The botanical name of Peach is Prunus persica; it belongs to family Rosaceae
Varieties
Early: (April – May)
Killikrankie and Floridasun.
Mid season: (June – July)
Shaw Pasand.
Late: (July – August)
Red Shanghai.
Soil and Climate: Red lateritic soil with good drainage and high organic matter is suitable.
Grown at an elevation of 2000 m. Soil pH should be around 5.8 to 6.2.
Planting material: One year old budded plants.
Planting season: June – December.
Spacing: 4 x 4 m in pits of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm.
Manures and fertilizers: Apply FYM 25 kg. N 500 g and 1 kg in each of P and K per bearing tree.
Training and pruning: Train to open centre system. The trees are pruned annually during December – January. Dried, diseased, water shoots and criss-cross branches may be removed.
Plant protection
Lichens: Against lichens growth, spray 1 kg of quick lime/20 lit of water immediately after pruning.
Pests
Fruit Fly: Spray malathion 50 EC at the rate of 2 ml/lit of water. Set up methyl eugenol 1 % trap with malathion 50 EC 2 ml/lit between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Use polythene bags fish meal trap with 5 gm of wet fish meal + 1 ml. dichlorvos in cotton. 50 traps are required/ha, fish meal + dichlorvos
soaked cotton are to be renewed once in 20 and 7 days respectively.
Diseases
Leaf curl: To control leaf curl aphids spray methyl dimeton 25 EC 2 ml/lit.
Spray Carbendazim 0.5 g/lit.
Powdery mildew: Spray Carbendazim 0.5 g/lit. or use Sulphur dust @ 25 kg/ha.
Yield: 10 – 15 kg/tree/year.
