Issue to be addressed: Fruit Crops Program, related to Goal 1 and Goal 4.                EFFECTIVE 7/1/04
Some of the objectives of the Fruit Program are to expand the genetic resources for cultivar development / enhancement through traditional and molecular technologies, to develop profitable and economically sound production practices and to ensure a high quality, marketable and profitable product.  These objectives clearly relate to Goal 1.  Other objectives involve the development of integrated crop and pest management systems that would lead to enhanced environmental quality.

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PERFORMANCE GOALS

Output Indicators:
1. Determine the influence of tree training system, density, and rootstock on tree growth, yield, fruit quality and labor costs for peach trees.

2. Determine the influence of reflective film on the orchard floor for improving fruit skin color and other factors in commercial peach and apple cultivars in South Carolina.

3. Conduct research trials in commercial peach and apple orchards in South Carolina.

4. Determine more precisely the location of a gene for resistance to root knot nematodes in peach by utilizing data on the Arabidopsis genome, as well as known genes and molecular markers from tomato and peach.

5. Research the efficacy of chemical and biological control agents to more effectively reduce peach disease. 

6. Evaluate the importance of viruses, and the diseases with which they are associated, in crops of economic importance to South Carolina.

7. Provide expertise in the diagnosis of viral diseases in the entire spectrum of crop species grown in SC.

8. Formulate methods for the control of viral diseases.

9. Survey peach orchards and individual peach trees in South Carolina for the presence of Plum pox virus (PPV).

Outcome Indicators:
1. Nematodes are serious economic pests of many crops, including peach. Better understanding of their relationships with their hosts and of the genetic basis of host plant resistance may lead to improved plant health and productivity. Development of genomic tools for peach will vastly improve practical use of this knowledge for sustainability of the crop.

2. Data on the incidence of uncharacterized viruses, and on other characterized viruses that infect fruit crops, will be used to provide virus-tested sources of propagation material, to identify sources of infection, and to evaluate and implement IPM procedures for the control of these viral diseases in South Carolina and in the Southeast.

Key Program Components:
Research projects will focus on: Reduced pesticide usage, stabilize current production of large fruit  industry, increase production of small fruit industry, disease and insect resistance.  

Internal and External Linkages:
Horticulture, Plant Pathology & Physiology, Entomology, Ag Engineering, Ag Economics, SC Department of Agriculture,  Regulatory agencies, processors, Virtual Fruit Center, NC & GA Land Grants, chemical sales and equipment industry, commercial producers,  packers, limited resource farmers, hobbyists.

Target Audiences:
Urban and rural homeowners, commercial producers, the processing industry, packing houses.  

Program Duration:
5 years