Resources / Horticulture / Fruit yield
Horticulture · Yield & water · Output

Fruit yield

55 t/ha pears · 62 t/ha apples

Tonnes of fruit harvested per hectare, by crop — the headline output figure that water use, packout and cost of production are all measured against. Yield and fruit size pull against each other, so a big number is only good if the fruit still made grade.

Worked example · t/ha by crop · farm vs district
Farm District 55 62 26 Pears Apples Stonefruit
t/ha by crop · farm vs district
The benchmark

Australian pome-fruit benchmarking has put the model orchard’s gross yield around 44–47 t/ha, while leading, well-structured and netted blocks in the Goulburn Valley run 60–70 t/ha; nectarine crops commonly sit around 20–30 t/ha.

APAL Orchard Business Analysis ↗
What it signals

Yield alone can mislead: a heavy crop of small or second-grade fruit can earn less than a lighter crop that all packed as Class 1. Comparing crops and blocks side by side reveals which varieties, rootstocks and canopies are actually paying their way.

Data required to calculate
Fruit harvested by croptBearing area by cropha

Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses, and keeps the figure current automatically.

How to improve it
01

Match crop load to the canopy so yield lifts without dropping fruit size.

02

Renew tired blocks to modern high-density, light-efficient plantings.

03

Use block-level yield mapping to target the zones that respond.

Questions & answers

What is fruit yield?

Tonnes of fruit harvested per hectare, by crop — the headline output figure that water use, packout and cost of production are all measured against. Yield and fruit size pull against each other, so a big number is only good if the fruit still made grade.

What data do you need to calculate fruit yield?

You need: Fruit harvested by crop (t), Bearing area by crop (ha). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good fruit yield benchmark?

Australian pome-fruit benchmarking has put the model orchard’s gross yield around 44–47 t/ha, while leading, well-structured and netted blocks in the Goulburn Valley run 60–70 t/ha; nectarine crops commonly sit around 20–30 t/ha.

How do you improve fruit yield?

Match crop load to the canopy so yield lifts without dropping fruit size. Renew tired blocks to modern high-density, light-efficient plantings. Use block-level yield mapping to target the zones that respond.

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