Conditions and outlooks of growing stone fruits

The amount of fruit produced in the world increases steadily by 10 million tons per year. In 2007. it was 555 million tons. Under the temperate zone. the majority of fruit belong to the pomaceous group. (apple 66 million tons. pear 20.5 million tons). but the ratio of stone fruits is also significant: peach 17.4. plums 9.9. apricot 3.1. sweet cherry 2.1. sour cherry 1.2 million tons. In Hungary. fruit production declined during the last 20 years. Between 2004 and 2008. yearly 800 thousand tons of stone fruits have been harvested: 9.9% peach. 7.7% plum. 7.0 sour cherry. 4.3% apricot and 1.2% sweet cherry. During the last decennia. also the planted area as well as the level of the technology used declined. Poor planting sites. lack of up to date plantations and technological insufficiencies are responsible for the variable and low means of yields. The country’s mean (3–6 t/ha) is about the 30–50% only of the yield in advanced countries. The best plantations are successful. but their yields (8–15 t/ha) are still low compared with that of the foreign intense orchards (20–60 t/ha). In Hungary. the Japanese plums. apricots and peaches grow on the northern border of their growing area. and the choice of planting sites is especially important condition of success or yield security. Each growing region with different ecology requires a special assortment of varieties. whereas for sweet and sour cherry as well as plum may thrive well on most regions of the country. Fruit growing in Hungary needs badly improvement from very point of view. Increasing intensity of the cultivation is indispensable. The use of rootstocks as well as the utilisation of varieties requiring different moments of technology is to be developed. High intensity of marketing and extension service are also claimed. which may transform the producing structures. radically.