FRUIT GROWING: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The fruticultura is a discipline that studies the cultivation of woody trees and semi - ligneous fruit growers. This is achieved through the use of technologies based on physiological and biological notions, which seek to optimize fruit activity and obtain economic gains.

Fruit growing is also called the set of knowledge and techniques that allow the obtaining of edible fruits for humans, such as grapes, oranges, pears or plums. In addition, it is considered that fruit growing is a branch of agronomy, which is a knowledge that encompasses all the knowledge related to the cultivation of the land.

Fruit growing studies the cultivation and harvesting of fruits. Source: pixabay.com

Nowadays, more and more high-quality fruits and vegetables are consumed around the world, so this discipline must be constantly changed, introducing innovative techniques that are more efficient.

Likewise, due to the climatic processes of this time, fruit growing must commit to taking measures that make fruit production more sustainable.

It is necessary to add that fruit growing -as an economic activity- constitutes a fundamental part of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is why it generates a notable number of jobs and contributes to the economic development of nations. In addition, it allows commercial exchange between different countries on the planet.

History

Although fruit growing is an activity that uses modern machinery and technologies today, previously its processes were carried out entirely by hand. In fact, all types of crops have been performed manually for most of human history, until just over a couple of centuries ago, with the advent of industrial processes.

Collecting fruits and hunting animals

The origins of fruit growing date back to the beginning of human life, when the women of the first tribes were dedicated to collecting different wild fruits, while the men hunted.

Then, when man became sedentary, cultivation techniques began to be implemented that allowed the harvest of various types of plants in certain fields. With the technological advancement of societies, animal aid was introduced to carry out the harvests, however, the fruits continued to be collected by hand.

Industrial Revolution and new technologies

Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, fruit growing began to undergo a process of mechanization and formalization, which resulted in the use of more sophisticated techniques.

Over the years, man devised new instruments that improved crops. In addition, later notable advances were developed in the chemical discipline, whose studies were used to genetically adulterate crops and improve them.

One of the aspects that has contributed to the improvement of fruit growing consists of the seed selection process; By optimizing the seeds, you can produce more vigorous plants that get less sick.

Likewise, to improve the seeds, modern biotechnology was incorporated, a scientific activity that allows the fruits to be more resistant to pests. This science was established thirty years ago and since then it has allowed the extraction of crops in both greater quantity and better quality.

characteristics

- Fruit growing studies the elements that make up the soil and seeks their improvement to optimize crop production.

- This discipline determines the types of plants that will be placed in the soil, taking into account various factors such as climate and ease of irrigation.

- The cultivation of fruits implies the genetic manipulation of the species with the aim of improving the final product.

- Fruit growing plans agricultural plots according to the type of propagation of fruit crops. That is, it structures the plots according to the way in which the seedlings are obtained; this can be by seed, by layering or by cutting, among others.

- The fruit growing activity determines the fertilization and irrigation processes, taking into account the climatic variabilities.

- As in any agricultural process, fruit growing must develop programs that seek to control pests. Within this term all insects are included and also fungi or bacteria.

- Annually, the fruit growing carries out a conditioning of the species through pruning and supports.

Apple trees are one of the most popular crops in fruit growing. Source: pixabay.com

- The fruit growing also takes care of everything related to the harvest, including both manual and mechanical methods.

- This discipline diagnoses the problems or variations that the plants experienced during the cultivation process. After conducting this evaluation, measures are proposed to correct the problems.

- After harvesting, the fruit growers select, condition and pack the fruits to send them to markets and distributors. Within this feature, the marketing process is also included.

Types of fruit growing

The types of fruit growing can be established according to the species of fruit trees. These are the following:

Rosaceae Trees

Within this classification, are the pear, apple and melon crops, which are known as seed fruits.

Rosaceae trees can reach between 2 or 4 meters in height and are characterized by not adapting well to tropical climates, however, they resist heights of up to eight hundred meters above sea level. The crops of these trees have small seeds and usually bring five or less.

Prunoideae trees

They belong to the Rosaceae family. They produce fruits such as cherry, apricot, peach and plums. These foods are called stone fruits and are known for their wide range of nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and calcium.

Trees in this category also reach a height between 2 and 4 meters, but they demand more attention during low climates. Likewise, they do not tend to develop properly in limestone soil.

Citrus fruit trees

Citrus fruit trees belong to the Rutaceae family and make up species such as mandarin, lemon and grapefruit. These trees do not have good resistance to cold, but their leaves are very resistant. As for their height, they can reach between 5 and 15 meters.

Citrus fruits are classified as hesperidia, which implies that the edible part is covered by a slightly hardened layer. Likewise, the fleshy part of these fruits surrounds the seeds.

Oleaceae trees

Within this category is the olive tree. It is a species of great height that has evergreen leaves - that is, they do not fall. Although it is not very resistant to frost, it can withstand harsh droughts and adapts easily to different types of soil.

Vitaceae trees

It is the most widely planted type of tree on the planet. The most popular fruit of this family is Vitis vinifera, also known as grapevine or vine in other places. They are unisexual trees of low heights.

They can withstand cold temperatures, but the fruit can be affected by climatic variations during its development. The fruit of this plant is the grape and is used mainly to make wines, although it can also be consumed in juices and during festivities.

Social and economic importance of fruit growing

Fruit growing is one of the agricultural activities in greatest demand, so it offers many jobs. In addition, fruit production does not use as many machines as other growing areas, so a good amount of labor is required. For example, growers must take care of pruning, harvesting, and fruit selection.

Likewise, fruit growing is one of the main suppliers of inputs for notable industries. For this reason, it is considered that the fruit cultivation is the most lucrative within the harvesting activities.

In the same way, this activity favors the development of distribution and manufacturing companies, since thanks to fruit growing, products such as wine, juices and olive oil can be made.

Fruit growing is also important because it notably favors commercialization between nations. This occurs because many plants can only be developed in certain regions and cannot be harvested in any field, so countries establish trade relations.

For example, trees such as the apple tree do not usually grow in tropical regions, which is why several countries in the Latin American tropics established trade agreements with countries with colder lands in order for them to provide them with this type of fruit.

Fruit growing and climate change

Today, many farmers have become aware of the changes that climate change has introduced in the crop process; for example, thermal changes cause an alteration in the behavioral patterns of plants, which affects fruit production.

David Ruiz, a researcher in charge of the Department of Genetic Improvement, affirms that the increase in temperatures implies a decrease in the cold season (Agriculture that is to come. 2019). Therefore, in very hot areas the adaptation capacity of different species is weakened.

To solve this problem, cultivation models are being created that adapt to the climatic conditions of the coming years, producing varieties of species that do not require cold temperatures. Likewise, biostimulant treatments are being developed, whose chemicals induce the plant to come out of winter lethargy.

References

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