How long does an apple tree live? The latest answer is here
The apple belongs to the Rosaceae family and is the most common fruit. It has been cultivated in China for more than two thousand years. Do you know how long an apple tree lives? In fact, there are many factors that affect the lifespan of an apple tree. Let us take a look together below!
How long does an apple tree live?
The lifespan of an apple tree generally can reach 50 years. If managed well, the lifespan is longer; if management conditions are poor, the lifespan is shorter. In some new apple-producing areas, due to differences in cultivation techniques or improper management, it is only about 30 years.
Growth habits of apple trees
Apple trees begin to bear fruit 2 to 3 years after planting. Under ordinary management conditions, the economic lifespan is 15 to 50 years; where the soil is barren and management is extensive, it is only 20 to 30 years. As a result of the combined effect of apical dominance and bud heterogeneity, apples usually have relatively strong trunk dominance and obvious tiering. Because budding ability and branching ability differ among varieties, the degree of obviousness of tiering also differs. Apple buds are divided by nature into leaf buds and flower buds. Leaf buds are triangular, pointed and elongated, and curved; after leafing out, they grow into shoots called new shoots or vegetative shoots.
Apple branches can be divided by growth condition into: water sprouts, ordinary shoots, slender shoots, and leaf clusters. The flower buds of apples are mixed buds. Axillary flower buds: buds formed in the leaf axils of the current year's shoots that can bloom and bear fruit the following year are called axillary flower buds. In most varieties, flower bud differentiation of apples begins in early June and is completed before winter. The whole process is divided into three stages: physiological differentiation, morphological differentiation, and sexual cell maturation. The flower buds are mixed buds, and the inflorescence is a corymbose cyme. Each inflorescence has 5—8 flowers.
Growing conditions for apple trees
1. Temperature: Apple trees are temperate fruit trees that prefer low temperatures and dryness, and require no severe cold in winter and no extreme heat in summer. The suitable temperature range is an annual average temperature of 9 to 14°C. The extreme low temperature in winter should not be lower than -12°C, and the highest monthly average temperature in summer should not be higher than 20°C. The annual accumulated temperature of ≥10°C is about 5000°C, and the average temperature during the growing season (April to October) is 12 to 18°C. In winter, 1200 to 1500 hours of low temperature below 7.2°C are needed to successfully pass natural dormancy. It is generally believed that apples can be cultivated in areas with an annual average temperature of 7.5 to 14°C. The natural dormancy period of apples is relatively long. If winter temperatures are high and cannot meet the low temperatures required for the winter dormancy period, spring sprouting will be uneven. Looking at the regions where apples are most cultivated in the world, only when the average temperature of the coldest month in winter (January in the Northern Hemisphere, July in the Southern Hemisphere) is between -10 and 10°C can the low-temperature requirements of apples be met.
2. Precipitation: During the growing period, apples need about 180 mm of precipitation per mu. Generally, only about 1/3 of natural precipitation can actually be absorbed and used by fruit trees, so 540 mm of precipitation during the growing period is already sufficient. In areas with precipitation below 450 mm from April to September, irrigation is needed. Precipitation distribution in northern China is uneven, with 70 to 80% concentrated in July and August, while water is insufficient in spring. In inland areas with little precipitation, water is insufficient, so when establishing an orchard and selecting a site, irrigation conditions and soil moisture conservation measures must be taken into account, and drainage measures during the rainy season must also be considered.
3. Sunlight: Apple is a light-loving tree species and can grow normally only with sufficient light. According to determinations by Shandong Agricultural University, the light compensation point of Golden Delicious and Starkrimson in the Tai'an area is 600 to 800 meter-candles, and the saturation point is 3500 to 4500 meter-candles. Within this range, as light intensity increases, photosynthesis also strengthens. Insufficient sunlight causes a series of reactions, such as excessive growth of branches and leaves, weakness, poor resistance to pests and diseases, fewer flower buds differentiated, less nutrient storage, low flowering and fruit-setting rate, affected root growth, low sugar content in fruit, and poor coloring.
4. Soil: Soil has a great influence on the growth, yield, and quality of apples. The main factors are soil layer, soil aeration, and soil texture. In short, apples need deep soil with good drainage, rich organic matter, and slightly acidic to slightly alkaline conditions.
5. Wind: Strong winds often bring many adverse effects to the growth and development of apples, such as causing crown deviation, affecting flowering and pollination, damaging leaf organs, and causing fruit drop. Therefore, when establishing apple orchards in windy areas, windbreak forests must be planted.