Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure
6.6.
Protecting young mangoes with paper coverings; inset shows closeup of covered
fruit. (Courtesy of Petra Conklin.)
grown and the innate fertility characteristics of the soil. Also the time of fertilization
will be determined by the type of tree, climate of the area, and the fruiting pattern.
More information about fertilizers is available in Chapter 10. An interesting example
of the relationship between fruit production and fertilization is found in the mango.
Mango trees are induced to flower by applying nitrate fertilizer.
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6.3.7 Protection of Fruit Trees
There are three approaches to protect the fruit trees. Roots from varieties resistant to
various pests can be used as the graft stock for the desired varieties. This then protects
the tree from soil-borne diseases. Physical barriers such as wrapping the trunk of trees
can protect them from damage by animals, particularly deer and rodents. The trees
themselves can be sprayed with pesticides and the area between the trees can be
sprayed with herbicides. It is also possible to wrap individual fruit, as shown in
Figure 6.6, to protect it from attack by insects.
6.3.8 Harvesting and Postharvest
Some fruit can be harvested before it is mature and will mature or ripen during storage
and transport to market. This is common with bananas and avocados. Other fruit is
picked when it is ripe, such as is the case with apples. In both cases care must be
taken not to damage the fruit during harvest as this will lead to bruising or entry of
decay organisms into the fruit, making their shelf life short. Commercially, fruit is
often hand picked and placed in boxes in the field. Boxes are then transported to
storage facilities where fruit is washed, sorted, and reboxed. If the market is close,
storage times will be minimal and storage problems will be minimized.
Any time fruit is handled it may become bruised and thus must be handled
carefully during packing, unpacking, and transport. This includes even short-distance
