Abstract
This book, with contributions from 40 scientists from 8 countries, summarizes the current research information on apples and their culture, and will be of value to horticultural students, research and extension workers, and professional fruit growers. The 24 chapters are presented in 6 parts. Part I, the introductory section, considers taxonomy, and world production and trade. Parts II-VI cover the following aspects: Plant materials (breeding and genetics, cultivars, rootstocks, and propagation and planting stock); Apple physiology and environmental influences (flowering and fruiting, water relations, light relations and temperature); Orchard and tree management (site selection and orchard establishment, nutritional requirements, orchard floor management, pruning and training, planting systems, thinning and the vegetative:fruiting balance, and endogenous growth regulators and growth regulator application); Crop protection (diseases, ecology and pest management, frost protection, integrated fruit production and organic production); and Harvesting, handling and utilization (fruit maturity and ripening, harvesting and handling, storage, physiological and pathological disorders, and production and handling techniques for processing apples).