Improving access to fruits for Improving access to fruits for improved nutrition through better improved nutrition through better

fruit orchard managementfruit orchard management

By

Simon Mng’omba

15 April 2015

Presentation overviewPresentation overview

• Importance of fruits

• Why low fruit production & consumption –

southern Africa?

• Fruit orchard management based on tree

growth

• Approaches to scale up IFTs

• Approaches to improve avocado productivity

• Conclusions

Fruits are good for our healthThey contain food nutrients

• vitamins (A, E & C)• Minerals (Iron, calcium)• Lipids (unsaturated, cholesterol free)• CHO (low sugar levels and sodium free)• Proteins• water

high in fibre good for digestionlow production cost – perennialSource of income

Introduction Introduction

There has been low fruit consumption in SA• 70 g per day (recommended 200 g per day)

Poor fruit tree management contributes to• alternate bearing/fruiting • seasonal fruiting (abundant during the rainy season)• high pest and disease infestation

Farmers harvest a few fruits per tree• good quality fruits are sold for income • undesirable fruits are eaten

Fruit production & consumption – southern Africa

Common management practices

For homestead/field fruit orchards:

(a)No irrigation/fertilizer/manure application

• Fruit trees are provided by nature

(b)Irrigation/fertilizer application without tree

manipulation

• Limited knowledge on management based on tree growth

Management based on tree growth

Pawpaw, Banana, Pineapple

Yield: high, year round & steady

What can we do to improve yield?

•Improve growing conditions – Irrigation/fertilizer/manure – Pest & disease control•Plant breeding

Avocado, mango, Uapaca, peach …

What can we do to improve yield?

•Balance between improving growing conditions & •tree manipulation – e.g. pruning, vegetative propagation, fruit thinning

Yield: low, erratic & mostly seasonal

Tree Growth characteristics

Continuous

Rhythmical

Managing IFTs - Uapaca fruit size and load

On-farm orchard•small fruit sizes•high fruit load

In the wild•high fruit load: 6000/tree•small fruit size

Thin fruits to improve fruit sizeThin fruits to improve fruit size

Scaling up model for IFTsScaling up model for IFTs

Some IFTs have long juvenile phase- discourages growers e.g. Uapaca (>15 years for un-grafted plants)

•Supply two species with short & long fruiting precocity•Use grafted plants to reduce juvenile phase

0

10

20

30

2008 2009 2010

Time (years)

Fru

it yi

eld

(kg)

Fig 1a Grafted Uapaca Fig. 1 b Grafted Vangueria

Both species planted in 2004

30%

32% 36% 89%76% 100%

Approaches to improve avocado Approaches to improve avocado productivityproductivity

1. Additional pollinators needed

Honeybees (beehives needed)

2. Harvest fruits when mature

Do not allow avocado fruits to ripe on a tree

3. Grow two types of avocado

‘A’ and ‘B’ cultivars

Conclusions

Good fruit orchard management improves

• Fruit yield (productivity)

• Fruit quality

• Fruit availability

•Planting more fruit trees is not enough to achieve food and nutrition security. We need better fruit orchard management

THANK YOU!!!