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Resources for Fruits

Title Available As Summary Date ID Author
10 Years' Experiences with Plasticulture Strawberries in a Colder Area Jul 23, 2009 2906-1320
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)
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
Chemical fruit thinning is commonly practiced in commercial apple orchards to manage and regulate the number of fruit per tree (crop load), which improves fruit quality and production. In this management practice, growers typically apply several sprays of chemical thinners to orchard blocks in the spring when the fruit is small and just beginning to develop. These thinning spray applications result in the abscission, or detachment, of some of the fruit. This intentional fruit abscission or shedding is commonly referred to as “thinning.”
Oct 1, 2024 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