Apricot

Botanical Name:

Prunus armeniaca (Rosaceae)

General Description:

• Skin colour can vary from yellowish green to deep orange
• Flesh colour can range from pale yellow to deep orange
• One seed enclosed in a pit

Apricots should be a deep yellow or yellow/orange, plump, well formed and fairly firm. Avoid dull looking, soft or mushy fruit or very firm, pale yellow or green/yellow fruit. The fruit’s characteristic flavour and sweetness develops on the tree. Fully ripened fruit have the best quality flavour, but due to their softness are difficult to transport and are highly perishable.

Apricots are delicious when eaten fresh or they can be used in desserts, poached, stewed or pureed in jams, chutneys, pickles, compotes, salads or sorbets. They are lovely accompaniments to meats and poultry.

Although a deciduous tree, the apricot does have some special growing requirements. The apricot is a very early flowerer; therefore it cannot be grown commercially in areas subject to heavy spring frosts. It does however require the winter chill to break its dormancy and so produce fruit.

The most favourable growing conditions is a climate which is predominantly clear and dry, with fairly cold winters and only moderately high spring and summer temperatures. Apricots also need a fertile, well-drained soil and a good water supply.

Apricots originated in China, with the earliest reference to them found in Chinese writings of 2000 BC. Apricots spread to southwest Asia and the Arabs then introduced them to the Mediterranean. Eventually they found their way to Europe and in the 18th century became a garden plant in the United States and South Africa before arriving in New Zealand and Australia.

The apricot flourishes in many regions of Japan, North Africa, California and the Mediterranean and also grows wild in Siberia and Afghanistan.

The apricot is a member of the rose family. The fruit is known as a drupe that is a fleshy, one-seeded fruit that does not split open itself, and encloses a seed in a pit.

Varieties:

• Caselin
• Hunter
• Trevatt
• Earlicot
• Goldbar
• Poppicot
• Divinity
• Goldrich
• Castlebright
• Rival

Diseases and Symptoms:

Bacterial canker	Limbs or whole trees collapse and die (usually in first or second year after planting).Cankers often exude large amounts of gum, vinegar (sour) smelling. Brown or tan discolouration in the bark (orange in the case of apricots). Outer layers of wood often stained a brown colour. Water soaked spots on leaves, becoming dry and brittle and falling out of the leaf giving it a shot hole appearance. Fruit develop depressed spots with dark centres, sometimes with underlying gum pockets.
Black heart	Slow defoliation, leaves wilt slightly, turn yellow then fall. Fruit sets but fails to develop.
Blossom and twig blight	Twigs ooze gum near areas of dead or dying bark. Kills blossoms and twigs.
Brown rot	Blossoms turn brown and die. Twigs ooze gum near areas of dead or dying bark. Small brown spot on maturing fruit, quickly enlarges to large firm brown patch.
Bryobia mite	Whitish grey spots on leaves resulting in a stippled appearance when leaves grow. Discoloured leaves which fail to grow.
Crown gall	Galls on crowns of root system (at base of trunk). Initially galls are creamy coloured and soft, become darker and woody as they grow. Tops of severely affected trees weak and stunted, leaves pale in colour, tinted with red.
Eutypa dieback (formerly Gummosis)	Rapid wilting of leaves, dead leaves remain attached to tree. Fruit often remains small, ripens before fruit on healthy branches. Infected areas on branches become brown and dry.
Freckle	Small circular patches on fruit, enlarge and become scabby. On apricots patches pale green at first, later darkening. On peaches patches raised and black. On nectarines patches pale green with dark centre. Grey spots on leaves and tattered edges. Branches stunted, die at tips.
Frosted scale	Black sooty mould growth on the underside of leaves.
Green peach aphid	Foliage damage appears as soon as leaves emerge from buds. Leaves turn yellow, shrivel and fall. In severe infestations, shoots are killed.
Katydid	White to grey scar (caused by katydid bite) on the surface of fruit, expands as the fruit grows.
Leaf cur l	Leaves thickened, curled and grossly deformed, changing colour to a lighter green, often with red to purple tints, then brown, withers and drops prematurely. Shoots stunted. Fruit develop raised and distorted blister-like areas with red to purple tints.
Light brown apple moth	Damage to fruit, usually confined to the surface, most common in lower half and central parts of the tree.
Oriental fruit moth	Commonly infests ripening fruit leading to fruit rot .
Replant disorder	Newly planted trees slow to establish, tree growth uneven, trees may die.
San Jose scale	Abnormal yellowing of leaves, unseasonal leaf drop, gumming and cracking of the bark, followed by dieback of the infected branches. Tops of trees usually the first injured. Bright red discolouration often shows up on young wood, especially on peaches.
Shothole	Leaves with small brown spots with reddish margins, spots dry and fall out of leaf. Premature defoliation of the tree. Twigs with irregular brown spots that ooze large amounts of gum. Fruit with small circular, deep purple spots. On apricots spots become brown, raised and rough. On peaches and nectarines scabs develop into deep indentations. Fruit have spots of gum and can have cracks in the skin.
Silverleaf	Leaves with pale grey metallic sheen. Brown discolouration of heartwood.
Stone fruit rust	Irregular pale yellow patches often running together on upper surface of leaves. Brown spots on underside of leaves, leave a rusty powder on fingers. Blotchy yellow leaves that drop prema turely.Small dead patches on shoots, split bark.Fruit with small green sunken spots with red centres, spots can join causing the skin to crack.
Two-spotted mite	Lightly infested leaves have pale spots which give the leaf a speckled appearance. More intense infestations cause bronzing or yellowing of the leaves which prematurely drop.
Virus	Vary from no symptoms, leaf symptoms, and vigour, fruit size and yields reduced.
Yeast rots	When fruit is cut in half, flesh surrounding the stone cavity is watery, often with white smearing.

Growing Areas:

Queensland - Stanthorpe District

New South Wales - Bathurst, Dareton, Gosford, Hunter Valley, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, Orange, Tumut, Windsor, Young

Victoria - Goulburn Valley, Mid Murray Area and Sunraysia

Tasmania - South East Region SA Barossa Valley, Riverland

Western Australia - Donnybrook, Dwelling Up, Manijimup, Perth Hills

Nutritional Value:

An excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C and dietary fibre. Trace amounts of calcium, phosphorus, iron and thiamine. 85kJ/10Og.

Storage/Handling:

-0.5 - 0°C and 95% relative humidity. Ripen at room temperature and store in refrigerator.