This document discusses the cultivation practices of peaches. It begins by introducing peaches, including their origin in China and distribution in temperate regions worldwide. It then covers climate requirements, common varieties, propagation through grafting and budding, pruning and training, and fertilization. The ideal soil is described as deep sandy loam with good drainage. Proper pruning encourages spreading growth and maintains an open tree center to maximize fruit production. Fertilization includes manures and balanced nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium application to meet the crop's nutritional needs.

1. 1
Course: B.Sc. Agriculture
Subject: Principles of Horticulture
Unit :5
Cultivation practices of Peach

2. Introduction
 Peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch)
 Rich in proteins, sugar, minerals and vitamins
 Introduction of the cultivated peaches probably took place in
the latter half of the 19th century.
 Today, it is being grown in the midhill zone of the Himalayas
extending from Jammu and Kashmir to Khasi hills 1,000–
2,000m above mean sea-level.
 Low-chilling peaches are grown in submountaineous region
and Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh.
 It is also being grown to a limited scale in the hills of south
India and in the north-eastern region of the country.
2

3. • The peach along with its smooth-skin mutant, the nectarine, is a
temperate juicy fruit of excellent appearance and quality.
• It comes in the market early in the season, particularly from low
chilling cultivars grown in warmer regions.
• The grower can benefit from the relatively higher market prices
at this juncture due to the scarcity of other fruits.
• The first good crop of peach is obtained within 4-5 years of
planting, which is sooner than other temperate fruits.
• Therefore, expanding on a faster pace in many countries and its
fruit production is highest among all the stone fruits.

4. Origin & distribution
• Despite its botanical name (Prunus persica) the peach
originated in china and not Persia.
• Three wild species are still commonly found there.
• Prunus davidiana is an ornamental tree growing in northern
China and used as rootstock.
• Other two species P. mira and P. ferganensis are indigenous to
Tibetan plateau and Sinkiang province, respectively.
• Another species P. behimi, considered as a natural hybrid of
almond and peach, which is use as rootstock for almond,
peach and plum.
4

5. Top 10 Countries (% of world production):-
1. China (44) 6. France (3)
2. Italy (13) 7. Turkey (3)
3. USA (10) 8. Iran (3)
4. Spain (8) 9. Chile (2)
5. Greece (7) 10. Argentina (2)
PRODUCTION WORLD (2004 FAO) –
15,561,206 MT or 34 billion pounds. [Note: world production data
includes both peaches and nectarines] Peaches and nectarines are produced
commercially in 71 countries worldwide on about 3.5 million acres.

6. Scientific classification
6
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Subgenus: Amygdalus
Species: P. Persica
B. N. Prunus persica (L.) Batsch

7. Climate
• Require humid climate with cold winter and dry summer
• It is moderately winter hardy and sensitive to low temperature injury.
Swelling buds are injured at –6.5°C.
• Free from early spring frost are more suitable as peaches bloom early in
the season.
• The blooming period can be delayed by the application of Gibberellic acid
(200ppm) before leaf fall or by application of Ethephon, to avoid the risk
of spring frost.
• Deep valleys are not ideal sites because cold air settles in these areas, and
frost and freeze injuries are very common.
• The land with gentle slope is ideal. However, on steep slopes peach should
be planted preferably in the mid portion.
7

8. Soil
• Deep sandy loam soil rich in organic matter is best for its
successful cultivation.
• Peaches are highly susceptible to waterlogging and prefer
perfect drainage.
• Fertile and heavy soils are hazardous as it makes heavy
growth and hence results in winter injury.
• The pH of the soil should be between 5.8 and 6.8. Acidic and
saline soils are unfit for peach cultivation.
8

9. VARIETIES
Important peach varieties recommended for temperate regions of
different states are given in the Table 1.
.
State Early Mid-season Late
Himachal
Pradesh
Alton, World’s
Earliest, Early
White Giant,
Redhaven,
Stark Red Gold
July Elberta,
Kanto 5,
Shimizu
Hakuto,
Sunhaven
J.H. Hale
Uttar Pradesh
(midhills)
Early Candor,
Redhaven,
Sunhaven
July Elberta,
Alexander,
Crawford Early
Parrot Delux,
J.H. Hale,
Peregrine
Jammu and
Kashmir
Peshwari,
Quetta, July
Elberta,
Saharanpur
Prabhat
J.H. Hale
Alexander and
CO Smith

10. Varieties
For colder conditions the peach cultivars July
Elberta, Elberta, Peshwari, Quetta, Burbank
and Stark Earliglo are well adopted.
Low-chilling cultivars viz., Flordasum,
Flordared, Shan-e-Punjab, Sharbati and
Sunred (nectarine) have become popular in
subtropical belts of U.P. and Punjab States.
10 January 2015 10

11. 11
PROPAGATION,PLANTING AND ROOT
STOCKS.
Propagation is done by budding on seedling peach. One-year-old
grafts are planted 6 to 8 metres apart in early spring. Immediately after planting,
the trees are white-washed to protect the bark from the sun.
Peach is commercially propagated through grafting or budding.
Peach seedlings are generally used as rootstock, though plum, apricot
and almond seedlings can also be used. Some nurseries also use Behmi
(P. mira) as rootstock for peach. Since wild species produce more
vigorous and hardy seedlings than the cultivated varieties, wild peach
seedlings are preferred in the hills. Before sowing, seeds are stratified at
4°–10°C for 10–12 weeks in the moist sand. The stratification of peach
seeds can also be done under natural conditions and cold storage at
10°C or below. Pre-sowing treatment of seeds with thiourea (0.5%), GA
(200ppm) or BA (100ppm) reduces the stratification period, enhances
seed germination and improves the seedling growth.

12. 10 January 2015 12
Rootstock Characteristics
Bailey :- Cold hardy rootstock with good overall
performance; best in the northern states
Guardian :- Vigorous rootstock with resistance to
peach tree short life syndrome; slightly
more expensive. Used extensively in the
eastern USA, and in areas where peaches
were planted previously.
GF677 (Amandier) :- A peach-almond hybrid for adaptation to
high pH soils; highly vigorous; not well
adapted for eastern US
Halford :- Good overall rootstock for northern states
Lovell :- Moderately invigorating rootstock with
fair resistance to peach tree short life
Nemaguard :- Invigorating rootstock with resistance to
root knot nematode; susceptible to other
nematodes and peach tree short life
Siberian C :- Cold hardy rootstock used only in the
northern tier of states and Canada; short-
lived and poor in the southern states

13. 13
The stratified seeds are then sown in well-prepared beds
about 5cm deep and 15cm apart at a row-to-row spacing of 20cm.
Seed-beds are mulched with 6–10cm thick dry grass and light
irrigation is given after sowing to avoid desiccation of seeds. Seeds
start germinating in March. The seedlings become buddable in
June, if they are grown in fertile soil with full care, they become
graftable in the following winter.
Peaches are propagated commercially by tongue or cleft
grafting and T-budding or ring budding. In hills, tongue grafting
during January–February and T-budding during May–June are
performed. However, in plains grafting is performed during
November–January and budding during April–June and September.

14. 10 January 2015 14
TRAINING AND PRUNING
Of the conventional training systems, modified leader and open centre are
usually adopted to train peach trees. If sunlight exposure is a limiting factor (hills), At
the time of planting, the stem is cut to about 0.6 metre from the ground and three to
four branches are allowed to develop, distributed round the main stem. All other
shoots that grow during the first summer are removed. During the first dormant
season, two well-spaced secondary branches on each main branch are selected and
the main branch is cut close t the secondary branches. During the second summer,
water-sprouts, if any are removed. At the time of second pruning in winter, secondary
branches are not cut, except to regulate the shape of the tree. In pruning, cut always
to the outside buds to encourage a spreading shape.
In the case of bearing trees, annual pruning is necessary to maintain the centre
open. Two- to three-year-old branches may be cut back to the outward-pointing side
branches to encourage a spreading growth. Shorten and thin outside branches to
stimulate the growth of new fruiting wood every year. A satisfactory annual growth
should be 45 to 50 cm long.
Fruit-buds are borne laterally upon one-year-old wood and on short spur-like
twigs. Ordinarily, they develop two fruit-buds and a leaf-bud at one node. The fruit-
buds are usually located from the middle of the shoot upwards. In cutting away
branches, the position of the fruit-buds should be taken into consideration.

15. 10 January 2015 15
MANURING AND FERTILIZATION
The peach has a relatively high requirement for N and K. The
fertilizer schedule recommended for fully-grown peach trees in
different states is given in
Fertilizer/nutrient recommendations for fully-grown peach tree
State Age of Tree
Farmyard
manure
N P2O5 K2O
(kg/tree) (g/tree)
Himachal
Pradesh
6 40 500 250 700
Uttar
Pradesh
10 - 300 500 300
Tamil
Nadu
- 20 200 1,000 1,000
Arunachal
Pradesh
7 50 350 210 210

16. 16
Whole quantity of farmyard manure along with P and K is given
during December–January. Half of N should be given in spring before
flowering and the remaining half a month later if irrigation facilities
are available. Under rainfed conditions, N fertilizers should be
applied in one lot 15 days before budbreak. The manures and
nitrogenous fertilizer should always be applied by broadcasting
evenly in the tree basins which should be sufficiently large and
should encompass the entire canopy of the tree. It should be
thoroughly mixed in soil by gentle raking. Phosphatic and potassic
fertilizers should be applied in trenches of 20–25cm width and 10–
15cm deep made beneath the tree canopy at a distance of 1–2m
from the main trunk. The trees should be irrigated lightly
immediately after the application of manures and fertilizers. Peach is
very susceptible to Fe deficiency which can be controlled by foliar
application of 0.5–1.0% ferrous sulphate or by soil application of 50–
250g chelated Fe (Fe-EDDTA) at 20–30 spots around the tree in small
holes. Trunk injection of 1% ferrous sulphate or ferric citrate is also
beneficial in extreme cases.

17. 17
CULTURE
A peach orchard should be regularly cultivated.
Ploughing, which should not be deeper than 10 cm, is generally
done in winter. A suitable cover or green-manure crop may be
sown in the rainy season after the fruits are picked and
ploughed-under during winter. A dose of fertilizers to supply 55 to
65 kg of N, 55 to 65 kg of P and 110 to 135 kg of K per hectare
may be applied to the bearing trees in spring. Immediately after
the natural fruit-drop in May and June, the fruits should be
thinned out so as to have them 10 to 15 cm apart.

18. 18
AFTERCARE
Peach July Elberta in high hills, and Redhaven, Sunhaven, Kanto
5 and Shimizu Hakuto are prolific bearing. Their fruit size remains small
as a result of excessive cropping. Therefore, application of Ethephon
(300ppm) with Tween 20 at petal fall in July Elberta is recommended for
optimum fruit thinning. However, in Redhaven peach Ethephon (600pm)
20–30 days after fruit set when the fruitlets are 20–25cm in diameter,
should be used for thinning. Hand-thinning at 5–7.5cm fruit spacing at
pit-hardening stage is equally effective.
Simazine and Atrazine (2.9kg/ha), Turbacil (0.8kg/ha) as pre-
emergent and Paraquat (4.0 litres/ha) and Glyphosate (4.32kg/ha) as
post-emergent herbicides are quite effective to control weeds without
any phytotoxic effect. In nursery, Oxyflurofen (0.5kg/ha) and Diuron
(2kg/ha) are good to control weeds.

19. 19
IRRIGATION
To get optimum-sized and quality peaches, irrigation is very
much essential. There should be sufficient moisture in soil before the
emergence of leaves and flowers. Frequent irrigations are needed
during the fruit development. Lack of irrigation, particularly during
dry and hot summer result in fruit drop, reduced fruit size and
quality. In hills, at least two irrigations should be given during the
fruit development period. Irrigation should be stopped a few days
before harvesting and at the time of dormancy, when the plants
should become sufficiently hardened to withstand cool weather. Due
to scarcity of water in hills, drip irrigation is recommended.

20. 10 January 2015 20
HARVESTING AND POSTHARVEST
MANAGEMENT
To get premium price and reduce the losses during packaging
and transporting, peaches should be harvested at optimum stage of
maturity. A large number of maturity indices—days to maturity,
calendar date, fruit size, firmness, sense of touch, pit discoloration,
freeness of pit, taste, ground colour, sugar, acidity, starch, sugar : acid
ratio—have been assessed on different cultivars. The days from full
bloom to maturity vary in different cultivars—Alexander, 86 days; July
Elberta, 101 days; Babcock, 122 days and Elberta, 127 days. All peach
fruits do not mature simultaneously. Therefore, these may be
harvested in 3–4 pickings at 4 days interval. For distant markets, they
should be harvested when they attain good colour but are still hard
and ripe, whereas for local consumption tree ripe peaches are
harvested by twisting with hand. The peak harvesting period for
different peach cultivars in hills is mid-May (Shan-e-Punjab)–mid-July
(July Elberta and Shimizu Hakuto).

21. 21
The peach comes into bearing after 2 years of planting in the
field. The plants bear for about 20 years. The yielding capacity
increases with the age of the plant. The average yield of fully-grown
trees of different varieties varies from 50 to 125kg in hills. In
conventional plantations, 7–10 tonnes/ha and in Tatura Trellis about 23
tonnes/ha yield can be obtained. Peaches ripen very fast as the
harvesting season coincides with the prevailing high seasonal
temperature. Ripening process declines to half with each reduction of
5.6°C from 21.1°–4.4°C. The fruits ripen in 3 days at 21.1°C, while in 6
days at 15.5°C. Peaches ripen with good flavour and aroma at
temperature above 15.0°C, with undesirable flavour at 10°C and
breakdown internally instead of ripening at 4.4°C.
The harvested fruits must be disposed off as expeditiously as
possible. Peaches are graded to fetch better price in the market. Size
grading is essential for uniformity and packing in standard cartons or
boxes.

22. 22
PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Sunscald causes severe damage to the exposed trunk and
main scaffold branches. Shading of branches considerably reduces
the incidence. Painting of exposed surface with lime paste and
shading by wrapping straw or hay around the trunk and thicker
branches is quite effective in mitigating the problem.
Splitting of fruits generally occurs at dorsal and ventral sides
mostly at the time of pit hardening stage. Sometimes gum exudes
from the fruit making it unfit for consumption. Splitting and gumming
are accentuated during heavy rains after a long dry spell. The exact
cause of this problem is still to be determined.

23. Harvesting
 For harvesting peach at the right time, the proper
color development in fruits and pit browning are
considered as reliable guides.
 In yellow fleshed cultivars, deep orange color
development on fruits is associated with proper
maturity.
 At least 5% of the pit area also should be brown if
the fruit is to develop good flavor at ripening. In the
peach variety July Elberta, it takes about 90-95
days after full bloom, whereas on cv. Elberta it
normally takes 100-105 days.
 In low chilling cultivars like Flordasun, fruits should
be harvested at 50% color development stage

24. 24
Web References:
1. megapib.nic.in/pppeach.htm
2.megagriculture.nic.in/PUBLIC/package_of_practice/temperate_fruits.as
px
3.skuast.org/site/Templates%20HTML/extension/package.pdf
4. www.netafim.com/crop/peaches-and-nectarines/best-practice