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Fruit

Niab works closely with growers, researchers, industry partners and funders to provide information and advice on all aspects of soft and top fruit growing. Browse through research and information posters on the subject, used at Niab's open days at the …

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Apple Best Practice Guide - Agronomy

World supplies of apples, from both the northern and southern hemispheres have increased significantly over the last 20 years. This has resulted in an oversupply to the European and UK markets in most seasons. This oversupply causes a depression in the …

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The importance of good flower quality

Flowers on apple trees differ in their potential to set and retain fruits and these differences are usually referred to as differences in flower quality. Flower quality is the ability of a flower to set and carry a fruit. The most common measurement of …

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Initiation and development of high quality flowers

Improving the initiation and development of high quality flowers by the apple tree The importance of good flower quality Improving flowering on young newly-planted apple trees Improving flowering on mature apple trees Flower quality on mature trees and …

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Agronomy reference list

Abbott, D.L. (1960). The bourse shoot as a factor in the growth of apple fruits. Annals of Applied Biology, 48: 434-438. Abbott, D.L. (1984) The Apple Tree: Physiology and Management. Grower Books London 90pp. Abbott, D.L. and Bull, V. (1973). The effect …

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The Effective Pollination Period or EPP

The most common measurement of ‘flower quality’ is the ‘Effective Pollination Period’ or EPP (Williams, 1970) .  Trials conducted in the 1970s at Long Ashton Research Station (Stott et al. ,1973) showed that short EPPs were a common cause of poor fruit …

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Physiology of flower initiation and development

The processes of flower initiation in apple Flowers on apple trees are formed on three types of bud: Axillary buds, formed in the basal axils of shoots made in the previous season Spur buds formed often in clusters on two-year-old or older wood Terminal …

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Techniques for winter pruning

Flower numbers are influenced by: Light Tree vigour Food resources available within the tree One of the main aims of winter pruning is to achieve the correct balance between fruiting and new growth.  New growth is required to replace old fruiting wood and …

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