Ebook: Physiology of Temperate Zone Fruit Trees

An up-to-date treatment of the applied physiology of temperate-zone fruit trees, this work provides comprehensive information on the structure and function of fruit trees, orchard design, and maximizing of fruit crops.

The physiology of fruit trees is complicated. Fruit trees are perennial woody plants that are taxed every year to produce large fruit crops. Often, as much as 70% of the fruit tree's carbohydrates are harvested as fruit, yet the tree must have sufficient carbohydrate stores to maintain basic life processes-to grow, for flower buds for the next season, and to survive the cold stress of winter. In addition, with the on-going shift of fruit industry orchards from colder to warmer climates, additional hysiological demands such as increased transpiration and respiration are put on the trees. All these facts must be taken into account in orchard design.