Fruit Production - Warm Climate 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1 Introduction To Warm Climate Fruit Growing

• Deciding what to grow
• Where to get helpful informationm and start networking
• Scope of Warm Fruit Growing -Review of main groups: Citrus, Berries, Nuts, Vines, Other fruits.
• Understanding plant naming
• Review of tropical fruit families:Anacardiaceae, Annonaceae, Apocynaceae, Bombaceae, Bursaraceae, Ebenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Flacourtiaceae, Guttiferae, Lauraceae, Lecythidaceae, Malpighiaceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Musaceae, Myrtaceae, Oxalidaceae, Palmae, Pasifloraceae, Proteaceae, Rhamnaceae,Rubiaceae,Rutaceae, Sapindaceae.
• The botany of a fruit

2 Types of Fruits

• Establishing An Orchard
• Develop a plan for the establishment of an orchard
• Site considerations -choosing a site
• Understanding Soils and Nutrition
• Soil Testing
• Several warm climate fruits are then reviewed including: Avocado Banana, Citrus, Cocao, Coffee, Macadamia and Paw Paw

3 General Cultural Practices

• Fertilsers and Nutrition
• Pest and Disease -determining and managing problems
• What problems occur on what fruit plants
• Weed control
• Frost and sun protection
• Drainage
• Pruning

4 Tree Fruits

• Avocado
• Banana
• Star Fruit (Carambola)
• Custard Apple
• Durian
• Jackfruit
• Lychee
• Mango
• Mangosteen
• Rambutan
• White Sapote
• Paw Paw

5 Nuts, Vines and Berries

• Strawberry
• Solanum
• Pepino
• Tamarillo
• Lilly Pilly
• Passionfruit
• Coconut
• Macadamia
• Peanut
• Pecan
• Pistacio
• Cashew
• Brazil Nut

6 Citrus and other Fruits

• Suitability to different climates.
• Grapefruit
• Mandarin
• Tangelo
• Sweet Orange
• Meyer Lemon and other Lemons
• Limes
• Figs
• Olives
• Guava
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate, Persimmon, Quandong etc

7 Cultural Management Of A Fruit Plantation or Orchard

• Flow charting a crop

8 Marketing Your Produce

• Considering marketing options
• Market Research
• Maintaining marketing standards and selling

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

T