Cultivar choice

Cultivar choice Gooseberries may be white, green, yeiiow, or red, and for either ouiinary or dessert use. Some ouitivars resist miidew weii. 

Amount and quality of crop residue available for mulching or incorporation depend on pedoclimatic conditions, crop and cultivar choice, tillage, and residue management. Since crop cultivars in SSA tend to have low harvest indices (Pieri,... 

At the same time, many organic farmers look for, and find, solutions to many of the technical problems they face. Choice of crop species and cultivar, choice of animal breed and race, sequence of crops in rotation and duration of rotation, etc., are all options to decrease the importance of certain technical problems. 

Muscadine grapes are native throughout much of the South. Many improved cultivars are widely grown. The cultivar choices available to growers are many, but improvements could still be made, particularly for fresh-market cultivars. Commercial production exists in several southern states, but finding markets for the fruit can be problematic. Often, it is used for wine production, but other products include jams, jellies, juice, and vinegar. 

Conservative is used to define orchard and management factors that once introduced cannot, or are extremely difficult to, change or require substantial additional investment to do so. Among these are soil and other site-specific conditions, choice of variety/cultivar and rootstock, planting density and tree canopy formation, system stabilisation measures at orchard set-up and installations to buffer extreme events. 

Before the establishment of organic orchards, it is essential to consider practical experience and local knowledge about the most suitable sites and microclimatic conditions (reviewed bv Webster, 2005 Barden and Neilson, 2003) as well as species and cultivar suitability. These factors should be considered before planting orchards, because it is more difficult than in conventional production to overcome problems associated with poor choice of site and variety/cultivar. However, some site-specific problems may be addressed within certain limits (e.g. suboptimal soil conditions) and should be improved before planting a new orchard (e.g. installation of drainage to prevent temporary water logging,... 

Important intrinsic quality criteria currently determining the market potential of new apple cultivars are related to the sensory quality such as fruit firmness (crispness) and the sugar and acidity contents. On the other hand, the nutritional composition (e.g. the vitamin or antioxidant contents) is currently not used as a criterion in the choice of cultivars, neither in conventional nor in organic fruit production. The difference in the content of such components between fruit species is in most cases more relevant than between cultivars of the same species (e.g. vitamin C content of oranges versus apples). 

Young plants may be bought from late spring onward—but for the best choice of cultivars, and organic plants, raise your own on a warm windowsill or in a propagator. You can start tomatoes as early as midwinter if you can keep the young plants frost-free. If not, sow in spring, 8-10 weeks before the last frost. 

Empty ground between young plants of those winter brassicas that will make large plants is useful for catch- and intercropping seepp.258-259). However, careful choice of cultivar and close spacing can produce smaller, meal-sized heads of vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower. 

Potatoes need quite a lot of space but are easy to grow, giving you a far wider choice of cultivars than is ever seen in supermarkets. 

Endless choice The range of fruits and cultivars is amazing apple cultivars, for example, run into the thousands. 

Pears enjoy warmth and an early start to the season. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot, or train them against a warm wall. Blossoming occurs several weeks earlier than with apples, which means that the cooler the climate, the more likely It Is that flowers will be damaged by frost and the crop will suffer. If you live In a cold area, you will find that your choice of cultivars is much more limited. Pears need the same soil conditions and soil preparation before planting as apples (see pp.296-297). 

For general advice, see Apples (p.294). Most European plums will set some fruit without cross-pollination, but nearly all will yield better when cross-pollinated by another European cultivar. Japanese plums must be cross-pollinated by either a Japanese or American type. American plums also need cross-pollination for best yields. Rootstock choice can further influence your plum trees success. Ask a specialty fruit nursery for help in selecting a suitable combination of trees on appropriate rootstocks. 

Gooseberries and red currants are closely related, and advice on site and soil for red currants (see p.316) is equally applicable to gooseberries. Gooseberries are hardy in Zones 3-7 and can be grown with little direct sunlight, except that choice dessert cultivars are better grown where they will receive sunlight for at least half the day. An airy spot is best to help combat mildew. 

Therefore in crop rotations with a low level of forage legumes and a high level of cereals, farmers have to improve crop competition through adequate choice of cultivars (Kopke 2000), optimised growing conditions and fertiliser banding. 

Jerusalem artichoke can grow in nutritionally poor soils with minimal cultivation. However, good agronomic practices considerably increase crop productivity. Practices that raise tuber and biomass yields include choice of cultivar, planting date, effective weed control, fertilization, irrigation, and good harvesting procedures. 

Choice of rootstocks and cultivars in organic fruit production... 

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