Pomology

Last updated
Illustration of the 'Willermoz' pear by Alexandre Bivort from Album de Pomologie (1848-1852) Poire Willermoz.jpg
Illustration of the 'Willermoz' pear by Alexandre Bivort from Album de Pomologie (1848–1852)

Pomology (from Latin pomum, "fruit", + -logy, "study") is a branch of botany that studies fruits and their cultivation. Someone who researches and practices the science of pomology is called a pomologist. The term fruticulture (from Latin fructus, "fruit", + cultura, "care") is also used to describe the agricultural practice of growing fruits in orchards.

Contents

Pomological research is mainly focused on the development, enhancement, cultivation, and physiological studies of fruit trees. The goals of fruit tree improvement include enhancement of fruit quality, regulation of production periods, and reduction of production costs.

History

Middle East

In ancient Mesopotamia, pomology was practiced by the Sumerians, who are known to have grown various types of fruit, including dates, grapes, apples, melons, and figs. [1] [2] While the first fruits cultivated by the Egyptians were likely indigenous, such as the palm date and sorghum, more fruits were introduced as other cultural influences were introduced. Grapes and watermelon were found throughout predynastic Egyptian sites, as were the sycamore fig, dom palm, and Christ's thorn. The carob, olive, apple, and pomegranate were introduced to Egyptians during the New Kingdom. Later, during the Greco-Roman period peaches and pears were also introduced. [3]

Europe

The ancient Greeks and Romans also had a healthy tradition of pomology, and they cultivated a wide range of fruits, including apples, pears, figs, grapes, quinces, citron, strawberries, blackberries, elderberries, currants, damson plums, dates, melons, rose hips, and pomegranates. [4] Less common fruits were the more exotic azeroles and medlars. Cherries and apricots, both introduced in the 1st century BC, were popular. Peaches were introduced in the 1st century AD from Persia. Oranges and lemons were known but used more for medicinal purposes than in cookery. The Romans, in particular, were known for their advanced methods of fruit cultivation and storage, and they developed many of the approaches that are still used in modern pomology. [4]

United States

During the mid-19th century in the United States, farmers were expanding fruit orchard programs in response to growing markets. At the same time, horticulturists from the USDA and agricultural colleges were bringing new varieties to the US from foreign expeditions, and developing experimental lots for these fruits. In response to this increased interest and activity, the USDA established the Division of Pomology in 1886 and named Henry E. Van Deman as chief pomologist. An important focus of the division was to publish illustrated accounts of new varieties and to disseminate research findings to fruit growers and breeders through special publications and annual reports. During this period Andrew Jackson Downing and his brother Charles were prominent in pomology and horticulture, producing The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1845). [5]

The introduction of new varieties required an exact portrait of the fruit so that plant breeders could accurately document and disseminate their research results. Since the use of scientific photography was not widespread in the late 19th century, the USDA commissioned artists to create watercolor illustrations of newly introduced cultivars. Many of the watercolors were used for lithographic reproductions in USDA publications, such as the Report of the Pomologist and the Yearbook of Agriculture.[ citation needed ] Today, the collection of approximately 7,700 watercolors is preserved in the National Agricultural Library's Special Collections, [6] where it serves as a major historic and botanic resource to a variety of researchers, including horticulturists, historians, artists, and publishers.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit tree</span> Tree which bears fruit

A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the term "fruit tree" is limited to those that provide fruit for human food. Types of fruits are described and defined elsewhere, but would include "fruit" in a culinary sense, as well as some nut-bearing trees, such as walnuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit tree pollination</span>

Pollination of fruit trees is required to produce seeds with surrounding fruit. It is the process of moving pollen from the anther to the stigma, either in the same flower or in another flower. Some tree species, including many fruit trees, do not produce fruit from self-pollination, so pollinizer trees are planted in orchards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dried fruit</span> Fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed

Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia, and is prized because of its sweet taste, nutritive value, and long shelf life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forbidden fruit</span> Fruit in the Garden of Eden

Forbidden fruit is a name given to the fruit growing in the Garden of Eden which God commands mankind not to eat. In the biblical story, Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are exiled from Eden:

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

<i>Pyrus communis</i> Species of pear tree

Pyrus communis, the common pear, is a species of pear native to central and eastern Europe, and western Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoon sweets</span> Confectionary

Spoon sweets are sweet preserves, served in a spoon as a gesture of hospitality in Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Kosovo, Cyprus, the Balkans, parts of the Middle East, and Russia. They can be made from almost any fruit, though sour and bitter fruits are especially prized. There are also spoon sweets produced without fruit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George M. Darrow</span>

George McMillan Darrow (1889–1983) was an American horticulturist and the foremost authority on strawberries. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) for forty-six years as the pomologist in charge of research on deciduous fruit production, and authored a multitude of papers on planting and cultivating small fruits.

William Coxe Jr. was a pioneer pomologist and a U.S. Representative from New Jersey. He served as Mayor of Burlington, New Jersey, from 1807 to 1815.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Downing (pomologist)</span>

Charles Downing, was an American pomologist, horticulturist, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick</span>

Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick (1870–1951) was an American botanist and horticulturist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit production in Iran</span>

Iran ranks 1st in fruit production in the Middle East and North Africa. Iran has been ranked between 8th and 10th in global fruit production in different years. Iran produces Persian walnut, melon, tangerine, citrus fruits, Kiwifruit, dates, cherries, pomegranates, peach, oranges, raisins, saffron, grapes, Apricot, Pitted Prune and watermelon.

James Marion Shull (1872–1948) was an American botanist known for his iris and daylily cultivars and botanical illustrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Griscom Passmore</span> American botanical illustrator

Deborah Griscom Passmore (1840–1911) was a botanical illustrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture who specialized in paintings of fruit. Her work is now preserved in the USDA's Pomological Watercolor Collection, and she has been called the best of the early USDA artists. She rose to lead the USDA staff artists, and she became the most prolific of the group, contributing one-fifth of the 7500 paintings in the Pomological Watercolor Collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Newton (illustrator)</span> American botanical illustrator

Amanda Almira Newton was a botanical illustrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) who specialized in watercolors of fruit. Her work is now preserved in the USDA's Pomological Watercolor Collection, and she is the second-most prolific contributor to that archive of 7600 paintings, with her work representing roughly one-sixth of the total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickled fruit</span> Fruit that has been preserved by anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar

Pickled fruit refers to fruit that has been pickled. Pickling is the process of food preservation by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. Many types of fruit are pickled. Some examples include peaches, apples, crabapples, pears, plums, grapes, currants, tomatoes and olives. Vinegar may also be prepared from fruit, such as apple cider vinegar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Charles Steadman</span> American painter

Royal Charles Steadman was a botanical illustrator and wax fruit modeler for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) who also developed a patented method of strengthening wax fruit with plaster on the interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Isham Schutt</span> American botanical illustrator

Ellen Isham Schutt was an early 20th-century American botanical illustrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Her work now forms part of the USDA National Agricultural Library's Pomological Watercolor Collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomological Watercolor Collection</span>

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Pomological Watercolor Collection is an archive of some 7,500 botanical watercolors created for the USDA between the years 1886 and 1942 by around five dozen artists. Housed by the United States National Agricultural Library, it is a unique resource documenting existing fruit and nut cultivars, new introductions, and specimens discovered by USDA's plant explorers, representing 38 plant families in all. It has been called "one of the world's most unusual holdings of late 19th and early 20th century American botanical illustrations".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Daisy Arnold</span> American painter

Mary Daisy Arnold was a botanical artist who worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for over thirty-five years, painting watercolors of a wide variety of fruits. She is one of the three most prolific artists whose work is now preserved in the USDA's Pomological Watercolor Collection.

The fruit sector in Azerbaijan is a developing industry. The sector covered 171,600 ha. of land in 2016. Grape, apple, orange, pear and pomegranate are one of the major crops in fruit production in Azerbaijan.

References

  1. ↑ "Farming". British Museum. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  2. ↑ Tannahill, Reay (1968). The fine art of food. Folio Society.
  3. ↑ Janick, Jules (February 2005). "The Origins of Fruits, Fruit Growing and Fruit Breeding". Plant Breeding Reviews. 25: 255–320. doi:10.1002/9780470650301.ch8. ISBN   9780470650301.
  4. 1 2 John E. Stambaugh, The Ancient Roman City, JHU Press (1988), p. 148.
  5. ↑ Downing, Andrew Jackson (1855). The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1845) online.
  6. ↑ "Guide to the USDA Special Collections". National Agricultural Library. Archived from the original on 2011-01-09. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.