Peaches are synonymous with Georgia and South Carolina, but Florida is looking to get in the game, making the crop a hot alternative in the state. The recent uptick in peach planting in Florida began around 2009, driven partly by the spread of HLB in citrus.
Dr. Mercy Olmstead, an Assistant Professor and Fruit Extension Specialist with UF/IFAS, has been advising growers on peach production in Florida. She says the crop comes with its challenges, but can be profitable if harvest hits the sweet spot market window that runs roughly from late March to mid-May.
Olmstead says estimates put peach planting in Florida at about 1,300 acres with the bulk of plantings in Central and South Florida. The National Ag Statistics Service currently does not track peach acres in Florida, so an exact figure is not known.
“A majority are citrus growers looking for a profitable alternative in the face of HLB,” Olmstead says. “But, some strawberry and blueberry growers are also planting trial acreage.”
As peaches blossom in Florida, growers are grappling with the unique production challenges in the state, finding new markets, and managing the labor requirements for the crop. But, Olmstead says peaches are here to stay and challenges can be addressed as more is learned about growing here.
Chilling Out
According to Olmstead, the biggest challenge for Florida peach growers has been achieving consistent fruit set and yield from year to year. Although some of the yield inconsistencies have been due to late-season frosts, much of it has been due to insufficient chilling units received during the most important months — late November and December. Peaches don’t set fruit well above 55ºF.
“We at the University of Florida are addressing these issues through both breeding and physiology programs,” she says. “Dr. Jose Chaparro, a UF/IFAS plant breeder, has a southern orchard in Ft. Pierce where he is examining potential cultivar selections that do well under high nighttime temperatures.”
Olmstead says they are addressing frost by conducting research on the critical temperatures at which buds freeze, particularly flower buds, to understand how cultivars react and differ from those in the northern locations.
