Article from
VSCNews, Vegetable and Specialty Crop News
by David Campbell and Danielle Treadwell
Bags Protect and Improve Peaches
Peach cultivar UFSun after 43 days in a protective bag
Peach
growers have rediscovered a tool to add to their integrated pest and
disease management toolbox — a unique paper bag. Easy to install and
remove, the bag has extra durability to withstand wind and rain
throughout the season. And if our data is consistent with previous
observations, bagging may be affordable for many operations.
BAGGING BENEFITS
Bagging
is currently used to protect apples, pears and loquats in the United
States, Spain, Japan and China (R.R. Sharma, 2014). Globally, bagging
reduces damage for multiple crop-pest complexes. Bagging has been shown
to reduce pomegranate injury caused by anar butterfly larval feeding in
India (B.G. Bagle, 2011) as well as reduce anthracnose and stem end rot
diseases for mango in Australia (P.J. Hofman et al., 1997). Although
bagging generally increases yield, some other fruit quality
characteristics, including percent of soluble solids and acidity, have
shown mixed results (R.R. Sharma, 2014).
A multi-state research
team including horticulturalists, economists and pest management
experts from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are investigating the
practicality and efficacy of bagging for peach growers in the
Southeast. Preliminary findings indicate that bagging can protect
peaches from insect feeding and pathogenic fungal injury.
HOW AND WHEN BAGS ARE USED
Peach
fruitlets are bagged after they are thinned to an appropriate density
and receive a protective antifungal spray. The bag is placed over the
fruitlet when it is approximately 1 inch long and fits snugly around
the branch. The sides of the bag are folded in an accordion-like
fashion, and the bag is secured with a metal twist tie that is built
into the bag.
Approximately seven to 10 days before harvest, the
bag is removed to increase the red color in the peach skin. Fruit is
manually harvested as usual. After the metal twist tie is removed, the
bag can be recycled after harvest depending on local recycling
requirements.
In Florida, bagging can begin as early as
February, but will occur later for cultivars that require more chill
hours to set fruit. Producers in Georgia and South Carolina typically
bag fruit in March and April, respectively.
LABOR AND COSTS
In
Florida, members of the research team installed an average of 2.5 bags
per minute and removed 48 bags per minute. Depending on the size of the
operation, bagging can require an extensive labor force. The choice to
bag may depend on the grower’s market. Depending on the quantity
purchased, bags cost about 1 cent each.
For an acre of Florida
peach trees planted to a density of 117 trees per acre that yielded 150
fruit/tree, the cost of bagging would equal approximately $1,592, based
on the bag price plus $12 per hour for labor. An estimated 123 hours of
total labor is needed for bagging installation and removal. Additional
research is necessary to determine if bagged peaches can be sold at a
price premium or if current management practices could change, such as
a reduced spray schedule, to offset the price of bagging.
For
organic or conventional producers who experience a significant loss in
yield due to pests and diseases, bagging may provide the tool needed to
improve fruit quality and increase yield. Bags are currently
commercially available. Any producer in the Southeast interested in
testing this technology can contact the authors of this article for
more information.
Acknowledgment: This article was developed in
part with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Organic
Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative Project Number
2016-51300-25726.
David Campbell is a doctoral student
and Danielle Treadwell is an associate professor at the University of
Florida in Gainesville.
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Bibliography
Campbell, David, and Danielle Treadwell. "Bags Protect and Improve Peaches."Vegetable and Specialty Crop News, 29 Apr. 2019,
vscnews.com/bags-protect-and-improve-peaches/.
Accessed 30 Apr. 2019.
Photograph
Campbell, David. Peach cultivar UFSun after 43 days in a protective bag, University of Florida, Vegetable
and Specialty Crop
News, vscnews.com/peach-training-and-pruning-pointers/.
Accessed 30 Apr. 2019.
Published 30 Apr. 2019 LR |