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April 13, 2018 CapitalPress.com 15 Prune orchards of the future may vary By TIM HEARDEN For the Capital Press RED BLUFF, Calif. — What will the prune orchard of the future be like? It depends on a variety of fac- tors, researchers say. New orchard layouts could de- pend on soil types, while new crop management techniques and new va- rieties other than the now-dominant French prune could resist diseases and reduce the need for thinning, said Franz Niederholzer, a Universi- ty of California Cooperative Exten- sion pomology farm adviser. “The way it looks now may not be the way it turns out,” Niederhol- zer told about 60 growers during a recent workshop in Red Bluff. Niederholzer gave attendees elec- tronic devices to vote in instant sur- veys and asked them to envision the “perfect orchard.” Majorities indi- cated they would want it to produce 6 dry tons per acre with spacing of 18 feet wide by 14 feet between trees. Asked what they think are the biggest obstacles to planting prunes in 2018, most growers cited prune prices and cost of production, in- cluding pruning costs. Most growers said their next plantings would be entirely new orchards rather than in- terplanting. In actuality, optimal spacing can depend on soil types, which can in- fluence a tree’s production. Soil can vary even in small blocks, and Nie- derholzer suggested that growers consider soil mapping and matching spacing and irrigation to the map. “Consistent production is really important,” he said. Also, planting and managing trees in such a way that it maximiz- es sunlight on the trees will increase yields, he said. In a recent newslet- ter, he explained that replacing an orchard spaced 18 feet-by-16 feet with one with rows 17 feet or 16 feet apart could increase per-acre re- turns by as much as $760, assuming a $2,000-per-ton average dry fruit price to the grower. While new planting schemes can boost production, researchers are looking into ways to improve orchard health by developing new rootstocks. UCCE advisers have been evalu- ating alternative rootstocks in Cali- fornia Dried Plum Board-supported field trials throughout the Sacramen- to Valley. Among the research: • Scientists in Butte County are testing rootstocks that reach full bloom at different times, with the intent of spreading out bloom timing and reducing the risk of a crop fail- ure because of bad weather, accord- ing to a UCCE prune newsletter. Prune production took a nosedive in 2016 after cold, wet and windy weather created adverse conditions for bees during the height of polli- nation. • Farm advisers are watching disparities in tree trunk sizes on test plots in Butte and Yuba counties, ac- cording to the newsletter. The trees with larger trunks in Butte County had a higher dry yield per tree, a higher “dry away” ratio (the ratio of green fruit weight to dry fruit weight) and smaller fruit, while the smaller-trunked trees had lower dry away ratios and larger fruit. This tree size and yield dispari- ty may be partly caused by soil and water differences between the sites, researchers said. In the prune orchard of the fu- ture, a grower choosing a rootstock will need to consider whether the objective is to plant larger, more vig- orous trees or to plant smaller trees at a higher density, the newsletter explained. University of California Cooperative Extension pomology farm adviser Franz Niederholzer says such factors as rootstock choice and cropload management will determine how prune orchards perform in the future. Photo by Tim Hearden/For the Capital Press Flory Quality. For the Long Run! World wide superior performance sweepers, harvesters and flail mowers. Engineered and built to deliver the highest productivity at the lowest operating cost for superior profits for almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, figs and other types of crops. Our exciting, dynamic moves result in Flory harvesting equipment for the long run. Start with Flory and finish sooner for optimum crop quality and profits. 490 Hazelnut Harvester 3000 SERIES FLAIL MOWER 9’ TO 15’ SELF-PROPELLED 8770 HARVESTER 503-538-7739 24175 Dayton Ave., Newberg, OR 97132 ONV18-4/100 860 HARVESTER NEW 58 SERIES SWEEPER ONV18-2/106 34 SERIES AIR CAB SWEEPER
