Articles
THE HISTORY AND OVERVIEW OF THE CALIFORNIA PRUNE INDUSTRY
Article number
985_1
Pages
19 – 26
Language
English
Abstract
The European plum (Prunus domestica) was brought to California in the late 1700s by Spanish missionaries moving north into California from Mexico.
The true beginning of the California prune industry was the introduction of a sweet plum, the French cultivar pruneau dAgen by Louis Pellier in 1856. Rapid growth was seen in the industry from 1880 to 1930 in the coastal areas of northern California.
Planted area peaked in 1926 at 78,311 total ha.
The French prune was the primary cultivar planted although other cultivars were also grown during this early period.
As the industry moved into the central valley, from 1960 to the present, the dominate cultivar planted was Improved French. Improved French was bred by Luther Burbank at the turn of the 20th century and became widely adopted when the industry moved to the valley and mechanized harvest. Improved French had the ability to have all the fruit ripen at the same time, hold on the tree until harvested, and tolerate the high summer temperatures of the valley.
In 2012, more than 95% of the California industry was made up of this one cultivar.
The current industry is located primarily in the Sacramento Valley with a small acreage in the Southern San Joaquin Valley; coastal plantings have virtually vanished.
California currently accounts for an estimated 43% of world prune production making it the worlds leading prune industry.
The true beginning of the California prune industry was the introduction of a sweet plum, the French cultivar pruneau dAgen by Louis Pellier in 1856. Rapid growth was seen in the industry from 1880 to 1930 in the coastal areas of northern California.
Planted area peaked in 1926 at 78,311 total ha.
The French prune was the primary cultivar planted although other cultivars were also grown during this early period.
As the industry moved into the central valley, from 1960 to the present, the dominate cultivar planted was Improved French. Improved French was bred by Luther Burbank at the turn of the 20th century and became widely adopted when the industry moved to the valley and mechanized harvest. Improved French had the ability to have all the fruit ripen at the same time, hold on the tree until harvested, and tolerate the high summer temperatures of the valley.
In 2012, more than 95% of the California industry was made up of this one cultivar.
The current industry is located primarily in the Sacramento Valley with a small acreage in the Southern San Joaquin Valley; coastal plantings have virtually vanished.
California currently accounts for an estimated 43% of world prune production making it the worlds leading prune industry.
Authors
J.H. Connell, C.J. DeBuse
Keywords
dried plum production, prune production, Prunus domestica, Mediteranean climate fruit
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