Fruit Trees

Abstract

Plum tree is considered a hardy plant, and a large number of species and hybrids spread all over the world characterize a great adaptation to various soils and climates. It seems to go back more than 2000 years (Gautier 1977). The plum trees cultivated today belong to the section Euprunus, and Prunus domestica group includes the largest number of varieties. For some years, Italy, Spain and France have cultivated more precocious Japanese varieties of the Prunus salicina group. In the Prunus cerasifera group there is the myrobalan stock. The other stocks, as well as mirabelle belong to Prunus insititia group. Plum is essentially used in the processing industry: drying, distillation, jam, syrup, fruit juice, etc. The consumption of the table plum is not significant. The world plum production amounts to 5 to 6 thousand metric tons annually (Table 1), 55 to 65% of which originate in Europe. The largest producers are the USSR, Rumania, and the USA. Yugoslavia, formerly the leading world producer, has reduced its production to about half of its capacity, during the last ten years (532 million t in 1980 instead of 1002 million t in 1963–1971). Southern European countries produce cv. Quetsche, almost exclusively for the industry. The exploitation there is not very intensive, but the production is more than the half european production. In Spain and Italy, orchards have been modernized, cultures are irrigated, and production is mainly export oriented.