The peach is a significant stone fruit crop in the temperate zone. Higher hills produce high-quality peaches such as J.H. Hale, Alberta, and Matchless. During the 1960s, only low-quality ‘Chakali’ peaches were grown on the plains. With the introduction of low chilling necessitating Florida peaches, it has become the most important fruit of the tables. Peach harvesting season lasted from April to July. Peaches are typically eaten fresh from the garden, but we can also make delicious squash from its varieties. In addition, we can use the essential oil of peach kernels to make a variety of cosmetic and medicinal products. They are rich in essential minerals such as potassium, fluoride, and iron.
The climate in this region is subtropical. Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Muktsar sahib, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Patiala, Sangrur, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar, Bathinda, Ropar, Fatehgarh are among the Punjab cities with a high concentration of peach cultivation.
Peach Farming Tips and Methods
Peach farming needs specific things, including climate, soil, preparation of soil, etc. Let’s see them.
Climate Requirement
You can sow the peach at a temperature between 25-30°C. Then, peach farming needs around 200-300mm of rainfall. In the last, you can harvest the field at a temperature between 20-25°C to get better results.
Soil Requirement
Peach trees require deep sandy loam soil that is rich in organic matter and has good drainage. The soil’s pH should be between 5.8 and 6.8. Acidic soils or saline are unsuitable for peach cultivation. The gently sloping land is ideal for peach cultivation. The fruit grows best in foothills, high hills, and mid-hills. Also, to obtain fine soil tilth, we should use good quality farm machines like Mahindra Arjun 555 and others.
Popular Varieties
Shan-e-Punjab matures in the first week of May. Fresh fruits are large, yellow with a reddish blush, succulent, delicious, and stone-free. Fruit can withstand transportation because its quality is rigid. Therefore, they are suitable for canning, with a typical fruit yield of 70 kg/tree.
Pratap variety matures in the third week of April and is yellow with a red blush. Among all the types, this one has more firmness. The average yield per plant is 70 kg.
Khurmani: – The fruits are large, attractive, and red in colour, with a clingstone and white soft juicy flesh.
Florida Red: A great mid-season fruit that matures in early June, Fruits are large, almost red when mature, juicy, and freestone. Also, it has an average yield of 100 kg/tree.
Sharbati: – The fruits are large, greenish-yellow in colour with rosy patches, and very juicy and flavorful. In addition, fruits ripen from last June to the first week of July, with an average 100-120 kg/tree yield.
Shan-e-Prince fruit ripens in the first week of May. It produces an average of 70kg per tree.
According to Florida Prince, the fruit matures in the fourth week of April. It produces an average of 100kg per tree.
Prabhat: The fruit ripens around the third week of April. It produces an average of 64kg per tree.
The fruit of the Punjab Nectarine matures in the second week of May. It produces an average of 40kg per tree.
Land Preparation
We must properly prepare the land by digging 5m X 5m beds that are filled with 20 kg of FYM, 125 g of urea, and 25ml of chlorpyriphos. These are mixed with 30 cm of soil and filled to a height of 10 cm above ground level. In addition, the whole preparation process needs highly advanced farm equipment like Mahindra Arjun 605 and others.
Sowing
T-blooming is completed in the first week of May. Then, T-budded seedlings are ready for field transplantation in December-January. A square system with 6.5 m x 6.5 m spacing is used for planting. We must sow the seeds of the peach tree in beds that are 5 cm deep and 12-16 cm apart. Budding/grafting is done in the beginning, and then the transplanting method is used to grow the plants in the main field.
Propagation
Grafting or budding is used for propagation. Sharbati and Khurmani rootstocks are used for rootstock production. Pruning is required on a regular basis for peach trees. Pruning must be completed by the end of October. In addition, we must control water sprouts and other shoots. Also, show the newly peach tree about 35 inches in height.
Weed Control
Manual weeding is used to control these, but it is both time-consuming and costly. Moreover, because peach roots are irregular, they are frequently damaged by continuous ploughing. Therefore, the use of herbicides is an excellent substitute. For example, a pre-emergence application of Diuron at 800 gm-1 kg/acre or even a post-emergence application of Glyphosate at 6 ml/acre in 200 litres of water during February-March efficiently manages broad-leaved weeds as well as common grasses in new orchards.
Plant Protection
Let’s see some pests and diseases with their control for peach farming.
- Shot hole: Spray of Captan or Ziram or Thiram @ 0.2%
- Bacterial canker and gummosis: Spray of a protective copper
- Brown rot: Spray of Captan @ 0.2%
- Peach leaf curl aphid: Spray of Rogor 30 EC @ 800ml/acre
- Peach black aphid: Spray of Malathion 50EC @800ml/acre
- Flat-headed borer: Drenching with Durmet 20 EC @ 1000ml/acre
- Beetles: Spray of Hexavin 50 WP @ 1kg/acre
Irrigation
Irrigation should begin immediately after the trees are planted. These plants may not need to be watered during the rainy season. Drip irrigation can save water. In a dry spell, we should provide irrigation at critical stages. Watering is essential during the flowering/budding and fruit development stages.
Harvesting
The peak month for peach harvesting is April to May. They develop good colour and hard flesh, indicating that they are ready to harvest. Also, the peach crop is harvested by twisting the fruit.
They are stored at a moderate temperature after harvesting and can be used in the processing of squash.
For more information on farming, stay tuned with us.
