Comparative Economic Efficiency of Four Peach Production Systems in California

Abstract

A clingstone peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch `Ross' on `Nemaguard' rootstock) orchard was established at the Univ. of California Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier, for evaluating the economic efficiency of three high-density planting systems in comparison with the conventional Open Vase system. The orchard contained four replicate plots (0.80 ha/plot), each containing four different planting systems. The four planting/training systems (in-row spacing given first) were: the “KAC-V” (a perpendicular V system spaced 2.0 × 5.5 m, 919 trees/ha); the “HiD KAC V” (spaced 1.8 × 4.6 m, 1196 trees/ha); the “Cordon” (spaced 2.4 × 4.0 m, with perpendicular harvest drives 4.8 m every 22 m and tree height limited to 2.5 m, 919 trees/ha); and the “Open Vase” (spaced 6.1 × 5.5 m, 299 trees/ha). All system-specific costs and crop yields were recorded annually on each subplot for the first 5 years. Although the Cordon system had the highest yields in the second year, the V systems had the highest returns after 5 years. Cumulative costs were: HiD KAC-V system > KAC-V ≥ Cordon > Open Vase. The system that was designed to maintain tree height <2.5 m (Cordon) tended to be less profitable than the V systems because of modest crop yields and high pruning costs that were not offset by increased harvest efficiency. In the last 3 years of the study, pruning, thinning, and harvesting accounted for the majority of the system-specific costs.