds will produce plants that will be a hybrid of two plants.
One of the most common questions is why trees fail to bear fruit or only have fruit every other year. This information was prepared to answer this question and to give you possible solutions to the problem.
The success of an orchard is only as good as the planning and site preparation that go into it.
Students, commercial growers, and homeowners would often like to learn about growing fruit. There are several sources of information depending upon the level of knowledge desired.
By Rob Crassweller, Jim Schupp, and Tara Baugher
Many factors influence orchard replant success and these can be divided into two very broad categories that include the economics and performance of the new orchard.
In some years, growers report a higher incidence of nectarine pox than usual, and in many cases, cool spring temperatures and above-normal rainfall in June are prevailing factors. The following is a review of what causes this physiological disorder and ways you can manage orchard conditions to reduce its occurrence.
Preliminary Results only
Includes apple crown rot, apple scab, bitter rot, black rot, blue mold, brooks fruit spot, crown gall, crown and collar rot, mucor rot, fireblight, nectria twig blight, powdery mildew, rust diseases, union necrosis and decline, sooty blotch and flyspeck, and white rot.
Includes Prunus stem pitting, rusty spot on peach, bacteria spot, black knot of plum, brown rot, cherry leaf spot, cytospora canker, peach leaf curl, plum pockets, powdery mildew, rhizopus rot, and plum leaf spot.
Includes Fireblight of pear, Fabraea leaf and fruit spot, pear leaf spot, pear scab, and stony pit.
Factsheets of the common insect pests of fruit trees. Most factsheets include description and image of the pest, its life cycle, and monitoring & management information.
