The Valentine peach, a French-bred white peach, produced 400 fruits per tree in the second leaf. Right upper, Fruit size is not impacted by mechanical pruning, says Christian Hilaire. Right lower, The stump, surrounded by one year of growth. French scientists are working to find a stone fruit orchard system to keep their growers competitive with other European Union orchardists who have much lower production costs. One trial, though radical, involves growing vigorous trees only to cut them down every few years to reduce expensive ­pruning costs. Researchers Christian Hilaire and Vincent Mathieu both focus on peach, nectarine, and apricots […]