Fruit farming

Introduction
The variety: its propagation and improvement
Cultivation
- Site selection
- Planting and spacing systems
- Training and pruning
Soil management, irrigation, and fertilization
- Soil management
- Irrigation
- Fertilization
Crop enhancement
- Pollination
- Thinning
- Pest control and preservation
Harvesting and packing
Postharvest physiology of fruits
Waste materials, other uses

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Several bunches of ripe yellow Gros Michel bananas are arranged on a patterned tablecloth at an outdoor market or picnic setting.

Rows of young Gros Michel banana trees with broad green leaves growing in a grassy plantation.

Figure 12: Air-concentrate mist blower used to spray bush fruits, grapes, and compact high-density tree fruits.

A codling moth larvae is pictured on a leaf.

Quizzes

Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, some forming a question mark, against a light blue background. (organic, fruits, vegetables)

Fruit or Vegetable? A Quiz

Related Questions

How are banana and pineapple plants propagated for fruit production?
How are fruit trees propagated by grafting or budding?
How can water spraying protect strawberry plants during freezing temperatures?
How do clean cultivation and permanent sod culture differ in orchards?
How do climacteric fruits differ from nonclimacteric fruits during ripening?
How do fruit farmers control insects and diseases without relying only on chemicals?
How do fruit growers choose varieties suited to local soil and climate?
How do grapevines and blueberry plants reproduce from cuttings?
How do growth-regulating sprays delay fruit drop before harvest?
How do insects help cross-pollinate apple, plum, pear, and sweet cherry trees?
How do microclimates affect fruit crop production?
How do refrigerated containers help protect fruit during shipping?
How do respiration and transpiration make harvested fruit perishable?
How do ripening changes affect the color, sweetness, texture, and aroma of fruit?
How do salty soils reduce fruit tree yields?
How do soil acidity and lime affect fruit farming?
How do soil tests guide fertilizer use on fruit farms?
How does controlled-atmosphere storage slow fruit ripening?
How does hedgerow planting help fruit growers reduce labor costs?
How does mulching affect soil under fruit trees?
How does poor internal soil drainage affect fruit tree roots?
How does pruning improve light exposure in a fruit tree canopy?
How does sod compete with fruit plants for water and nutrients?
How does the modified leader training system work for larger fruit trees?
How does the open-centre training system work for peach trees?
Which nutrient deficiencies can affect fruit trees and vines?
Why are cover crops planted before establishing some orchards?
Why are fruit crops harvested at different stages of maturity?
Why are fruit trees planted closer together in high-density orchards?
Why are fruit trees trained and pruned during their first years?
Why are grapes trained using spur systems or long-cane systems?
Why are many commercial fruit and nut varieties propagated vegetatively?
Why are many fresh fruits still picked by hand?
Why are mowed sod rows and weed-free strips used in commercial orchards?
Why are nitrogen fertilizers commonly needed for perennial fruit crops?
Why can bananas and pears be harvested before they are ripe?
Why can bare soil increase erosion in fruit orchards?
Why can oranges and grapefruit remain on the tree after reaching good quality?
Why do apple and pear orchards need compatible varieties for cross-pollination?
Why do apple trees and citrus trees often need grafted rootstocks?
Why do apples and pears sometimes fall from trees before harvest?
Why do densely planted strawberries and pineapples produce smaller average fruits?
Why do fruit farms use contour planting on sloping land?
Why do fruit growers continue to breed and select new fruit varieties?
Why do fruit trees need deep and well-drained soil?
Why do some apple orchards plant several varieties with different harvest seasons?
Why do strawberry plants spread by runners?
Why does pruning help make spraying and harvesting more efficient?
Why is irrigation important in dry fruit-growing regions?
Why is it important to propagate fruit tree clones from superior plants?
Why is site selection important for a fruit-growing enterprise?
Why must bananas and other tropical fruits be protected from very cold storage temperatures?

Technology Agriculture & Agricultural Technology

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External Websites

IndiaNetzone - Fruit Cultivation in India

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

fruitgrowing - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Fruit farming

agriculture

Written by

Norman F. Childers

Adjunct Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville. M.A. Blake Professor Emeritus of Horticulture, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Author of Modern...

Norman F. Childers

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 1, 2026 •History

Fruit farming, growing of fruit crops, including nuts, primarily for use as human food. The subject of fruit and nut production deals with intensive culture of perennial plants, the fruits of which have economic significance (a nut is a fruit, botanically). It is one part of the broad subject of horticulture, which also encompasses vegetable growing and production of ornamentals and flowers. This article places further arbitrary limitations in that it does not encompass a...

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