Analysis of the Causes of Premature Aging in Peach Trees and the Latest Prevention and Control Measures

Peach trees are one of the relatively easy fruit trees to grow and are planted over a fairly wide area, but during the process of growing peach trees, the phenomenon of premature aging often occurs, seriously affecting the yield of peach trees and bringing relatively large economic losses to fruit growers. So what are the causes of premature aging in peach trees? How should they be prevented and controlled? Let's learn about it together.

I. Causes of Premature Aging

1. Waterlogging and root rot

The rainy season in the south is relatively heavy, especially in areas with higher altitude, where cloudy and foggy weather is more common and humidity is higher. For [peach trees], which like light and fear moisture, have a relatively shallow root distribution and strong aerobic requirements, if moisture is not dealt with in time, it will seriously affect the growth and development of the root system, and may even cause root rot, leading to premature aging and death of the tree.

2. Fertilizer deficiency

The soil in the south is mostly acidic. If the planting holes are dug and the base fertilizer applied without meeting the standard, and there is also a lack of improvement, the root system of the peach tree cannot adapt to growth. In addition, inconvenient transportation in the orchard, no long-term application of organic fertilizer, partial application of chemical fertilizer, or even no fertilization for many years will lead to soil compaction and extremely poor permeability, causing physiological diseases in peach trees, such as yellow leaf disease, little leaf disease, fruit shrinkage disease, etc., resulting in early defoliation of peach trees and, in severe cases, normal premature aging and death.

3. Unrestrained growth

Peach trees grow vigorously and generally enter the full fruit-bearing period four years after planting, but they are also relatively prone to premature aging, especially when fertilizer and water are insufficient. If they bear too much fruit and flowers and fruits are not thinned in time, or if they are allowed to grow freely without timely pruning, then due to the influence of apical dominance, the phenomenon of a strong upper canopy and weak lower canopy will occur, causing the inner branches to die off and leading to premature aging and death.

4. Improper prevention and control

Because of the influence of wind and rain, the tree body suffers damage and mechanical injury, but if it is not dealt with in time, and in winter it is not thoroughly [treated] and no protective agent is applied, all of these will cause premature aging of peach trees.

II. Prevention and Control Measures

First, water and fertilizer management should be done well. Water should be applied in time during drought, and drainage measures should be taken during the rainy season to avoid waterlogging and root rot, which cause premature aging of the plants. Before planting, organic fertilizer or farmyard manure should be applied to improve soil structure and increase permeability, which is beneficial to root growth. During the growth period, fertilizer should be applied in time, with human excrement and urine and compound fertilizer being suitable. After peach trees enter the full fruit-bearing period, hole expansion and soil improvement should be carried out to improve the permeability of the orchard and create good conditions for root growth and development, thereby delaying aging. During the growth of peach trees, timely pruning should be carried out multiple times each year, among which winter pruning is relatively important. The root system and tree vigor should be pruned reasonably to control canopy density, shorten the transport [path], reduce apical dominance, and increase the photosynthetic area of leaves, creating favorable conditions for promoting flower bud differentiation and increasing the fruit-setting rate the following year. During the growth period, excess young sprouts should be removed in time to increase the effective photosynthesis of the canopy. For water sprouts, timely [measures should be taken], and measures such as girdling should be adopted to make them form fruiting branches, while also reasonably thinning flowers and fruits.

The above is an introduction to the causes of premature aging in peach trees and the prevention and control measures. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.