What issues should be noted during the processing of yellow peaches?
Influenced by international yellow peach market prices, domestic yellow peach prices have been climbing steadily, with purchase prices maintained at 2-3.6 yuan/kg, an average price of 2.6 yuan/kg, and average output value of yellow peach orchards at 7800 yuan/mu, with the highest reaching 10,000 yuan, generally 2-5 times that of ordinary peach orchards, showing very significant economic benefits.
1. Pay attention to selecting excellent varieties:
Yellow peach varieties used for canning require non-melting flesh, firm texture, good elasticity, low juice content, clingstone, no red streaks in the flesh, and preferably no red blush near the pit; they also require large fruit size, moderate sweetness and acidity, and when processed into cans should be glossy, bright, not falling apart, not soft, and not cloudy in syrup. In development, excellent varieties should be selected, such as Jintong 19, Jintong No. 6, Jintong No. 7, 813, Guan 5, Guan 14, Mingxing, Juhuang and other varieties with good processing performance.
2. Control scale and develop moderately:
According to reports, because major yellow peach producing countries such as South America and Greece were affected by frost damage in 2003, yellow peach production was greatly reduced, and some international canning dealers turned their orders to China, increasing orders for domestic yellow peach processing enterprises. To fulfill orders, demand for yellow peach raw materials increased greatly, causing prices to continue rising. It is predicted that in recent years yellow peach prices will certainly be higher than fresh-eating varieties, and there will be a small peak period of development. Moderate development will help improve the economic benefits of peach orchards, but do not expect too much. Because yellow peach raw material prices are rising while processed finished product market prices are relatively stable, the profit margin of processors will shrink. According to estimates, generally 1200 kg of yellow peaches produce 1000 kg of finished product, and the market price of 1000 kg of finished product is generally 5000-8000 yuan. If yellow peaches are 1.5 yuan/kg, it is still acceptable, but at 2.6 yuan/kg, processing enterprises are already unable to make a profit, and it is possible that as prices rise, processing enterprises will switch production. Although on the surface higher prices are more beneficial to fruit growers, if they exceed the tolerance of processing enterprises, once enterprises transform, the yellow peach industry will suffer a major blow. Therefore, contact with processing enterprises should be strengthened, preferably developing in the form of orders, strictly controlling scale, and by all means avoiding a rush into the market.
3. Top grafting and changing the head is a path for development:
When renewing peach varieties, people mostly take the route of new planting, but when developing yellow peaches, the method of top grafting and changing the head should be adopted to see benefits earlier. Generally, if multiple scions or multiple buds are grafted in spring of the same year, a good yield can be obtained the next year, and by the third year it can reach the level of full fruit period, reaching full fruit period 2-3 years earlier than new planting.
4. Harvest at the right time and pay attention to improving fruit quality:
Processing peaches should be harvested at 80-90% maturity, so that the processed finished product has good flavor. In some varieties, when maturity is high, there are red streaks or red blush in the flesh near the pit; for example, Guan 5 has red streaks near the pit at 90% maturity, but none at 70% maturity. Especially for melting-flesh varieties, in order to reduce losses from splitting the peach and other handling in the processing procedure, it is advisable to harvest at 70-80% maturity. Harvesting too early results in poor fruit quality, and harvesting too late affects the quality of processed products.
5. Reasonably match early, mid-season and late-maturing varieties:
In the development process, attention should be paid to the reasonable matching of early, mid-season and late-maturing varieties, staggering the harvest and supply period, so as to facilitate purchase and processing by processing plants.
6. Pay attention to fertilizer and water management:
After fruit harvest and before leaf fall, base fertilizer should be applied in time. Generally, 3000-5000 kg/mu of farmyard manure and 100 kg/mu of compound fertilizer are required, mixed respectively with 50 kg/mu of superphosphate and biological potassium fertilizer; formula fertilization is advocated. For every 100 kg of peach fruit produced, 0.8 kg of pure nitrogen, 0.6 kg of phosphorus pentoxide and 1 kg of potassium oxide need to be applied. Pay attention to topdressing before and after bud break, before and after flowering, at the pit-hardening stage, at the fruit expansion stage and after harvest. In particular, topdressing at the fruit expansion stage should be mainly potassium fertilizer, combined with phosphorus and nitrogen; for example, for mid- and late-maturing varieties, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied should account for 20% of the annual total (for vigorous trees, less or none may be applied), phosphorus fertilizer should account for 20-30% of the annual total, and potassium fertilizer should account for 40%, so as to improve fruit quality and yield. At the same time, topdressing should be carried out in combination with watering to improve fertilizer efficiency.
7. Strengthen management during the flowering period:
Flower thinning and fruit thinning should be carried out to improve fruit quality, determining fruit set by yield, with yield controlled below 3000 kg/mu, mainly by flower thinning and supplemented by fruit thinning. Fruit thinning mainly removes deformed fruit, diseased and insect-damaged fruit, and yellowed and withered fruit, so as to ensure larger fruit size and better quality.
8. Simplify pruning and pay attention to solving light exposure:
The tree form adopts the open-center shape. Summer pruning is the main method, and winter pruning is supplementary. Summer pruning solves light exposure, and winter pruning solves structural problems. Pay attention to cultivating scaffold branches to facilitate bearing the load and achieving high yields year after year. Pruning is mainly thinning and heading back, paying attention to removing vigorous water sprouts on the upper side of branches, overly dense peripheral branches and some thin and weak branches, so as to improve light exposure. For young trees, attention should be paid to bending branches to increase the angle of main branches and prevent the fruiting area from moving outward too quickly. Senescent branch groups and some long, unpruned main and side branches should be promptly headed back and renewed, and attention should be paid to the cultivation and renewal of fruiting branch groups, so as to maintain a strong fruiting advantage.
9. Integrated control of pests and diseases. The main pests and diseases of yellow peaches include bacterial shot hole disease, peach scab, powdery mildew, and green peach aphid, peach leafminer moth, and red-necked longhorn beetle. During the dormant period and bud break period, peach orchard cleaning work should be carried out, diseased and insect-damaged branches and leaves should be removed in time, and in winter the orchard should be deeply plowed 20-30 cm; at the bud break stage, spray once with 5 degrees Baume lime-sulfur mixture; 15 days after flower fall, spray once with 800 times 70% mancozeb, and additionally spray once with 2000 times 10% imidacloprid; during the growing season, spray 1-2 times with 1:2:200 times lime and zinc sulfate solution; in mid-June, additionally spray 1000 times 70% thiophanate-methyl and 2500 times diflubenzuron No. 3 solution; 20 days before harvest, spray 700 times 50% carbendazim and 5000 times 1% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate; after fruit harvest, spray all trees once with 400-500 times 65% zineb; strengthen the control of the red-necked longhorn beetle. When there are insect tunnels, use cotton dipped in 50 times 80% dichlorvos to seal the tunnel opening for fumigation; when insect frass is discharged outward, promptly use fine wire hooks to kill the insects.