Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 221-234 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 221 Review and Outlook Open Access Orchard Management Practices Affecting Peach Fruit Quality AiqingZhu1,2 1 Yiwu Baishengyuan Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Yiwu, 322002, Zhejiang, China 2 Zhejiang Agronomist College, Hangzhou, 310021, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: 15857975066@139.com Bioscience Evidence, 2026, Vol.16, No.4 doi: 10.5376/be.2026.16.0017 Received: 05 Jun., 2026 Accepted: 04 Jul., 2026 Published: 15 Jul., 2026 Copyright © 2026 Zhu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Zhu A.Q., 2026, Orchard management practices affecting peach fruit quality, Bioscience Evidence, 16(4): 221-234 (doi: 10.5376/be.2026.16.0017) Abstract Peach fruit quality is a key factor affecting the competitiveness of fresh peaches and consumers' willingness to purchase them again, and orchard management plays a major role in determining fruit quality. This review summarizes the effects of major orchard management practices, including canopy management, flower and fruit thinning, irrigation management, nutrient regulation, ground cover, and fruit protection, on fruit appearance, skin color, fruit size, soluble solids, sugar–acid ratio, firmness, and nutritional quality. It also discusses how light distribution, source–sink balance, water supply, and mineral nutrition influence fruit quality formation. Based on typical case studies from the major peach-producing regions of Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, and North China, the review further summarizes practical orchard management strategies and their effects under different ecological conditions. Integrated practices such as optimizing canopy structure, proper flower and fruit thinning, precise water and fertilizer management, and grass cover can improve the orchard microclimate, promote sugar accumulation and fruit coloration, enhance fruit quality consistency, and increase both resource use efficiency and ecological sustainability. In the future, greater attention should be given to precision monitoring, intelligent orchard management, and climate-adaptive cultivation technologies to promote more digital, precise, and environmentally friendly peach production, providing technical support and practical guidance for producing high-quality peaches and achieving sustainable industry development. Keywords Peach fruit quality; Orchard management; Canopy management; Water and nutrient management; Precision cultivation 1 Introduction Peach is one of the most important temperate fruit crops in the world. China is currently the largest peach producer, with an annual production of about 15 million tons, while Spain, Italy, Greece, and the United States are also major producing countries. Over the past few decades, fresh peach consumption has declined in several major producing regions. One of the main reasons is not low production, but inconsistent or unsatisfactory fruit quality, which reduces consumers' willingness to purchase peaches again (Anthony and Minas, 2022). Fruit quality is mainly determined during orchard production, while postharvest handling can only maintain quality rather than fundamentally improve its internal characteristics. Therefore, optimizing cultivation practices, tree architecture, and resource management before harvest has become a key strategy for improving the market performance of fresh peaches. Fruit appearance, size, skin color, and firmness are the most direct indicators of quality. Among these traits, fruit size is a major commercial value indicator, while sensory characteristics such as yellow flesh and red skin are generally more attractive to consumers (Sutton et al., 2020). However, flavor and eating quality usually determine consumer satisfaction. Sweetness, acidity, the balance between sugar and acid, aroma, and texture strongly influence whether consumers will buy peaches again. Poor sweetness, mealiness, and flesh browning have been recognized as important reasons for the decline in fresh peach consumption (Nava et al., 2022). Fruit firmness, dry matter content, maturity, and skin color are also closely related to the optimum harvest stage, shelf life, and transport performance. Among these factors, accurate control of fruit maturity is particularly important when evaluating the effects of different orchard management practices (Mazzoni et al., 2022). Light conditions and canopy structure are the basis for achieving uniform fruit quality. Training systems, pruning methods, branch distribution, and fruit position within the canopy all influence light interception and light distribution, which in turn affect fruit size, skin coloration, soluble solids content, dry matter accumulation, and
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