Predicting bud-break
Do chill units tell us anything? By Anna Mouton. The idea behind chill models is to figure out what trees will do in spring. Will they wake up smartly and crack on with flowering? Or will they linger over bud-break…
Put the brakes on decay
Effective fungicide application on stone fruit. By Anna Mouton. Post-harvest decay of stone fruit can cause significant financial losses. Arrie de Kock, senior researcher at ExperiCo, explained how to prevent problems through an integrated approach that includes application of fludioxonil…
Straightening out shrivel in plums
Why do some plum cultivars shrivel more than others? By Grethe Bestbier. Shrivel, especially in plums, is a major problem in the South African fruit industry. This post-harvest condition manifests as shrinkage, shrivelling and reduced mass, and is related to…
Sunburn
Why it happens and how to prevent it. By Anna Mouton. Sunburn is the damage caused by too much sun exposure — anyone who spends time outdoors knows this. People tend to find a tan attractive in humans but not…
Sunburn research summarised
Highlights of projects funded by Hortgro Pome and Hortgro Stone Hortgro Pome and Hortgro Stone have funded — and continue to fund — extensive research into the development and control of sunburn. The goal is to better understand the causes…
Temperature and humidity
Environmental conditions after harvest can make or break stone-fruit quality. By Anna Mouton. “Low temperatures are important for maintaining fruit quality,” says Handré Viljoen, stone-fruit research manager at ExperiCo. “At the correct temperatures the fruit will develop fewer internal defects…
Ten tips for pollination success
Cross-pollination by honeybees is a prerequisite for setting many pome- and stone-fruit cultivars. How can growers take control of this process? By Anna Mouton. There’s no recipe for perfect pollination — growers need to fine-tune their practices according to the…
The net effect on bees
How plum and pome-fruit growers can optimise pollinator performance in netted orchards. By Anna Mouton. “The pollination of plums is super-important,” says stone-fruit grower and technical adviser Petru du Plessis. “If you have correct pollination in September, you can look…
The plum-transport dilemma
Can plums tolerate higher CO2 levels during shipping? By Kyra-Kay Rensburg. The current reefer container-vent setting of 15 m3 per hour for stone fruit aims to prevent CO2 build-up but exacerbates moisture loss. Closing the vents could increase relative humidity…
The sharpest tool in the shed
Measuring flesh firmness in late-season nectarines with the 8-mm penetrometer. By Anna Mouton. The introduction of late-season nectarine cultivars has transformed production in South Africa over the past three to four decades. Nectarines are now harvested as late as March,…