Explore the wide variety of fruits grown in temperate climates and grow your own to follow a passion or establish and manage a commercial fruit production business.
Certificate of Fruit Production – Temperate Climate is an online professional development course that explores how to successfully grow temperate climate fruits such as tree fruits, vines, nuts, berries and citrus and develop a fruit plantation or orchard.
Throughout this fruit production course, you will learn about temperate fruit varieties, growing techniques, soils, pruning and harvesting for commercial production or self-sufficiency.
You will also learn about the cultural management of a fruit plantation or orchid and how to market and sell produce in your locality.
On completion of this course, you will have extended your plant skills for personal use or to establish and manage a commercial fruit production or orchid.
Course Structure
Unit - Fruit Production - Temperate Climate
Unit 1 – Introduction to Temperate Fruit Growing
- How do you decide what to grow?
- aspects of crop selection
- Other commercial production considerations
- Scope of temperate fruit growing
- Understanding the botany
- The flower
- Different types of flowers
- Flower structure
- The inflorescence
- Fruits
- How seed forms
- Modification of fruits
- succulent fruits
- Composite fruits
- Key to main types of fruits
- Buds
- Flower or vegetative buds
- Glossary of terms
- Morphological changes in plants
Unit 2 – Establishing an Orchard
- Establishing an orchard – what to consider
- Considerations in choosing a site
- Size
- Location (slope, aspect and soil)
- Climate (temperature, frosts rainfall and evaporation)
- Calculating effective rainfall
- Wind and hazards
- Biological – pest and diseases
- Existing vegetation
- Water
- Producing drawings to scale
Unit 3 – General Cultural Practices
- Characteristics of soil
- Soil texture and structure
- Chemical characteristics of soils
- Simple soil tests
- Measuring the water content of soil
- Testing drainage
- Dealing with fruit tree problems
- Identifying the problem and symptoms
- Chewing insects and sucking insects
- List of diseases
- Plant viruses and virus control
- Wilt drooping foliage
- Integrated pest management
- Chemical methods of pest control
- Spray regulations and chemical labels
- Program for spraying deciduous fruit trees
- Environmental problems and effects on plant health
- Physical plant protection methods
- Weed control
- Plant nutrition
- Major nutrition elements and micronutrients
- Deficiencies and toxicities
- Fertilisers
- Pruning fruit trees
- Flower or vegetative buds
- Location of fruit buds
- Importance of water to plants
- Infiltration and water retention
- Classes of soil moisture
- Soils and transpiration
- Measuring water available to plants
- Calculating field capacity
- Calculating permanent wilting point (PWP)
- Tensiometers
- Testing drainage capability
- Improving drainage and filtration
- When to irrigate and scheduling irrigation
- Cyclic watering and pulse watering
- Irrigation types
- Flood irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and trickle irrigation
- Irrigation system efficiency
Unit 4 – Tree Fruits
- Deciduous fruit trees
- Winter chilling requirements
- Pollination requirements
- Directory of fruit trees and their requirements
- Apple (malus sylvestris) family: rosaceae
- Apricot (prunus armeniaca) family: rosaceae
- cherry (prunus avium and p. Cerasus)
- Fig (ficus carica) family: moraceae
- Loquat (eriobotrya japonica) family: rosaceae
- Nashi or asian pear (pyrus pyrifolia x p. Ussuriensis)
- olive (olea europaea) family: oleaceae
- Pepino (solanum muricatum) family: solanaceae
- Plum (prunus domestica and prunus salicina) family: rosaceae
- Pomegranate (punica granatum) family: punicaceae
- Quince (cydonia oblonga) family: rosaceae
- Tree tomato or tamarillo (cyphomandra betacea) family: solanaceae
- Using compost
- What is the c/n ratio?
Unit 5 – Vines, Nuts and Berries
- Nut growing
- Walnut (Juglans seiboldiana)
- Chestnuts (Castanea sativa)
- Almond (Prunus dulcis)
- Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
- Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia and M. tetraphylla)
- Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
- American Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
- Filbert (Corylus avellana and C. maxima)
- Pistachio (Pistachia vera)
- Other Edible Nuts
- Passionfruit (Passiflora sp.)
- Chinese Gooseberry (Actinidia chinensis)
- Grape (Vitis vinifera)
- Strawberries
- Raspberries (Rubus idaeus)
- Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana)
- Gooseberry (Ribes grossularia)
- Mulberry (Morus nigra, Morus alba and Morus rubra)
- Blueberry (Vaccinium sp.)
- Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
- Currants (Ribes sp.)
- American Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
- Bramble Fruits (Rubus species)
Unit 6 – Citrus
- Citrus fruits
- Citrus species
- Temperature tolerance
- Planting citrus
- Some general rules for citrus growing
- Diseases and insect pests
- Citrus directory
- Cumquat (fortunella spp.)
- Grapefruit (citrus paradisi)
- Lemon (c. Limon)
- Lime (c. Aurantifolia)
- Mandarin (c. Reticulata)
- Orange (c. Sinesis)
- Sour orange (c. Aurantium)
- Tangelo (c.X tangelo = c. Reticulata x c. Paradisi)
Unit 7 – Cultural Management of a Fruit Plantation or Orchard
- The maintenance program
- The production plan
- Example of a simple flow chart for cape gooseberries
Unit 8 – Marketing Your Produce
- Marketing your produce
- considering your market
- Market research
- steps in market research
- Gathering information
- What do you need to research?
- Standards
- Cost efficiency
- Profit
- Sakes price
- Quality standards
- Quantity standards
- Example of harvesting procedures for a berry crop
- Harvesting techniques
- Post-harvest treatment
- Cooling
- Cooling methods
Study Hours
Estimated duration 50 hours
Course Delivery and Start
Start anytime, self-paced and 100% online
Assessment
Assessment will be comprised of written exercises, including short-answer questions, reflective tasks, short reports and/or projects. There are no examinations or due dates for assessment. As a result, you can complete training in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.
Testimonials
Graduation
A Certificate of Attainment and Statement of Results will be issued upon successful completion of this course.
How to Enrol
Enrol Online: Click Enrol Now (Credit Card) or Enrol Now (Internet Banking/BPAY)
Enrol via Live Chat (Business Hours)
Enrol via Telephone 1300 76 2221 (Business Hours)
Enrol via Purchase Order/Tax Invoice
Enrolling Multiple Staff?
To enrol multiple staff, please complete the Employer Enrolment Form. We’ll be in touch within 60 minutes during business hours!
Payment Options
Visa, Mastercard, BPAY and Direct Deposit.
Course FAQs
Why Choose Australian Online Courses?
- Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
- Improve your employment opportunities;
- Study online, anywhere via our elearning system;
- High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
- All course materials provided online – no textbooks to buy;
- Unlimited tutor support via email;
- We offer twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
- Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.
Are there any entry requirements or pre-requisites?
To study online with Australian Online Courses you will need a computer (desktop PC/laptop) running a current/updated operating system with reliable high-speed internet access. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser to access your course.
Are there any computer requirements?
To study online with Australian Online Courses you will need a computer (desktop PC/laptop) running a current/updated operating system with reliable high-speed internet access. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser to access your course.
When can I start this course?
You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!
Credit card: Within 60 mins during business hours.
BPAY: Within 1-2 working days.
Internet Banking: Within 1-2 working days.
Cheque/Money Order: Upon receipt of mailed cheque.
How is this course delivered?
This course is delivered online via our easy-to-navigate Learning Management System (LMS), where you will discover interactive online learning/written content, resources and assessment.
Do I need to attend classes or undertake any work placements?
No. All courses are delivered online via our LMS and there are no work placement requirements in this course.
What support can I expect from Australian Online Courses?
Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email only during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.
I am an international student. Can I enrol into this course?
Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.
Career Pathways
Future growth
Strong
Unemployment
Low
Professional Development for:
- Gardeners
- Fruit farmer
- Hobby farmers
- Horticulturalists
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