THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTENSIVE ORCHARDS IN ENGLAND A HISTORICAL NOTE
After 1946 the English fruit grower continued to favour the medium vigour bush tree, partly because the main English dessert variety Cox's Orange Pippin proved difficult to control under intensive conditions. However by 1960 the concept of the hedgerow orchard was established and with a better knowledge of growth control high density systems began to be planted.
Today the majority of the new English dessert apple orchards are based on one of two systems. The M9 orchard using about 1200 trees/ha or the semi-intensive MM106 orchard using about 600 trees/ha. In both cases centre leader training is used.
No one system of apple production can ever provide the ideal solution for all circumstances. Each orchard presents its own particular problems where the `fruit grower's resources in terms of money and managerial skills must be properly integrated.
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1981.114.43
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1981.114.43