apples
Pennsylvania Tree Fruit Production Guide
The Pennsylvania Tree Fruit Production Guide collates information on the full range of commercial tree fruit production issues. The guide is revised every two years with input by a score of Penn State faculty members and other consultants.
2012-2013 Tree Fruit Production Guide (PDF 5.8MB)
The 325-page hard copy of Tree Fruit Production Guide is available for $25. Please contact the Publications Distribution Center to order (publication no. AGRS045) .
- Part I: Cultural Information
- Part II: Diseases, Pests, and Natural Enemies
- Part III: Chemical Management
- Part IV: Chemical Management Tables
- Part V: IPM Spray Programs
- Part VI: Harvest and Postharvest Handling
- Part VII: Cider Production
- Part VIII: Maintaining the Safety of PA Apples and Apple Products
- Part IX: Farm Management
Contents Overview
Part I: Cultural Information
Contains guidelines for establishing an orchard, choosing a tree fruit nursery, caring for nonbearing trees, and maintaining bearing orchards. Included is a listing of nurseries, up-to-date information on diseaseresistant cultivars and rootstock availability, as well as recommendations for summer pruning. Environmental monitoring and frost protection also are discussed in detail. The bee and pollination issues are also discussed in this chapter.
Part II: Diseases, Pests, and Natural Enemies
Stresses the use of all possible control strategies in pest and pesticide management. It contains information on the biology of tree fruit pests and provides control options other than chemicals.
Part III: Chemical Management
Describes the appropriate use of chemicals within integrated pest management (IPM) and pesticide resistant management (PRM) strategies. It deals with safety, spraying, and the use of individual pesticides.
Part IV: Chemical Management Tables
Includes efficacy and timing tables for pesticide use in the various tree fruit crops. It also covers reentry and preharvest intervals and pesticide storage.
Part V: Integrated Pest Management Spray Programs
Offers specific suggestions for pesticide use on apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, and plums. Remember that the pesticide label is the document that ultimately prescribes how a chemical can be used, and that labels can change. When applying a chemical, have a copy of the label in hand.
Part VI: Harvest and Postharvest Handling
Incorporates new information on controlled-atmosphere fruit storage. Also discussed are fruit testing to determine maturity, storage guidelines, and the control of common postharvest fruit disorders.
Part VII: Cider Production
Describes how to make, handle, and market safe, high-quality apple cider. Good manufacturing practices for cider production are described.
Part VIII, Maintaining the Safety of Apples and Apple Products, describes good management practices for growing, packing, and cider production to avoid potential food safety hazards.
Part IX: Farm Management
Presents sample budgets for land preparation, orchard planting, and mature orchards, as well as production budgets for fresh-market apples, processing apples, fresh-market peaches, and other tree fruit. Also included in Part IX are updated descriptions of state and federal laws that apply to Pennsylvania fruit producers, including those governing hiring, wages and withholding, worker and community safety, workplace discrimination, and seasonal/ migrant labor.
