791-033 Fruit

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Agricultural Production Systems II.

Corequisites

Biology III.

Contact

Subject Description

The objective of this subject is to enable students to:

• explain the relationships between environmental, biological, technical, management and economic factors influencing the success of orchard production;
• demonstrate an ability to interpret data regarding tree performance and propose ways in which performance could be manipulated;
• evaluate current practices and potential developments, and develop proposals regarding the implementation of developments.

The content includes: The nature of the Australian fruit industry, the importance and distribution of tree fruit crops, the trends and patterns within the industry, the association of production centres with processing and markets. Requirements to be considered in site selection for particular crops including climatic, soil, water and drainage requirements, as well as storage, processing and distribution constraints. Orchard development and management, the role of fertiliser inputs, selection of training and trellis systems, the use of particular cultivars and rootstocks appropriate to various cultural and market requirements, propagation of fruit trees and evaluation of methods. Soil management techniques with relation to soil, crop and climatic factors. Pest, disease and weed control strategies. Techniques for regulating crop production, yield and quality, pruning, thinning and use of plant growth regulators. The integration of all the components of the orchard system for the efficient management of the crop and its product.

Assessment

2 x one and a half hour examinations (40% each); assignment of 1500 words (20%)