Cultivation technology and farm management issues of apricot production under the impacts of climate change

Apricot cultivation is growing in importance worldwide, especially in regions where gaps in the fresh market supply can be exploited. Hungary is located at the northern edge of economical cultivation area, which presents both challenges and opportunities. Yields in Hungary's 5,300 hectares of apricot production area shows a deviation from 6,000 to 34,000 tons, mainly due to spring frosts and outdated technology. At the same time, due to the late ripening and excellent nutritional value of domestic fruit, premium prices can be achieved on the market, especially for exports to Western Europe. Frost protection is a decisive factor from an economic point of view. In the case of high production standards (intensive cultivation), even less modern, semi-intensive apricot orchards show acceptable income-generating capacity and profitability, while orchards with much higher capital requirements, equipped with crop protection technologies, either in part or in whole, have a much higher income-generating capacity. Based on the results of the investment analysis, at the end of its useful life cycle, a semi-intensive orchard generates an NPV of almost EUR 25,400 per hectare, a super-intensive orchard generates 2.5 times that amount, and a super-intensive orchard equipped with frost protection generates 3.6 times that amount.