Management after apricot harvest cannot be relaxed

In many places, after farmers harvest apricots from the trees, they think that apricot tree management is over, and they neither apply fertilizer nor carry out pest and disease control and pruning. As a result, the soil becomes compacted, fertility is insufficient, and the trees become weak, so the trees' vegetative growth is insufficient, stored nutrients are inadequate, and there are not enough nutrients to supply the flower bud differentiation and development needs. This increases the number of degenerated flowers, and the flower buds also show serious pistil abortion

phenomena, so the fruit set rate the following year is very low or the fruit simply cannot set stably, and the yield and qual

ity decline year after year, eventually forming a low-quality orchard. Therefore, strengthening timely and rational management after apricot harvest, especially summer pruning, is of great significance for a high and stable yield of apricot trees the following year.

Chen Dong, an expert from the Horticulture Institute of the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced that apricot fruit ripens early, and there is still a considerable period from harvest to leaf fall. Strengthening management during this period plays an important role in reducing the occurrence of pests and diseases, promoting tree growth, restoring tree vigor, and increasing the number and quality of flower buds. Post-harvest management of apricot trees should start from the following aspects.

Post-harvest summer pruning

After apricot harvest, because early fruit growth consumed a large amount of nutrients and the tree's stored nutrients are low, it is necessary to improve the tree's ventilation and light conditions, promote photosynthesis, and increase the tree's stored nutrients in order to promote flower bud differentiation and development.

For young apricot trees, growth is often overly vigorous, so it is necessary to control vegetative growth, moderate tree vigor, and improve light conditions inside the tree canopy. In canopy parts with poor light conditions, it is very difficult to form plump flower buds, so summer pruning methods (such as pinching, twisting shoots, bending branches, tucking branches, opening angles, etc.) and measures such as bending branches to open angles can be used to make the tree well ventilated and well lit, moderate tree vigor, and promote flower formation. If new shoots are still growing strongly, continue pinching the new shoots multiple times to promote branching and develop branch groups.

For mature fruiting trees, the main task is to adjust the density of branches and remove diseased and pest-infested branches, crossing branches, overlapping branches, thin and weak branches, and water sprouts within the canopy, so as to reduce tree consumption, promote photosynthesis, increase the accumulation of photosynthetic products, and accelerate flower bud formation.

However, note that because most places in Sichuan are in a hot and humid rainy season after harvest, try not to prune large branches, otherwise a large amount of gummosis will occur.

Pest and disease control

Timely spraying after harvest to control pests and diseases is also work that cannot be ignored. If pests and diseases occur severely, they will cause early leaf fall and low leaf photosynthetic efficiency, while also increasing the sources of pests and diseases the following year, causing severe pest and disease occurrence the following year and bringing difficulties to production management. The main pests to control include slug moths, scale insects, fruit borers, and red-necked longhorn beetles, and the diseases include leaf shot hole disease, apricot blister disease, and branch and trunk gummosis.

Once apricot blister disease is found on leaves, prune them off in time, and when necessary spray fungicides to treat the disease and protect the leaves and promote healthy tree growth. After harvest, immediately spray 2-3 times with 2000-3000 times liquid fenvalerate and 600-800 times carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl to control tent caterpillars, oriental moth larvae, and shot hole disease; when there are 2-3 mites per leaf, spray an acaricide. In addition, it is best to add 0.3% urea and monopotassium phosphate each time pests and diseases are controlled; use urea for weak trees and monopotassium phosphate for vigorously growing trees.

Fertilizer and water management

After apricot harvest, fertilizer should be applied in time, especially for trees with weak vigor and trees that bore a lot of fruit that year, fertilizer should be applied even more promptly to make up for the shortage of nutrients in the tree. Organic fertilizer and a small amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be applied in trenches. Organic fertilizer is mainly farmyard manure. Generally, 5-6-year-old newly fruiting trees are given 30-50 kg of farmyard manure per tree and 0.3-0.5 kg of superphosphate; trees in full fruit period are given 70-100 kg of farmyard manure per tree and 0.5-1.0 kg of superphosphate, and watered immediately after application; in addition, combine with pesticide spraying to spray 0.2%-0.3% urea and 0.3% monopotassium phosphate on the leaves 2-3 times. This can raise the level of reserve nutrients in the tree, keep apricot trees vigorous after harvest, promote flower bud differentiation, and ensure the yield the following year.

Deep plowing to improve soil

After apricot harvest, whole-orchard tillage should be carried out in autumn, and deep plowing can be combined with the application of base fertilizer once, at a depth of about 20 cm. Through deep plowing to improve the soil, soil structure can be improved, root growth promoted, cold resistance increased, and the overwintering population of pests reduced, which helps apricot trees overwinter and lays a good foundation for a high yield the following year.

Drainage and waterlogging prevention

Because apricot trees are not tolerant of waterlogging, especially trees using wild peach as rootstock, which are even less tolerant of waterlogging, when the rainy season comes, any standing water should be drained in time to prevent apricot trees from becoming diseased due to waterlogging and affecting tree growth and development.