CONTAINER-GROWN TREES: A NEW OPTION FOR INTENSIVE CULTURE OF TEMPERATE ZONE FRUIT TREES IN THE TROPICS

Growing deciduous fruit trees in the tropics is limited in the first place by the lack of winter chilling for rest completion of the buds. Although various means do exist to solve this problem, good quality fruits of high chilling requiring cultivars do pose a problem not easily solved. Apart from that, natural calamities like heavy rains, heavy storms or a heat wave may cause severe damage to fruit crops and very little can be done to prevent such losses. The reason for that is the complete exposure of the tree to such conditions in the orchard. Protecting the crop although technically feasible, is very frequently too costly to be employed commercially in the conventional orchard. Other problems affecting often fruit crops are soil - related ones. Soil is the cheapest medium but generally not the best for growing plants. Physical, chemical and biological problems related to various soil types plagues many of the crops we grow. The means we have to improve the tree performance in many cases are far from correcting the situation, and the result is poor orchard performance.

As long as growing a tree meant producing a large unit requiring a large soil volume, no other alternative existed. But as small trees became available, another attractive offer is emerging i.e. growing trees in containers filled with a better medium than soil. The options that growing in containers offer literally relieve the tree from the two main constrains of climate and soil. The first aim is achievable by making the plant mobile, especially if it is grown in small enough container that may be carried easily. The second aim of liberating the tree from the soil restraints is achieved by using in the container a medium other than soil which is free of physical, chemical and biological problems.

The peach excels as a container-grown plant. It was shown to respond positively to pruning methods in producing small and productive trees. It produces fruiting trees from rooted cuttings thus enabling production of high density orchards on their own roots. The unique bearing habit of the peach enables very early fruiting and thus early return on investment in the orchard.

For tropical conditions having refrigeration facilities, artificial chilling of the container grown trees will secure a good vegetative and reproductive start. The system requires intensive fertigation throughout the growing period.

Examination of container-grown peach trees was started in Israel 6 years ago. To date, small scale commercial orchards are grown for an