Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/138107
production in China The first crop is harvested in the second year. Peaches and nectarines may be intercropped with another fruit, such as strawberry, during the first or second year. These production systems are typically productive for 10 or more years. Irrigation is typically by flooding, however, some growers are using drip or microsprinklers. Some farmers are growing later-ripening cultivars in solar greenhouses because the fruit is typically larger and has higher sugar levels than early-maturing cultivars grown outside at the same location. Challenges Chinese scientists have noted many challenges relating to growing fruit in greenhouses. They see a need for better training for farmers and standardization of cultural practices, such as pest management, fertilization, irrigation, pruning, and cultivar selection. Local and central Chinese governments have developed more than 5,000 demonstration farms to teach farmers about greenhouse systems. Although fruits and flowers make up less than 7 percent of horticultural crops produced in greenhouses, the volume is expected to increase. In addition to the substantial economic rewards for the farmers, greenhouse cultivation provides work for a labor force that would otherwise be idle in the winter. The solar greenhouse systems are preferred over traditional greenhouses because they don't need coal for heating or pollute the air. Some breeding programs, such as the one at Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute in Henan Province, are developing low-chill peach and nectarine cultivars specifically for use in greenhouses. This is necessary because most existing cultivars were bred for open field production and eating quality may sometimes be poor. Breeders hope to develop varieties with low-chill requirement and low-light tolerance along with good eating quality. Acknowledgements: Zhiqiang Wang, researcher and deputy director of the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute in China, provided information contained in this article. • For more information, see Layne's recent publication, "Protected cultivation of peach and nectarine in China—Industry observations and assessments," and a video made inside a commercial Chinese solar lean-to greenhouse at the Good Fruit Grower Web site at www.goodfruit.com. Dr. Desmond R. Layne is Professor of Pomology, Endowed Chair and the Tree Fruit Extension Program Leader for Washington State University in Wenatchee, Washington. Contact him at: desmond.layne@wsu.edu. A typical, south-facing solar lean-to greenhouse with sunken floor. The side and back walls are made of earth. Note the nontransparent insulation rolled up at the top of the house. EARLY FRUIT could command a premium P rotected cultivation could potentially be used by enterprising soft fruit growers in the United States who want to grow a premium product that's available outside the normal growing season, says Dr. Desmond Layne, professor of pomology and tree fruit extension program leader at Washington State University. Some consumers might be willing to pay a premium for peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, or cherries that are locally produced as an alternative to fruit from the Southern Hemisphere that has been in transit for 20 days and is of questionable quality. Other types of Southern Hemisphere fruits, such as grapes, can be shipped more successfully over long distances than peaches and nectarines can, Layne said. Apart from having fruit on the market early, growers producing stone fruits in greenhouses might be able to earn an additional premium by growing them organically, as there is little need for pest controls in covered systems. Many consumers who prefer organic products have Typical high-quality greenhouse-grown more disposable income and white-fleshed peaches in a polystyrene are happy to pay for produce foam container at a street market in that they believe has lower pestiBeijing, China. Leaves are included in cide residues. the pack to indicate freshness. "They might be fired up by having apricots, peaches, or nectarines in March or April and be willing to pay a good price," Layne said. Greenhouses would be particularly suitable for northern climates where there is plenty of sunshine, he believes. The system is labor intensive, but it could help keep a crew busy over a longer period of time, as well as help the grower get cash flow earlier in the spring. Being businesspeople, growers would have to pencil out the costs and figure out if they could make money, he added. Cultivar choice would be a key, as the fruit would have to taste good to justify the premium. He sees no reason why U.S. growers couldn't use the same kind of simple covered structures as their counterparts in China. "Those are peasant farmers doing it in China, and they're making pretty good money compared to anything else they can grow outside," he said. "I think there's opportunity." Check the Good Fruit Grower's online archives at www.goodfruit.com for articles about Tom Wood who grows covered soft fruits at All Season Fruit Company in Centralia, Washington: "Grower earns top dollar for out-of-season fruit" and "Greenhouse cherries." —G. Warner A high-tunnel greenhouse beside a conventional outside orchard in Anhui Province. www.goodfruit.com White-fleshed peaches on twoyear-old trees in a greenhouse in Hebei Province. GOOD FRUIT GROWER July 2013 21