How to plant apple: check out the particularities of cultivation
Apple cultivation is a highlight in Brazilian fruit growing: the country joined the ranking of the 10 largest apple producers in the world. According to the Brazilian Association of Apple Producers (ABPM), production in Brazil has grown by more than 6,000% in three decades and moved around R$7 billion. Production is mainly concentrated in Santa Catarina, followed by the Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná. In the 2020/2021 harvest, these states produced a total of 1.276 million tons. In the other states, it is estimated that 310 hectares are cultivated with the fruit.
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Given the growing economic importance of this crop, in this article, we will delve into some topics about the apple: climatic requirement, dormancy, an indication of cultivars for different regions, propagation, establishment, and management of the orchard, in addition to the main pests and diseases. Good reading!
Apple tree climatic requirements
The apple belongs to the Rosaceae family, with a preference for regions with a temperate climate, with an ideal temperature between 15 and 23ºC in the vegetative period. The apple tree alternates a period of vegetative growth with a period of rest, which occurs during the winter. apple orchard The apple tree belongs to the same family as the peach, plum, cherry, and pear. This rest is provided by endodormancy, which is when the plant stops growing and loses its leaves, due to the action of decreasing temperature and photoperiod that precede winter. This combination stimulates the production of growth inhibitors. To get out of dormancy, the plant needs to accumulate a certain amount of hours of cold (technically, temperatures below 7.2 ºC) for the degradation of the accumulated growth inhibitors to occur.
This amount of chilling varies with the genotype, the type of bud (apical buds need less chilling than the lateral ones, and flowering buds less need than vegetative buds), and with the vigor of the plant (the chilling requirement is greater on more vigorous branches or plants). In tropical and subtropical climate regions, this need for cold is not always satisfied, which results in delay, unevenness, and weakening of shoots, delay and prolongation of the flowering period, and uneven maturation and fruit shapes
Artificial dormancy break
As we said, in a tropical country like Brazil, the apple tree's need for cold is not always met, so it may be necessary to artificially break dormancy. It is carried out by spraying hydrogen cyanamide and mineral oil. These products cause a certain level of phytotoxicity to the plant, which due to stress increases the respiration rate and stimulates sprouting.
apple cultivars
For the South region, there are several cultivar options, mainly belonging to the “Gala” (Galaxy, Maxy-Gala, Brookfield, Royal Gala, Imperial Gala) and “Fuji” (Fuji Suprema, Fuji Mishima, Fuji Brak, Fuji Standard) groups. In other warmer regions of Brazil, due to the dormancy of the apple tree, cultivars with a low need for cold are recommended, such as Eva, developed by IAPAR and which produces good-quality fruit. Furthermore, the apple tree needs interplanting with pollinating cultivars, such as Countess, Princesa, or IPR Julieta, for good fruiting to occur.
Gala apple on wooden board
The Gala-type apple is the most consumed in Brazilian territory. Propagation Layering, cutting, and grafting are the main methods of propagating the apple tree. Commercially, clonal rootstocks are propagated by layering, when they have difficulty in rooting. When rooting is easy, cuttings can be used. Grafting, on the other hand, is used to propagate the canopy cultivar, through bud or fork techniques. For home cultivation, propagation by grafting is recommended, selecting a cutting of 10 to 15 centimeters in length.
Establishment of the apple orchard
The best time to start apple cultivation is between the months of July and September, and the apple tree develops well in deep, permeable, and well-drained soils, as the roots need good aeration to carry out their metabolic activities. In addition, prioritize places with little slope and well exposed to the sun. Soil preparation must begin at least 3 months before planting, with soil cleaning, soil analysis, subsoiling to a depth of 60 centimeters, and incorporation of 50% of the recommended limestone. Soil pH should be between 5.5 and 6.0. It is recommended to mark the area in rows in a north-south direction on flat terrain, or in a contour line, in the case of sloping areas. Planting holes can be prepared with dimensions of 60 x 60 x 60 centimeters. The recommended spacing is four meters between rows and 0.8 meters to 1.2 meters between plants. In addition, a structure for staking the seedlings is needed.
Apple seedling with a stake for staking
It is advisable to put a rubber so that the support rope does not hurt the plant. Change this lashing according to the tree's needs as it grows. In addition, the apple is a self-incompatible species, so it is necessary to interplant compatible pollinating cultivars that flower at the same time as the main cultivar. These pollinating cultivars must represent at least 10% of the plants and be well distributed throughout the orchard In addition, apple cultivation requires a good distribution of water throughout the cycle, especially in places where there are periods of drought and also in the fruit growth phase.
pruning and thinning
Pruning is necessary to allow air and light to penetrate the interior of the canopy, as, without intervention, the apple tree grows with dense branches and foliage, which results in the production of small, low-quality fruit. In this sense, pruning is done with the objective of providing a balance between vegetative and productive activity, favoring the attainment of quality fruits with high and constant productivity. In the first years, formation pruning is carried out, with the aim of adapting the distribution of branches, optimizing management, and repairing damage and deformations. This pruning begins in spring, after planting, with the tip of the main branch, to encourage lateral shoots.
Once the plant is formed, winter pruning is carried out annually in order to maintain the balance between the production of fruiting branches and vegetative renewal. The intensity of this pruning varies with the vigor of the plant and the “robber branches”, which are poorly positioned, sick and dry, are eliminated. In turn, thinning aims to improve fruit quality by reducing production alternation. Up to 30 days after full bloom is necessary to prevent excess apples from compromising the structure and initial vigor. For the first two years, remove any fruit that forms to allow the plants to grow properly.
Apples in the orchard
The thinning efficiency is directly related to the time of its performance, being greater if carried out during flowering, or earlier after flowering. pests and diseases During cultivation, pests can appear that threaten the proper development of plants. The South American fruit fly is one of the main threats and it develops inside the fruits forming galleries and leaving the fruit unfit for consumption. The fight against this pest is mainly done with traps containing solutions that attract adult insects that are trapped and die by drowning, or toxic baits, composed of a food attractant and an insecticide. The orchard must also be free of weeds that hinder plant growth. Pollination is mainly done by bees, so placing hives around the orchard can help to have good fruiting.
orchard management
The conduction of the apple tree canopy aims at the proper direction of the branches to provide a growth that leads to high productivity and fruit quality, and the conduction system will vary according to the spacing and rootstock used, with the fertility of the soil and with the growth habit of the cultivar. Larger spacings require plants with large crowns. However, productivity is maximized with greater plant density. In this case, the canopy should be small. In free conduction, the “center leader” shape is used for reduced spacing
In addition to these, the leaf-rolling caterpillar, the eastern moth, the red spider mite, the two-spotted spider mite, the woolly aphid, the green aphid, and the mealybug are the main pests that attack the apple tree. in Brazil. As for diseases, the producer should be aware of the occurrence of scabs, glomeruli necrotic leaf spots, powdery mildew, fly dirt, soot, white rot, and bitter rot.
Apple picking
Currently, from the third year after planting it is possible to harvest the apple. In the warmer regions, the harvest takes place from December to February, and in southern Brazil, it usually lasts until the beginning of May. The ideal harvest point can be established according to some parameters, such as soluble solids content, development of the pistil region, pulp firmness, or even days after full flowering.
Hand-picking apples
The fruits must be harvested manually, by means of a slight twist of the peduncle, which must remain in the apples for better post-harvest conservation. So, did you like to know the particularities of apple cultivation? Enjoy and access our post where we teach you how to plant blueberries and what are their benefits. Check out!