Industrial Crop: Oil  Management: Standard  Regional Crop  Staple Crop: Oil

Climate: boreal to warm temperate. Humidity: semi-arid to humid. Landscape Uses:Specimen. Requires a well-drained moisture retentive fertile soil in a warm sunny position[11, 200]. Succeeds in light shade but fruits better in a sunny position[200]. Thrives in a loamy soil, doing well on limestone[11]. Prefers some chalk in the soil but is apt to become chlorotic if too much is present[11]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 to 7.5[200]. Dislikes clay soils[37, 61]. Intolerant of saline soils[200]. Trees drop their fruit buds if there is a summer drought[200]. The apricot is widely cultivated for its edible fruit in temperate areas that have long hot summers, there are many named varieties[183, 200]. The tree is perfectly hardy in Britain but it usually flowers very early in the spring and the flowers are then liable to be destroyed by frosts[11]. It really requires a more continental climate (with its clearly defined seasons) than it gets in Britain. However, if given the benefit of a south or west facing wall and some protection from frosts when it is in flower, reasonable crops can usually be produced in southern England[1, 219]. The plants are self-fertile[200], but hand pollination would be advisable since they are normally flowering before many pollinating insects are active. In Britain apricots are usually grown on plum rootstocks, 'St. Julien A' is the most widely used[200]. The dwarfing rootstock 'Pixie' is also a possibility, but this must be double worked with 'St. Julien A' because it is incompatible with apricots[200]. Any pruning should be carried out in the summer to allow rapid healing and therefore less risk of infection[201]. Oats should not be grown near apricots because their roots have an antagonistic effect on the roots of the apricot[201]. Tomatoes and potatoes are also bad companions for apricots[201]. If nasturtiums (Tropaeoleum spp) are grown under apricots they will make the fruit less palatable to insects, though this is not detectable by the human palate[201]. Most members of this genus are shallow-rooted and will produce suckers if the roots are damaged[238]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200]. Special Features: Edible, Not North American native, Fragrant flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms. Carbon Farming - Cultivation: regional crop only. Management: standard. Espalier.

Carbon Farming

• Industrial Crop: Oil  Materials, chemicals and energy include bioplastics, biomass, glycerin, soaps, lubricants, paints, biodiesel. Oilseed crop types.
• Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
• Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
• Staple Crop: Oil  (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).