PEACH

Peach is an important stone fruit crop of the temperate zone. High quality peaches are produced in higher hills e.g. J.H. Hale, Alberta and Matchless peaches. In the plains during nineteen sixties only inferior quality peach ‘Chakali’ was grown. With the introduction of low chilling requiring peaches from Florida it has become the most important fruit of plains. Peach is usually taken as garden-fresh, though, delightful squash can also be prepared from its varieties. The peach kernels essential oil can be used in producing of plenty of cosmetic products as well as medicinal products. They are rich in several essential minerals like potassium, fluoride as well as iron.

Peach requires deep sandy loam soil rich in organic matter with good drainage. The pH of the soil should be between 5.8 and 6.8. Acidic and saline soils are unfit for peach cultivation. The land with gentle slope is ideal for peach cultivation. The fruit thrives best in foothills, high hills and mid hills situation.

Sharbati: Fruits are large, greenish-yellow colored having rosy patches, very juicy nice flavored, fruits ripen in first week to third week of June. Fruits have an average weight of 45gm. Fruit contains 16-17% sweetness.

Safeda: Fruit matures in third week of June. Fruits have an average weight of 38gm and contain 15-16% sweetness. It has good keeping quality.

Matchless: The variety matures in third week of June. Fruits have an average weight of 40gm and contain 17% total soluble elements (Sweetness).

Florida Sun: It is the first maturing variety which matures in April month. Fruits have an average weight of 40gm and contain 9-10% total soluble elements.

Shan-e-punjab: The variety ripens in May month. Fruit contains 12-13% total soluble elements. Fruit is of good shape.

Sun Red: It is a fibreless variety. Fruit matures till 20th May. Fruit has an average weight of 30gm and contains 12% total soluble elements.

Prabhat: It is early maturing variety which matures in end-April. Fruit has an average weight of 45gm and contains 13% total soluble elements.

Other state varieties:

Alton: Medium sized fruits, round in shape; flesh is stick with kernel, barium yellow color, peel is slightly bitter, matures in third week of June.

Worlds Earliest: Fruit is small to medium sized; flesh is light brown in color, juicy, stick with kernel, bitter, matures in third week of June.

Early White Giant: Fruit is small to medium sized; sweet flesh, matures in second week of June, flesh gets easily separated from kernel, attractive and aromatic.

Red Heaven: Fruit is medium round, yellow hard peel, good quality, matures in June month.

Stark Red Gold: Fruit is medium in size, peel is yellow orange which has yellow flesh, medium stick with flesh, total T.S.S. content is 12.4%, early maturing, matures in last week of May, long plant, spreading and more fruitful.

Snow Queen (Nectarine): Fruit is small to medium sized which is shiny white in color, fruit matures in mid-June, spreading plant, good yield giving variety, suitable for cultivation in the areas at the height of 6000 ft.

July Albert: Fruits are medium sized; peel is light red in color, knot flesh which is yellow in color, soft flesh, fruits are of high quality, matures in second week of July, suitable for packing purposes.

Summer Set: Fruit is medium sized which is yellow-orange in color, sticky flesh, medium spreading variety and is medium yield giving, ripens in End week of June, total T.S.S. content is 12%.

JH HALE: Fruit is medium sized, round shape, red-purple in color, less sour, ripens in Third week of July.

Silver King (Nectarine): Suitable for cultivation in Kullu hills (1100-1500m), fruit ripens in end week of May to mid-June, greenish-white in color, 3/4th fruit is deep red in color, flesh is creamish-white, sweet in taste, total soluble content is 8-10% and acidic content is 0.6%.
 
Venus Misoori (Nectarine): Mid-season variety, matures in first week of July, fruit are extra-large in size, green-yellow in color, rough fruit surface, the 3/4th part of fruit is Mahroon-red in color, hard flesh which is crispy and yellow in color, sweet in taste, fruit is beneficial, medium growing tree, high fruiting variety.

Suncrest (Nectarine): Fruit has 102.25gm weight, medium sized long fruits, peel are yellow-orange in color, flesh is orange in color, long kernel having 4.61gm weight, the flesh/kernel is 22.84, T.S.S. brix is 18.4o, acidic content is 0.5%, sucrose content is 14.46% and insoluble sugar content is 8.34%.

Early Grande: Fruit has 82.67gm weight, fruit is medium sized and are long, peel is yellow-green in color, flesh is yellow in color, long kernel having 5.44gm weight, contains 13.36o brix T.S.S. content,  acidic content is 0.5%, sucrose content is 14.46% insoluble sugar content is 8.81%.

Pratap: Fruit has 111.55gm, medium sized fruit, round in shape, peel is yellow-orange in color, flesh is yellow in color, round kernel which is 4.11gm weight, contains 13.5o brix T.S.S. content,  acidic content is 0.62%, sucrose content is 12.91% insoluble sugar content is 9.29%.

Suncrest: Mid-season variety ripens in last week of June, large sized fruits having weight of 175gm, round, hard, yellow peel, fruit is sweet and juicy, contains 10.5o brix T.S.S. content.

Glow Heaven: Mid-season variety, fruit are large sized, 190gm weight, round in shape, fruit is sweet and juicy, yellow flesh, contains 11.2o brix T.S.S. content, matures in first week of July.

Different varieties of peach available in all over India are Prabhat, Pratap, Flordasun, Shan-e- Punjab, Florda red sun, Red (Nectarine), Khurmani, Sharbati, Flordaprince.

Khurmani: Fruits are large, attractive with red coloration, cling stone with white soft juicy flesh.

Florida Red: An excellent, mid-season fruits, it matures in the early of June. Fruits are large, almost red at maturity, juicy, with free stone. Its average yield is 100 kg/tree.

Land must be prepared by proper dig at 5m X 5m apart and the beds are fully filled with 20 kg of FYM, 125 g of urea and 25 g of chlorpyriphos. These are mixed with 30 cm soil and filled above 10 cm of ground level.
 

Time of sowing
For planting in soil less media, sowing is done in December month and in soil planting is done in July-August month.

Spacing
For planting square system is used with spacing of 6.5 m X 6.5 m.

Sowing Depth
The seeds of peach tree must be sown in beds which are 5 cm in depth with 12-16 cm apart from each other.
 
Method of sowing
In the starting, budding/grafting is done and then transplanting method is used for growing the plants in the main field.
 

Seed Rate
Propagation process is used.
 

Application of cow dung, Phosphorus and Potash is done in December or January month. Nitrogen dose is added in two equal splits, first is given in February to march month i.e. before fruit development and rest of the nitrogen dose is added after one month.

After planting the trees, irrigation should be given immediately. In rainy season, these plants may not require watering. Drip irrigation is the best method for effective use of water. Irrigation should be given at some critical stages, in case of dry spell. Watering is important at flowering/budding stage and fruit development stage.

These are regulated by manual weeding however it is tiring as well as expensive.  As peach roots are irregular, they can be often damaged by continual ploughing. Thus, usage of herbicides is excellent substitute.  A pre-emergence applying Diuron @ 800 gm-1 kg/acre or even post-emergence use of Glyphosate @1.6 Litre/acre in 200 liters of water throughout February-March efficiently manages broad-leave weeds as well as usual grasses in new orchards.

• PEST AND THEIR CONTROL:

They reach good color and hard flesh that shows they are ready to harvest. Harvesting of peach crop is carried by twisting the fruit.

After harvesting they are stored in moderate temperature and can be used in processing squash.