ISHS Acta Horticulturae 565: VI International Symposium on Temperate Fruit Growing in the Tropics and Subtropics
DECIDUOUS FRUIT TREE GERMPLASM IN KENYA |
| Keywords: | Low chilling requirement, apples, pears, peach, plums |
| Abstract:
Deciduous fruit tree (DFT) cultivation in Kenya originated with the arrival of European settlers who introduced the species they used to grow and consume in Europe. The cooler highlands with a climate more or less similar to the temperate zones were chosen for the cultivation of the fruits including: apples, plums, peaches, pears and a few nectarines. However, the farmers engaged in the cultivation of DFTs face a number of problems namely; a) insufficient chilling in most locations that result in poor bud break, b) lack of temperate-zone seasonality associated to deficiency of heat units needed for the production of good quality fruit and, c) high humidity coupled with tropical temperatures that cause the spread of fungal and bacterial diseases as well as the development of lichens and parasitic plants. Recent studies carried on the DFTs (Erez, 1980) have further identified the following physiological problems in the orchards: low soil pH reaching values of 4.5, levels that are definitely unfavorable for apples; low soil fertility in many orchards leading to extreme deficiencies in P, N, Mg and Ca. Other common deficiencies were noted in Fe and Zn. | |
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