Where Are Prunes Grown? A Detailed Guide to Growing Climate, Geographical Conditions and Quality Varieties

Prune flesh is fragrant and sweet, smooth in texture, and rich in vitamins, antioxidants, dietary fiber, while also containing minerals such as iron and potassium, with no fat and no cholesterol, making it an indispensable fine food in modern healthy diets. So where are prunes grown? What are the climate and geographical conditions for growing prunes? What are the quality varieties?

1. Where are prunes grown?

Prunes originated in southwestern France, which is the hometown of the prune; when ripe, the skin is dark purple and the flesh is amber-colored.

In 1848 a French grower came to California in the United States to seek gold, and in 1856 introduced prune saplings to North America, grafting them with the original D'Agen prune species; the same year the grafted trees arrived in California. By 1900, prune orchards in California had reached 90000 hectares, concentrated in the Sacramento, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Napa and San Joaquin valleys and other areas; currently the prune output of these areas exceeds that of any other region in the world, accounting for about 99% of total US production and about 42% of total world supply.

2. What are the climate and geographical conditions for growing prunes?

1. Climate conditions for growing prunes

Climate conditions: annual average temperature above 9°C. In southern Xinjiang, using wild peach as rootstock, the extreme minimum temperature should not be lower than -22°C; using apricot and own-rootstock as rootstock, the annual minimum temperature should not be lower than -28°C, and the absolute maximum temperature 42°C; frost-free period of more than 180 days.

2. Geographical conditions for growing prunes

The planting site should be chosen with deep soil layers, a groundwater level below lm, and a soil texture of medium loam, light loam, sandy loam or sand. Soil pH 7-8.5, total salt content in the root layer (depth 10-60-m) below 0.35%.

3. What are the quality prune varieties?

Currently, the best-performing prunes are: Française, Hongximei, Lanmi and Stanley.

They are introduced separately as follows:

1. Française: also known as French plum. This variety has wide adaptability and strong stress resistance, a moderate tree habit, oval leaves, and mainly bears fruit on short spurs. The fruit is oval, with a nipple-like protrusion at the stalk end; the skin is dark purplish-red when ripe, the flesh is pale yellow, firm, with a small stone and a sweet-sour taste; usually a single fruit weighs 60-100g, averaging about 76g, with excellent quality, and the soluble solids of the fruit reach more than 20%. The fruit is resistant to storage and transport, can be stored for 20-30 days at room temperature, and more than 3 months in cold storage. In the Beijing area the fruit ripens in mid-to-late August. It is a high-grade fruit that has had very good prices and reception on the market in recent years.

2. Hongximei: the fruit is oval, the suture is shallow, and the flesh on both sides is symmetrical; the stalk cavity is wide and shallow. The Hongximei fruit surface is rose-red, covered with bloom, and the flesh is pale yellow. The flesh is chewy, with little juice, extremely sweet, aromatic, with few and fine fibers, good quality, soluble solids content 18.5%, up to 23%. Freestone, small stone. Average single fruit weight 75g, maximum 120g; no fruit cracking or dropping when encountering rain before ripening, and strong in high yield. After ripening it can hang on the tree for about 20 days without the flesh softening; resistant to storage and transport, generally under cold storage conditions it can be stored for 90 days, and at room temperature indoors for 2-3 weeks. In the Beijing area it ripens in mid-to-late August.

3. Lanmi: namely Romanian plum; the fruit is oval, average single fruit weight 55g, maximum 110g, the suture is deep and slightly asymmetrical, the fruit surface is 100% blue-black, the bloom is thick and grayish-white, the skin is thick, the flesh is yellow-green, firm and chewy, with few fibers, plenty of juice, sweet taste, soluble solids content 16%, small stone, freestone, and top quality. This variety is self-fruitful, with high and stable yields. This variety ripens in the Beijing area at the end of August.

4. Stanley (Sitaile): the fruit is elliptical, the fruit surface is purple-black, single fruit weight about 50g, the flesh is pale yellow, sweet in taste, with plenty of juice, and the flesh contains about 18% soluble solids; in the Beijing area it ripens in early-to-mid September. This variety has good quality, excellent flavor, and early fruiting and high yield.