Origin and distribution
Apricot originated in China. "Summer" includes "Plum blossom and peach blossom in the first month" and "Apricot in April". This shows that apricots were planted as early as 2600 years ago. Later ancient books, such as Guang Fang Qun Pu, Qi Yaomin Shu and Nong Zheng Quan Shu, recorded the large-scale cultivation of apricot trees, their varieties and cultivation techniques.
Apricots from China spread to Iran, Armenia, Greece, Rome and Mediterranean countries around the 2nd century BC, to Japan in the10th century, and to Europe and America in the18th century. 1988, the total output of apricots in the world was 2 1 12000 tons, mainly in Asia.
Apricot is widely planted in China, including northeast, north and northwest. The provinces in the Yellow River Basin are the most concentrated. It is less distributed to the south of Huaihe River in Qinling Mountains, and it is also planted sporadically in the Yangtze River basin.
Features and characteristics
Apricot varieties are different, but their morphological characteristics and fruiting habits have the same characteristics.
morphological character
The height of the tree is 6 ~ 8 meters, and the maximum height exceeds 10 meter, so it is the largest stone fruit tree. The crown is open or semi-open, with a natural round head shape. The bark of the trunk is irregularly longitudinally split, dark gray-brown or dark brown. 1 annual branches are reddish brown or deep purple, erect, oblique and shiny, with many lenticels; Perennial branches are grayish brown. The leaves are large, nearly round or broadly ovate, with an acuminate or acute apex, a rounded or nearly heart-shaped leaf base, a dull serrated leaf margin, dark green leaves and red new leaves at the top of new shoots. Flowers solitary, bisexual, corolla diameter 2 ~ 4 cm; Sepals oval or oval, folded back after withering, petals white or pink; Stamens 20 ~ 40, pistil 1, ovary pilose. The fruit is round, oblate to oblong, weighing 20 ~ 80 grams, and the maximum can reach more than 180 grams; When ripe, the peel is orange-yellow, yellowish and greenish-white, and the positive mask is red or absent; The flesh is green and white, light yellow and orange, and tastes sweet and sour. Sticky nucleus, detached nucleus, semi-detached nucleus, oblate nucleus or oblate nucleus; The nucleoli is oblate and tastes bitter or sweet (see figure).
Growth and fruiting habits
Apricot trees bear fruit early and live long. They blossom and bear fruit 2-3 years after planting. Under suitable conditions, it will enter the full fruit stage in 6-8 years, and the economic life can reach more than 1000 years. Apricot trees have well-developed roots, which can penetrate deep into the soil, and the horizontal distribution can exceed the crown diameter by 2 times. The growth potential is very strong, the young tree grows fast, and the later fruit is obviously weakened. Buds are precocious. After forming in the same year, it can still germinate under suitable conditions, forming 2 ~ 3 branches, with weak branching ability, and the life of latent buds can reach 20 ~ 30 years. Apricot buds can be divided into pure flower buds and leaf buds, solitary or 2-3 buds, resulting in multiple buds. The thin ones are leaf buds, the fat ones are flower buds, and the buds on the top of branches and clustered branches are mostly leaf buds. Apricot flowers have abortive flowers with incomplete development and cannot be fertilized. Results Short fruit branches and bouquetlike fruit branches were mainly used, and the life span of short fruit branches was 3 ~ 5 years.
phenophase
Take Beijing as an example. Buds begin to swell in late March and begin to bloom in early April, with a flowering period of 5-7 days. In mid-April, new shoots began to grow, stopped growing for the first time in early May, and grew again in mid-May. Some of them grew for the third time and stopped growing in early July. After the flowers withered, the fruit began to fall off when it expanded rapidly, and the apricot stone hardened in early May and the fruit matured in late May. Growth period 180 ~ 2 10 days, fruit development period 50 ~ 90 days.
Requirements for environmental conditions
Apricot can tolerate the temperature of -30℃ or lower, but it is prone to freezing injury when it meets-2 ~-5℃ for 3 hours at flowering stage. High temperature tolerance, such as Aksu, Kashgar and other places in Xinjiang, the highest temperature in summer is 43.4℃, and it can still grow and bear fruit normally.
Apricot is a light-loving tree species. Under the condition of sufficient light, it grows well, bears fruit, full branches, normal flowering and fruiting, bright color and high sugar content.
Apricot trees are drought tolerant. However, in the period of rapid growth of branches and leaves and fruit expansion, soil water shortage affects tree potential, fruit yield and quality; Too much rain during flowering and fruit maturity hinders pollination, reduces fruit quality, and is easy to crack, drop fruit and fall leaves early.
Apricot trees have low requirements for soil, and can grow normally in plains, mountains, hills, deserts and mild saline-alkali land, but they are suitable for sandy loam or gravel loam with good drainage and high fertility.
principal item
According to the morphological and biological characteristics, the cultivated varieties in the world can be divided into six varieties groups: ① Central Asian varieties group. Distributed in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India and western China. Most varieties in Xinjiang belong to this product group. Vigorous growth, high yield, thin branchlets, small fruits and leaves, hairless or less fluff on the surface of fruits, high sugar content, low acid content and sweet nuts. Fruits do not fall off on trees for a long time after ripening, and are mostly used for drying. ② European variety group. Distributed in western Europe, southern Europe, West Soviet Union, Australia, North America and other places. Strong branches, large leaves, many flowers, many fruits, high acid content, low sugar content, concentrated maturity, falling off after maturity, bitter kernel, a small amount of sweet kernel, used for fresh food. ③ Iran-Caucasus variety group. It is the intermediate type of the above two populations and distributed in Asia Minor, Iran, Transcaucasia and other places. Thick branches, large leaves, medium fruit, high sugar content, sweet kernel and long ripening period. ④ Junggar-Waiyili variety group. They are distributed in Fei Pan Lov, Tardi-Kurgan, Almaty and Yili, Xinjiang, China. Strong cold resistance, small fruit shape, can also be eaten raw and processed. ⑤ North China variety group. Distributed in North China, Southeast China and Northwest China. The tree has medium potential, cold tolerance, drought tolerance, long life and excellent fruit quality, most of which are fresh. Many famous varieties in China belong to this group. ⑥ East China variety groups, mostly distributed in Jianghuai Valley and southeast coastal provinces in China. It has strong adaptability to warm and humid climate.
The main cultivated varieties of apricot in China can be divided into three categories according to their fruit uses: fresh food type, kernel type and kernel-meat type. The main varieties are: ① Lanzhou Dajie apricot. Produced in Lanzhou, Gansu. The tree body is robust, the yield of big trees is 200 ~ 300 Jin, and the 1 annual branches are stout. The fruit is round, with an average weight of 79 grams and a maximum of about 200 grams; The top of the fruit is round and the suture line is obvious; The background color of the peel is yellow, and there is a little blush on the front mask; The flesh is yellow, soft, juicy, sweet and sour, fragrant and of good quality; Off-core, sweet kernel. It blooms in Lanzhou in early April and matures in late June. It is one of the best fresh food varieties. ② Apricots are harvested in Huaxian County. Produced in hua county, Shaanxi Province. The tree is strong, and the tree still grows vigorously in 150 years, with a plant yield of more than 300 kilograms. 1 year-old branches are stout and the bud base has obvious protrusions. The fruit is oblate, with an average weight of 84 grams and a maximum of about 150 grams. The top of the fruit is flat, the stigma remains, the suture line is obvious, and the meat on both sides is symmetrical. The background color of the peel is light yellow, with a small amount of blush and purple spots on the sunny side; The pulp is orange, soft and juicy, sweet and delicious, and of good quality. It blooms in early April and matures in the first half of June. It is a famous fresh food. ③ Sanyuan Cao Xing. Produced in Sanyuan, Shaanxi. Strong tree vigor, erect crown, high yield, strong continuous fruiting ability, and the yield of big trees is more than 400 kg. The fruit is nearly round, with an average weight of 70g. The top of the fruit is flat, the stigma remains, the suture line is obvious, and the meat on both sides is symmetrical. The peel is yellow and bright red and dizzy to the sunny side; The pulp is orange-yellow, sweet and juicy, fragrant and of good quality; Off-core, sweet kernel. The fruit ripens at the beginning of June and is a fresh food species. ④ Big fragrant white apricot. Produced in Jixian County, Hebei Province, it is an ancient local variety. The tree is strong and the crown is open. The fruit is oblate, with an average weight of 76 grams, shallow stitching, symmetrical meat on both sides and flat top; The peel is yellow and white, with a little blush and red spots on the sunny side; The flesh is yellow and white, thick and juicy, with little fiber and sweet taste. The sugar content is 65438 03.4%, and the acid content is 65438 0.36%. It ripens in late June and is a good fresh food variety. 5 Prunus armeniaca. Julu, Xingtai, Hebei. Strong growth and strong resistance, it is the main local variety. The fruit is oblong, with an average weight of 54 grams and a maximum of 80 grams. The top of the fruit is round, the suture line is obvious, and the meat on both sides is slightly asymmetrical. The peel is orange-yellow and deep red on the sunny side; The flesh is orange, thick, thin and hard, with less fiber and more juice. Moderate sweet and sour, sugar content 12.6%, acid content 1.2 1%. Away from the nucleus, bitter. The fruit ripens in mid-June, which is fresh and processed. ⑥ Redjade apricot. Also known as Dayu Xing. Shandong Licheng and Changqing. This tree is tall and strong with a half-open crown. 1 year-old branches are stout and purple-brown. The fruit is oblong, with an average weight of 70-80g and a maximum of125g. The top of the fruit is flat and the suture line is obvious. The peel is orange-red, flaky towards the sun and deep red; The meat is hard, fragrant, sweet and sour, with moderate quality; Away from the nucleus, bitter. At the beginning of June, the fruit is ripe and the yield is high. It is a variety for both fresh food and processing. 7 eggs and apricots. Mianchi, Henan Province. The tree is vigorous, with high yield and strong ability to bear fruit continuously. Tree yield 150 ~ 200 kg. 1 year-old branches are thick and reddish brown. The fruit is ovoid, with an average weight of 70g and a maximum of 109g. The top of the fruit is round, the suture line is shallow, and the meat on both sides is slightly asymmetrical. The peel is yellow with a blush on the sunny side; The flesh is yellow, fragrant and moderately sweet and sour, with a sugar content of 9.6% and an acid content of 1.2%. The fruit ripens in early June. It is resistant to storage and transportation, strong stress resistance and cooking, and is a can-making variety. 8 placer gold red apricot. Produced in Qingxu, Shanxi. This tree is tall and straight with a round head. 1 Annual branches are purplish red. The fruit is oblate, with an average weight of 58g and a maximum of100g. The top of the fruit is flat, the suture line is obvious, and the meat on both sides is slightly asymmetrical. The peel is orange-yellow and deep red on the sunny side; The pulp is orange-yellow, compact, moderately sweet and sour, slightly fragrant, with sugar content 1 1.4% and acid content 1.0 1% by mass; Weird or semi-sticky, bitter. The fruit ripens in late June and is a local fresh food processing variety. Pet-name ruby Qizil Kumanti Kuqa in Xinjiang. Strong trees, dense branches and high yield. The fruit is oblong, with an average weight of 27.8 grams, a round top and obvious suture lines; The peel is orange, smooth and hairless, with a deep blush on the sunny side; The pulp is orange-yellow, thick and thin, and sweet; Without the nucleus, the kernel is fat and sweet. The fruit ripens in late June and is mainly used to make "Baoren Apricot". Attending the dragon king hat. Also known as big flat. Zhuolu, Hebei, Laishui. Drought-resistant, cold-resistant, barren-resistant. High yield, strong trees and vigorous growth. The fruit is oblate, with an average weight of 20 grams, obvious suture lines, symmetrical meat on both sides, shallow depression and 2 ~ 3 grooves on both sides; The peel is orange; The pulp is orange-yellow, thin and sour, rich in fiber, and should not be eaten raw; Kernel fat tastes sweet, with kernel yield of 30%, crude fat content of 52.8% and protein content of 24%. Zhuolu blooms in mid-April, and the fruit matures in early and mid-July, which is mainly used for kernel extraction.
Baixingshan Huangxing, Camel Yellow, Ling Chuan, Yubada, Xiangbaixing, Mitoro, Crystal Apricot, Dachangping, Pinggu Fangshan, Haidian, Mentougou, Yanqing, Huairou, Aksumi Kildallas in northern Beijing, Qizil Simi, Akwarner Akdallas Kuqa, Luntai Yecheng, Hami, Aksu, Kashgar and Yecheng. Guangxing, Baisha, Zaotianhe, Bai Yin, Chibangzi, Clara, Huluxing, Honglian, hua county, Lintong, Sanyuan, Ganxian, Liquan, Shangxian, Chunhua, Suide, Xishan, Tanghechuan, Dajiantou, Shuixing with pigskin, Jinniangxing, Pocket Apricot, Qingxing, Li Guangxing, Lanzhou, Tanghechuan. Zhongmou, Yiyang Nanhe Laoshan Red Apricot, Dahong Apricot, Red Hazelnut Apricot, Huangpichang, Boxing Apricot, Yang Jiyuan Apricot, Shuimi Apricot, Honey Apricot, Oil Hazelnut Apricot, Jiaxiang Ginkgo Jinan, Qingdao, Qufu, Zhaoyuan and Heze. Cao Xian. Licheng Dongshan flake stone yellow, crystal apricot, silvery white apricot, cedar apricot, persimmon apricot, apple.
The main producing areas and varieties of apricot in China are shown in the table.
Key points of cultivation techniques
type
Cultivated apricots are propagated by grafting, and rootstocks include apricot seedlings and apricot varieties. Ansumasim. Mountain peach (Carl. ) France. , plums, plums and so on. In the arid areas of northern China, rootstocks or Prunus armeniaca are often used, which have strong affinity, fast growth of grafted seedlings, early fruiting, drought tolerance and strong cold resistance. Grafting methods include bud grafting, wood bud grafting, tongue grafting, skin grafting and root grafting. , can be adapted to local conditions.
get a first reign title after the founding of a dynasty
It is advisable to choose a leeward and sunny slope. In areas prone to freezing injury at flowering stage, varieties with late flowering stage and pollinated varieties should be selected to improve yield and quality. In the cold region of the north, seedlings are vulnerable to wintering and freezing injury, so they should be planted in Yichun. The plant spacing is 4×6 meters, and it can be properly planted in mountainous areas or places with poor soil; Garden can be built on the flat land, or it can be planted in close density to achieve early high yield.
Plastic trimming
If apricots are allowed to grow naturally, they will generally form a natural round crown. According to the growth characteristics of apricot, the pruning amount should be reduced as much as possible to facilitate rapid formation and early fruiting, maintain tree potential balance, stabilize yield and prolong fruiting period, and adopt natural happiness. The drying height is about 40 cm, and the maximum height is not more than 50 ~ 80 cm.
Pruning methods vary from tree to tree. In the young tree period, the extension branches of the main lateral branches at all levels should be reasonably shortened to increase the number of branches, expand the crown and form as soon as possible; For other 1 annual branches and middle branches, slow release can be used to promote the growth of short branches and gradually cultivate fruiting branches; Too dense slender weak branches can be properly thinned out. In the full fruit-bearing period, the fruit-bearing capacity gradually increased, the tree vigor weakened, the fruit-bearing capacity decreased, the fruit-bearing part moved outward, and the lower branches began to be exposed. In order to restore the tree vigor, the extended branches should still be properly shortened, and the bouquetlike fruiting branches which are too dense in the upper and outer parts of the crown can be properly thinned out, and attention should be paid to the selection, retention and cultivation of long branches. The obviously weak perennial fruiting branches are slightly retracted in a planned way, so that new branches germinate in 2 ~ 3 years and the fruiting branches are re-cultivated. After the full fruit period, the growth and fruiting ability of the aged trees decreased obviously, so we should prune vigorously, retract the main lateral branches in a planned way, carry out crown rehabilitation and strengthen water and fertilizer management, otherwise the whole tree will die easily.
soil management
Apricots are sensitive to water and fertilizer. Sufficient water and fertilizer, vigorous trees, few degenerated flowers, high yield and good quality, which can prolong the fruit-bearing life. Apply base fertilizer in young fruit stage with autumn tillage and topdressing; Results pressing green manure under trees was used for deep tillage and soil and water conservation. Irrigation with frozen water after defoliation and spring water before flowering in conditional areas is beneficial to overwintering, spring shoot growth and fruiting.
choose
Fresh apricots are not resistant to storage and transportation, so you should wait until they are ripe. Apricots for kernel should be harvested when they are fully ripe. Almonds should be picked out and dried in time, packaged after drying, and stored in a cool, dry and ventilated place to avoid humidity and high temperature.
Eliminate pests and diseases
(1) Heart eater. Hurt the fruit and eat the pulp. Common ones are those who eat peaches and pears. Spraying control. ② Leaf-eating pests. There are awning caterpillars, persimmon caterpillars, thorn moths, peach moths, weevils and so on. Spraying in larval stage. ③ Almond bees harm almonds, causing a lot of fruit drop. Pick the fallen fruit, bury it deeply or spray insecticide in the larval stage. ④ Red-necked Anoplophora longicorn. Eat the trunk. Application of artificially kil adults or wormhole. ⑤ Apricot furuncle. The damaged shoots are short and thick, and finally they are yellow and dry, and turn black in summer and autumn and hang on the branches. Spraying sulfur mixture before germination in spring or removing diseased leaves early and burying them deeply.
economic value
Apricots are rich in nutrition. Every100g of pulp contains sugar10g, protein 0.9g, carotene1.79mg, vitamin b10.02mg, vitamin B 20.03, vitamin P 0.6, vitamin c 7mg, calcium 2.6mg and phosphorus 2.4. Besides fresh food, dried apricots, preserved apricots, apricot jam, apricot in syrup, apricot bark, apricot wine, apricot vinegar and apricot juice can also be made. Sweet almond is sweet and crisp, containing 23% protein, 50-60% crude fat, about 65,438+00% carbohydrate and phosphorus, iron, calcium and potassium minerals. It can be eaten raw or fried, and can also be made into almond paste, almond tea, almond candy, almond cheese, almond cake, chocolate and other foods. Bitter almond can be used as medicine, which has the effects of relieving cough, moistening lung, eliminating phlegm and relaxing bowels, and is often used to treat bronchitis and neurasthenia. Bitter almond contains amygdalin, which can decompose hydrocyanic acid, which is toxic to people and animals. Before eating, it must be soaked in water repeatedly to discharge hydrocyanic acid. Almond oil can be squeezed, the oil yield is 45%, and the oil is edible. It can also be used as high-grade lubricating oil and raw materials for preparing and producing paints, high-grade soaps, ointments and skin care agents. Core-shell is the raw material for manufacturing activated carbon.
Apricot germplasm resources
The general name of plants with certain genetic material and valuable for apricot production and breeding. Apricots are native to the mountainous areas in northern and western China. Large areas of wild apricot forests have been found in the northern bank of Yili River in Xinjiang, the southern slope of Koguryo Mountain, xinyuan county in the west, Huocheng County in the east and the mountainous area of western Sichuan at an altitude of 2,700 meters. In addition to China being the primary origin center of apricot, there are two secondary origin centers in Central Asia and West Asia. Because of the complex terrain, cold climate, drought and windy, and large temperature difference between day and night, apricot has the characteristics of cold tolerance, drought tolerance and barren tolerance. Under the long-term complex natural hybridization, many species and types have been produced.
There are 7 kinds of apricots in the world, most of which are distributed in China, mainly including the following:
Apricot (common apricot)
Originated in North China and Northwest China of China. Most cultivated apricot varieties in the world belong to this species. Fruit has high economic value and is used for fresh food and processing. There are several varieties of this species, among which the apricot variety. holoselic-ea batal。 Distributed in China, southeastern Tibet and high altitude areas in western Sichuan. Its fruit is inedible and rarely cultivated, but it is extremely drought-resistant and cold-resistant, and can be used as rootstock and breeding material.
According to the origin, evolution, eco-geographical distribution and biological characteristics, cultivated apricots can be divided into 6 variety groups. ① Central Asian variety group. Mainly distributed in Soviet Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China and Xinjiang. Generally, the growth is vigorous and the yield is high. Fruit has high sugar content, low acid content and less aroma. The kernel is sweet and suitable for processing, drying and fresh eating. Weak anti-fungal ability. Representative varieties are ахрори, арзми, мир-санд. ② European variety group. Mainly distributed in western Europe, eastern Europe, southern Europe, North America, South America, Oceania and other places. How big are the flowers, leaves and fruits? Fruit has a high acid content. It smells good. Seed kernel tastes bitter. The representative varieties are Huizet, Ananas Paviot, Cea Mai Buna de Ungaria, etc. ③ Iranian Caucasian variety group. Mainly distributed in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, North Africa and other places in the Soviet Union. The fruit is medium-sized and slightly fragrant. The seed kernel tastes sweet. It is also the intermediate type of the above two varieties. Representative varieties are спитак, щалах, etc. ④ Junggar-Waiyili variety group. They are mainly distributed in Fei Pan Lov, Tardi-Kurgan, Almaty and Yili, Xinjiang, China. The representative varieties are Beijing Naer apricot and May apricot. ⑤ China North China Variety Group. Mainly distributed in northeast and northwest China. Most apricot trees are hybrids of northeast apricot and Siberian apricot, which have strong cold tolerance. Representative varieties are Lanzhou Dajie Apricot, hua county Dajie Apricot, Xiangbai Apricot and Hongyu Apricot. ⑥ East China variety group. It is mainly distributed in the Jianghuai Valley and the southeast coastal areas of China. The representative varieties are Xiangmei apricot, Mi Fang apricot and Dong Si apricot.
Northeast apricot (Liaoning apricot)
Distributed in the Far East of the Soviet Union, Northeast China and Korea. The main feature is bark cork, and the fruit stalk is long, about 1 cm. Strong cold resistance, can be used as rootstock and cold-resistant breeding raw materials, but also for viewing, rarely cultivated.
Prunus armeniaca
Some scholars classify this species as a variety of apricot. Distributed in humid areas of eastern China, Korea and Japan. This species is very resistant to fungal diseases. Strong adaptability to humid climate. It can be used as the rootstock of southern apricot and the original breeding material of warm apricot.
Siberian apricot
It is distributed in Siberia, eastern Mongolia, northeast China and North China of the Soviet Union. This species is extremely drought-resistant and cold-resistant, and can tolerate the low temperature of -50℃. This fruit is sour and inedible. It is rarely cultivated and is generally used as rootstock or as the original material for cold-resistant breeding. This species is easy to cross with other species of Apricot, so it is polymorphic (see figure).
In addition, plum blossom (P.mumesieb.et Zucc). ), a close relative of Prunus mume, is widely distributed in the Yangtze River valley of China and widely cultivated as fruit trees and ornamental trees in China and Japan. Plums and apricots cross easily. The cultivated varieties of Japanese plum are mostly related to apricot. Meixi has a warm and humid climate and is resistant to root-knot nematodes and root cancer. It is an important rootstock for developing drupe in humid and warm areas, and it is also a very useful raw material for breeding hot and humid apricot.
Siberian apricot
The Soviet Union first studied the collection, preservation and utilization of apricot germplasm resources, and collected and preserved cultivated varieties and wild types of apricots all over the world. Since 198 1, Liaoning Fruit Research Institute has extensively investigated and sorted out apricot germplasm resources, and established a national apricot germplasm resource garden covering an area of 13.3 hectares in Xiong Yue City, Gai County, Liaoning Province. More than 460 varieties and types of 5 species of apricot in China were collected and preserved.
The study of apricot germplasm resources provides the necessary breeding materials for apricot breeding. The Soviet Union, Romania, Yugoslavia and the United States have successively carried out cold-resistant apricot breeding, replacing the existing varieties with new varieties with long dormancy and late flowering. Varieties from China, Central Asia and North China are widely used as raw materials for breeding. Southern Europe and the eastern United States put forward plans to cultivate moisture-tolerant and heat-resistant varieties and disease-resistant breeding. People think that plums from China are the most ideal raw materials.