A discovery - still in its infancy

Produce what the market wants. With this basic attitude, you can obtain a good market position and yield revenue. One fruit that we like is the apricot. It certainly has market potential, for both short and long distribution channels. 

What makes the apricot interesting is the development of varieties with stable yields and a much improved attractiveness - also in non-established growing regions. However, a few cultivation nuts still have to be cracked, as it were: the selection of a suitable location, of the variety, planting distance, tree training and thinning have to be coordinated. One factor that prevents any large-scale expansion is the trees' sudden death, also called apoplexy, mostly from their fourth year after plantation. The jury is still out on what actually causes it. And there are not too many suitable measures available to prevent it either. 

History - on well trodden paths

First wild varieties have been found in the montains around Beijing, China. In Manchuria, the name "sing", referring to the apricot, was mentioned as early as 2198 BC. The apricot finally found its way west via Uzbekistan and was introduced in the Mediterranean area by the Greeks, Romans and Arabs. 

Source: Wurm/Bachinger/Rögner/Schreiber/Pieber/Spornberger: Marillen Aprikosen, Anbau, Pflege und Verarbeitung, 1. Ed. 2002, Österreichischer Agrarverlag.