Tree Fruit
Commercial tree fruit production in Utah represents a $1.8 million industry (NASS, 2005). By acreage, tart cherries are the largest tree fruit crop in Utah, followed by apples, peaches, sweet cherries, apricots and pears. The predominant fruit producing areas are in Box Elder and Utah Counties, with commercial orchards also scattered through Cache, Davis, Weber, Salt Lake and Washington Counties. Over the past several decades, much of the urban and suburban development in these counties has taken place on land that was formerly in orchards. This, coupled with a culture of home food production and canning, has led to a situation where fruit trees are a common feature in the home landscape. Utah State University is working to address the needs of both the commercial fruit industry and the home gardener through Teaching, Research, and Extension programs.
Home Gardener Resources:
Commercial Grower Resources:
- Utah State Horticulture Association
- Orchard weed control
- Sprayer Calibration(This calculator requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher)
- Orchard Weather Stations
- Irrigation
- Use of reference evapotranspiration (ETr) and crop coefficients (Kc) to estimate crop water use
- Apple crop coefficients
- Cherry crop coefficients
- Pear crop coefficients
- Flower bud hardiness
Resources from other states:
