Close planting of Golden Queen in Hawke's Bay : A thesis for the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture for a National Diploma of Horticulture (Fruit)

Abstract

Throughout most of New Zealand, and certainly in Hawke's Bay the traditional spacing of fruit trees has been 5.4 x 5.4 metres or 6.0 x 6.0 metres. The advent of the dwarfing and semi-dwarfing rootstocks for apples and pears, such as MM-106, and the central leader type trees changed this to the higher density plantings that we know today. Dwarfing or semi-dwarfing rootstocks for stone fruits are being sought, and indeed have been developed. Most of these are not yet commercially available. The increasing pressure of high land costs and the rapid introduction of new varieties has forced revolutionary new ideas to emerge. Prices of $30,000 per ha or more are being sought and obtained for bare land. With ·these staggering land prices, plus high establishment costs and servicing charges, it has become essential that early and rapid production of fruit be established. In this Thesis I will endeavour to outline the strengths and weaknesses of various spacings pertaining to the Golden Queen Peach and try to seek optimum spacings for this variety.