Outdoor Sweet Cherry Flower and Fruit Management Technical Specifications
1 Scope
This standard specifies technical measures for the production and cultivation of outdoor sweet cherries, including origin environmental conditions, variety selection, shaping and pruning, pre-flowering management, flowering period management, fruiting period management, post-harvest management, and disease and pest control.
This standard is applicable to outdoor sweet cherry orchards in southern Xinjiang with tree ages of over four years and planting densities of 834-1250 trees per hectare for stable, high-quality, and efficient cultivation.
2 Normative References
The following documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies to this document. For undated references, the latest version (including any amendments) applies.
GB/T8321.9 Code of Practice for Rational Use of Pesticides
NY/T391 Quality Standards for Origin Environment of Green Food
NY/T393 Criteria for Pesticide Use in Green Food
NY/T496 General Rules for Rational Application of Fertilizers
3 Terms and Definitions
3.1 Branch Laying
Fixing the growth branches at an appropriate angle through artificial methods.
3.2 Heading Back
Pruning one-year-old branches, leaving part of them to grow.
3.3 Parthenocarpy
Formation of fruit without seeds due to lack of fertilization in the ovary.
3.4 Mixed Branch
Branches that can both bear leaves and flowers and produce fruits.
3.5 Flower Cluster Fruit Branch
Branch with tightly packed flower buds that bloom in clusters, hence named as flower cluster fruit branch.
3.6 Free Spindle Shape
The trunk height ranges from 1.6 to 2 meters, the central leader is upright and strong, with 10-15 single-axis extended main branches layered or not; the angle of the main branches is large, ranging from 80° to 120° (lower layer: 80°-90°, upper layer: 90°-120°). The lower main branches are longer, typically between 6.5 and 7.5 feet, gradually shortening upwards, with the topmost branch around 4.9 feet long. Once matured, the tree height will be between 8.2 to 10 feet.
4 Origin Environmental Conditions
Select flat sandy land with loose, fertile soil conducive to irrigation and good air permeability, pH value of 6.8-8.5, meeting NY/T391 standards.
5 Variety Selection
5.1 Suitable Varieties
Choose sweet cherry varieties that are large-fruited, excellent in quality, and suitable for transportation and storage, with different maturity periods and colors such as Hongdeng, Mei Zao, Samidet, Pioneer.
5.2 Rootstock Selection
Use Mahaleb or semi-dwarfing Gisela 5 and 6 rootstocks.
5.3 Variety Combination
5.3.1 Pollination Varieties
Choose sweet cherry varieties that have strong compatibility with the main cultivars and coincide in flowering periods as pollinators, see Table 1 for details.
Table 1 Suitable Pollination Combinations for Main Cultivated Sweet Cherry Varieties
|Main Cultivars|Maturity Classification| Variety Color |Pollination Varieties|
|---|---|---|---|
|Hongdeng|Early maturity|Red|Hongyan, Samidet|
|Mei Zao|Early to mid-maturity|Red|Hongdeng, Samidet|
|Samidet|Mid-late maturity|Red|Mei Zao, Pioneer|
|Pioneer|Mid-late maturity|Red|Samidet, Lambert|
5.3.2 Proportion of Pollination Trees
The ratio between the main cultivars and pollinators is 3:1 to 5:2.
6 Shaping and Pruning
6.1 Tree Shape
Outdoor sweet cherries primarily adopt the free spindle shape.
6.2 Pruning During Growth Period
Summer pruning is mainly used, including methods such as thinning branches, pinching tips, laying down branches, and bud cutting.
6.3 Pruning During Dormant Period
Pruning during dormancy should be completed before budding. It focuses on branch thinning, shortening, and retarding.
7 Management Before Flowering
7.1 Promoting Bud Burst
Spray 30 times diluted monochloramine solution over the tree body and buds twenty days before sweet cherry bud burst to promote even sprouting.
7.2 Fertilization Prior to Flowering
Apply nitrogen-rich compound fertilizer through drip irrigation at a rate of 15-20 kg per 667 square meters seven to ten days before flowering.
7.3 Irrigation Before Flowering
Enhance water management, using drip irrigation technology; irrigate twice from bud burst until flowering, with each irrigation supplying around 10-15 cubic meters per hectare, spaced about fifteen days apart.
8 Management During Flowering Period
8.1 Frost Prevention During Flowering Period
Set up smudge pots with half-dry and half-wet crop residues or cattle dung in various directions within the sweet cherry orchard if nighttime temperature is forecasted to be below 0°C during flowering.
8.2 Auxiliary Pollination During Flowering Period
8.2.1 Insect Pollination
Use bee pollination, introducing one box of bees (approximately 10,000) per three to five acres and prohibiting pesticide application during flowering.
8.2.2 Manual Auxiliary Pollination
During the full bloom period, conduct manual pollination two to three times with chicken feather brushes or dedicated pollen sprayers if there are designated pollinating trees.
8.3 Flower Thinning
8.3.1 Thin out flower buds on short fruit branches and flower cluster fruit branches before flowering.
8.3.2 Remove weak flowers during the bud stage.
8.3.3 Remove misshapen and double-styled flowers during blooming.
8.4 Water Control During Flowering Period
Maintain soil moisture content at 50-60% of field capacity.
8.5 Foliar Fertilization During Flowering Period
Spray a mixture of 0.3% urea, 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and 0.3% borax before and after full bloom to increase fruit retention.
8.6 Parthenocarpy Technique
Apply 30 ppm GA3 during the peak flowering period to boost the parthenocarpic rate above 80%, thereby enhancing cherry set rates.
9 Management During Fruiting Period
9.1 Thinning Fruit
Start thinning after two to three weeks post full bloom and following physiological fruit drop, removing malformed, conjoined or diseased fruits. Control load at 500-600 kg per hectare during the peak fruiting period with a leaf-to-fruit ratio of 25:1.
9.2 Fruit Protection
Ten to twelve days after fruit set, spray 30 ppm GA3 + 20 ppm 6-BA on fruits.
9.3 Foliar Fertilization During Fruiting Period
Commence spraying foliage with a mixture of 0.3% urea and 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate every seven to ten days starting from fourteen to fifteen days post flowering until ripening.
9.4 Fertilizing During the Fruit Development Period
Apply three fertilizations during growth periods: At initial rapid fruit enlargement, use nitrogen-rich compound fertilizer at a rate of 15-20 kg per hectare; and during hard kernel stage and secondary rapid fruit enlargement, apply calcium-enriched compound fertilizer with N:P2O5:K2O ratio of 5-12-36 at rates of 30-40 kg per hectare.
9.5 Irrigation During Hard Kernel Stage
Irrigate frequently but in small amounts to maintain soil moisture content at 50-60% of field capacity.
10 Management Post Harvest
10.1 Irrigation After Harvesting
Conduct irrigation ten days after harvest with a rate of 15-20 cubic meters per hectare.
10.2 Supplemental Fertilization Post-Harvest
To promote flower bud differentiation, apply compound fertilizer containing major elements and yellow humic acid potassium from the source at rates of 20 to 30 kg per hectare ten days after harvesting.
10.3 Fall Basal Fertilization
Complete fall basal fertilization annually from September to November by applying commercial organic fertilizers or well-decomposed farmyard manure in each tree.
11 Disease, Pest and Weed Management
Adhere to the principle of "prevention first", enhance fertilizer and water management to strengthen tree vigor and improve disease resistance. Thoroughly clear diseased leaves in autumn and burn diseased branches. Spray 3-5 degrees Bé stone sulfur mixture over the entire orchard before bud break; promptly spray Bordeaux mixture after harvest to prevent diseases, apply stone sulfur or lime to trunks for prevention of trunk exudate disease during winter. Follow GB/T8321.9 standards for pesticide use and comply with NY/T393 guidelines on specific pesticide application.
T/AFFI 022-2024 history
2022T/AFFI 022-2024 Technical Regulations for the Management of Sweet Cherry Flowers and Fruits in the Open Field
2022T/AFFI 022-2022 Technical Regulations for Management of Flowers and Fruits of Sweet Cherry in the Open Field