ISHS Acta Horticulturae 701: XII International Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline
APRICOT BREEDING IN SOUTH AFRICA - CHANGING OF CLIMATES? |
| Authors: | H. Ham, C. Smith |
| Keywords: | Prunus armeniaca, rainfall, temperatures, chilling units |
| Abstract:
Problems experienced by the apricot industry in South Africa are mainly caused by the fluctuating climatic conditions between seasons. Some of the problems experienced are delayed foliation resulting in poor fruit-set, mixed maturity, rain prior to harvest causing cracking of fruit and fungal infections, poor pollination due to bad weather and high UV irradiation causing sunburn and pit burn. The main apricot growing areas in South Africa are the Little Karoo and Northern Cape with hot, dry summers and with moderate winters. Field data loggers have been installed in the most prominent apricot producing areas to observe the accumulation of cold units during the critical winter months. This data clearly shows that there is a significant correlation between accumulation of chilling units, yield and quality of apricots. The 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 apricot seasons were marked by relatively warm winters and production was subsequently low. Some of the problems experienced during these seasons included poor fruit set and mixed maturity resulting in low fruit quality. The past two seasons have illustrated clearly that it is essential to plant cultivars that are adapted to the climatic conditions of a specific area. The warmer winters can be attributed to long-term climatic cycles but the effect of global warming cannot be excluded. | |
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