Fruit thinning in ‘Conference’ pear grown under deficit irrigation: Implications for fruit quality at harvest and after cold storage

Fruit thinning in pear is feasible for mitigation of water stress effects. However, it is not well known how fruit quality at harvest and after cold storage is affected by pre-harvest water stress. Even less is known about the effects of fruit thinning on quality under these circumstances. To elucidate these, we applied deficit irrigation (DI) and fruit thinning treatments to ‘Conference’ pear over the growing seasons of 2008 and 2009. At the onset of Stage II (80 and 67 days before harvest in 2008 and 2009, respectively), two irrigation treatments were applied: full irrigation (FI) and DI. FI trees received 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). DI trees received no irrigation during the first three weeks of Stage II to induce water stress, but then received 20% of ETc to ensure tree survival. From bud-break until the onset of Stage II and during post-harvest, FI and DI trees received 100% of ETc. Each irrigation treatment received two thinning levels: no thinning leaving commercial crop load (∼180 fruits tree⁻¹), and hand-thinning at the onset of Stage II leaving a light crop load (∼85 fruits tree⁻¹). Under commercial crop loads, DI trees were moderately water-stressed and this had some positive effects on fruit quality. DI increased fruit firmness (FF), soluble solids concentrations (SSC) and acidity at harvest while no changes were observed in fruit maturity (based on ethylene production). Differences in FF and acidity at harvest between FI and DI fruit were maintained during cold storage. DI also reduced fruit weight loss during storage. But fruit size was reduced under DI. Fruit thinning under DI resulted in better fruit composition with no detrimental effect on fresh-market yield compared to un-thinned fruit. Fruit size at harvest and SSC values after five months of cold storage were higher in fruit from thinned trees than fruit from un-thinned trees. Fruit thinning increased fruit ethylene production, indicating advanced maturity. This may lead to earlier harvest which is desirable in years with impending drought. Fruit thinning is therefore a useful technique to enhance pear marketability under water shortage.     

A comparison of the combined effect of water stress and crop load on fruit growth during different phenological stages in young peach trees.

Summary

The combined effect of fruit load and water stress on fruit water content and dry-matter accumulation was analysed for three phenological stages of fruit growth. Irrigation treatments were no irrigation during Stage I (NI-SI), Stage II (NI-SII), or Stage III (NI-SIII) compared with a fully irrigated control. Three thinning treatments were imposed within each irrigation treatment resulting in fruit loads ranging from low to high. Fruit harvests at the end of Stage I, II and III were used to determine total tree fruit fresh and dry matter after each stage of fruit development. Fruit water accumulation was highly sensitive to the effect of water stress at high fruit loads in all fruit developmental phases, but reductions in fruit water content were more apparent during Stages II and III than during Stage I. On the other hand, fruit dry-matter accumulation was relatively insensitive to water stress at any fruit load level and developmental stage. However, reductions in dry-matter accumulation were obtained during Stage III from those trees that were not irrigated during Stage I (NISI). Since these reductions occurred only for mid-to-high fruit load conditions, the decreases in fruit growth during Stage III appeared to be related to a carbon source limitation. The possible reasons for this source limitation are discussed.     

Cropping effects on the loss of apple fruit firmness during storage: The relationship between texture retention and fruit dry matter concentration

Firmness is a primary measure of apple fruit texture, the key determinant of eating quality of apples. Despite the well developed understanding of the process of firmness loss in storage, there is very limited information concerning pre-harvest and at-harvest causes of the variation in fruit quality in the marketplace. The objective of the present study was to investigate the respective roles that the factors of time and intensity of crop thinning, fruit size and fruit dry matter concentration (DMC) each may have in determining fruit firmness of ‘Royal Gala’ apple at harvest and during storage. Loss of firmness during storage of all thinning treatments and of fruit size and DMC categories was described by a bilinear equation. Time of thinning did not influence any aspect of fruit softening during air storage at 0.5 °C. Comparing the crop loads, a lower crop load (100 fruit per tree) resulted in firmer fruit at harvest. The loss of firmness during storage associated with crop load occurred because fruit from the lowest crop load softened more rapidly during the second slow phase of softening. Fruit firmness was positively correlated with fruit size where larger fruit were slightly firmer than smaller fruit at harvest but not after storage. The softening profiles of different sized fruit were similar except for a class of extremely small fruit, which appeared to soften more rapidly during the second slow softening phase of storage. Both at-harvest and post-harvest fruit firmness were influenced by fruit DMC. Fruit firmness at harvest increased significantly as fruit DMC increased from 13% to above 16%. Despite having significantly different initial firmness, all fruit classes with DMC higher than 13% softened at a similar rate during both the initial rapid and second slow softening phases and the transition between the two phases occurred after the same time in storage. In contrast, fruit with very low DMC, less than 13%, had a greater rate of softening in the second phase. These results indicate that variation in fruit firmness at harvest and after storage is influenced by processes that affect and alter fruit DMC during fruit development. In this respect crop load control, which is used to improve fruit size, was also an important factor in altering fruit DMC, thereby affecting firmness at harvest and after storage. Furthermore, the effects of DMC on fruit firmness were independent of fruit size.     

Gibberellic acid influences the production of malformed and button berries,and fruit yield and quality in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.)

Experiments were conducted to observe the effects of foliar application of gibberellic acid on vegetative growth, flowering, fruiting and various disorders in ‘Chandler’ strawberry. GA₃ (75 ppm) was applied to the strawberry plants either during mid-November (at fruit bud differentiation stage), or mid-February (pre-flowering stage) or at both times. Fruit under control were sprayed with tap water only. Observations were recorded on vegetative attributes like crown height, crown spread, petiole length, leaf number, leaf area; flowering and fruit set, fruit size; production of albino, malformed and button berries, total yield and marketable fruit yield and quality parameters, like juice content, TSS, ascorbic acid contents, acidity etc. Results indicated that GA₃ (75 ppm) spray either during mid-November or mid-February or at both times has favourably influenced all vegetative attributes of ‘Chandler’ strawberry over control. Similarly, fruit set was increased, and production of malformed and button berries was reduced, but albinism remained unaffected. Although individual berry weight was reduced slightly, but fruit number, total as well as marketable yield was increased tremendously over control with no adverse effect on fruit quality parameters. In all, spraying GA₃ both during mid-November and mid-February was much more effective in achieving the desirable results than single application of GA₃ either during mid-November or mid-February.     

Partial rootzone drying maintains fruit quality of ‘Golden Delicious’ apples at harvest and postharvest

Partial rootzone drying (PRD) has been evaluated at harvest, but its effects on apple fruit postharvest life is little known for apples grown in semi-arid regions. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that water savings via PRD may affect fruit quality at harvest and postharvest-life of ‘Golden Delicious’ apples grown in a semi-arid region. The experiment was conducted from 2005 to 2007. The irrigation treatments were commercial irrigation as control (CI) and PRD. After 3 years of evaluation, fruit quality at harvest, measured as fruit weight, flesh firmness, and total soluble solids concentration, was similar between CI fruit and PRD fruit. Dry matter concentration (DMC) was higher in PRD fruit than in CI fruit in 2005. The fruit quality after 18 days storage at room temperature (13–18 °C and 51–56% relative humidity) was similar between CI fruit and PRD fruit. The DMC was the highest in PRD fruit in the 2005 and 2007 growing seasons, and tended to be higher in PRD fruit than in CI fruit in 2006. Total soluble solids concentration was ≈8.7% higher in PRD fruit than in CI fruit in 2007. Fruit weight loss was similar between treatments. This study suggests that water deficit via PRD did not damage fruit quality at harvest or after storage at room temperature. Additionally, PRD irrigation saved about 3240 m³ of water per hectare. Therefore, PRD can be recommended for commercial use in semi-arid regions and to those growers interested in either long-term storage or distant markets.     

Effect of pruning intensity on peach yield and fruit quality

Light, medium and heavy pruning treatments were used with one unpruned as check (control) in Flordasun, Flordaking and Saharanpur Prabhat peaches. Fruit yield decreased with the increase in severity of pruning in Flordaking and Saharanpur Prabhat peaches, whereas, medium pruning treatment gave highest yield in Flordasun peach. Pulp weight, stone weight, pulp-stone ratio, ascorbic acid, sugar acid ratio and moisture content were not affected by pruning levels. However, fruit weight, size, TSS, sugar and acid content were significantly increased by pruning in Flordasun peach. Almost all the physico-chemical characters were significantly affected by pruning in Flordaking and Saharanpur Prabhat peaches, in which medium and heavy pruning treatments performed better, respectively.     

Potassium Mineral Nutrition Combined with Sustained Deficit Irrigation to Improve Yield and Quality of a Late Season Peach Cultivar (Prunus persica L. cv ‘Chatos’)

ABSTRACT

Fruit quality traits are directly related to agronomic practices such as irrigation and fertilization, especially potassium supply since its effects on quality and water drought resistance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different combinations of potassium rate and application mode (in soil: 200S and 100S, foliar spray: 100F) with two irrigation regimes (FI: irrigation with 100%ETc and DI: irrigation with 66%ETc) on peach yield and quality parameters. The experiment was performed during two consecutive years. At harvest, only in the second year significant differences between treatments were observed in yield. In fact, potassium foliar spray, even in DI regime, improved yield. The fruit diameter was slightly affected by treatments in the first year. However, in the following season foliar potassium spray even in DI water regime increased fruit size. Concerning the firmness, no significant differences were observed in the first year except for the second year it decreased with DI strategy independently of potassium treatment. The soluble solids content was strongly affected by the treatments. The highest values were observed in 100F+DI treatment with no significant effect on acidity. Vegetative growth was affected only by water regime which DI reduced shoot length.     

Growth,yield and fruit quality of ‘Van’ and ‘Stark Hardy Giant’ sweet cherry cultivars as influenced by grafting on different rootstocks

The influence of Adara, CAB 6P, Gisela 5, MaxMa 14, Saint Lucie GF 64 (SL 64), Saint Lucie GF 405 (SL 405), and Tabel rootstocks onto vegetative growth, yield and fruit quality of ‘Van’ and ‘Stark Hardy Giant’ (SHG) sweet cherry cultivars was studied during 10 years after grafting. The experiment was performed in the Ebro Valley (Zaragoza, Spain), on a heavy and calcareous soil. Significant differences in some of these parameters such as vigour, yield, fruit size, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), skin colour and fruit firmness were examined among rootstocks. In general, the highest vigour, annual and cumulative yield were induced by Adara rootstock, whereas Gisela 5 induced the lowest when grafted with both cultivars. The highest yield efficiency was induced by Gisela 5 due to its low trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), together with Adara, CAB 6P and Tabel for ‘SHG’ cultivar. Regarding fruit quality, Adara, CAB 6P and MaxMa 14 showed, in general, the highest fruit weight and the more attractive skin colour for both sweet cherry cultivars. Furthermore, the high yield shown by Adara did not significantly affect its fruit size. Cherries of trees grafted on Adara also showed high firmness, which implies a better resistance to post-harvest damage. CAB 6P showed a tendency to induce higher TA. Despite the higher firmness of fruits on Gisela 5 and its tendency to induce higher SSC and ripening index, the smaller size fruits together with the less attractive skin colour resulted in a non-interesting rootstock in terms of fruit quality for our growing conditions. Interesting correlations were found among quality parameters, such as the positive correlation showed by SSC with fruit weight and TA. The work demonstrates that the scion–rootstock combination influences some important sweet cherry attributes such as vigour, yield, fruit size, acidity, skin colour and firmness.     

Thinning time during stage I and fruit spacing influences fruit size of ‘Contender’ peach

Early peach thinning during stage I was done at 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 days after full bloom (DAFB). At each thinning time, trees were hand-thinned to achieve different crop loads by spacing flowers or fruits 10, 15, or 25 cm along the shoot on whole tree canopies. In 2001 and 2002, fruit weight decreased quadratically with increasing time to hand-thin and increased linearly with increasing spacing. In both years, fruit diameter decreased linearly with increasing time to thin and increased linearly with increased fruit spacing. In both years, number of fruits harvested and yield per tree decreased linearly with increased spacing. Hand-thinning at 0 or 10 DAFB resulted in fewer fruit and lower yield; therefore, thinning at 20 DAFB was better. The effect of time of thinning on soluble solids was not consistent. In both years spacing (i.e., crop load) did not affect soluble solids.     

Water spray as a potential thinning agent for date palm flowers (Phoenix dactylifera L.) c.v. ‘Lulu’

Flower or fruit thinning is a critical cultural practice in the date palm production chain that affects fruit development, quality and yield and regulates tree yearly bearing. Development of a save and economic thinning agent for date palm is critically required especially under harsh conditions. During 2004 and 2005 seasons, water spray for 3 min was applied at different times following mechanical pollination on ‘Lulu’ date palm cultivar growing under Al-Ain oasis conditions. The results showed that water spray following pollination generally decreased fruit set percentage to different extent depending of the time of application. In this respect, the most effective treatment was water spray after 4 h following pollination. This treatment significantly decreased fruit set percentage (48%) compared to the control (79%), as the mean of both seasons. However, the other treatments including water spray 1 h before pollination also decreased fruit set percentage but to a lesser extent. Fruit quality characteristics especially fruit and flesh weight, length and diameter were significantly increased by water spray treatments during the 2004 season, in contrast to the 2005 season. Thinning with water significantly decreased both bunch weight and total yield per tree at the Tamr stage especially when applied after 4 h following pollination. To the best of our knowledge, this is a pioneer study investigating the role of water as a potential thinning agent for date palm flowers. The use of water spray as a save and economic thinner needs, however, more research work to justify the time following pollination and duration of application which may vary upon cultivar, method of pollination and district.     

Effects of deficit irrigation strategies on cluster microclimate for improving fruit composition of Moscatel field-grown grapevines

The grapevine plays a very important role in the economic, social and cultural sectors of many regions; however vineyards are often grown in regions under stressful conditions and thus they are vulnerable to climate change. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of partial root-zone drying (PRD) irrigation on vine water relations, vegetative growth, plant microclimate, berry composition and yield components, compared to conventional deficit irrigation (DI, 50% ETc), full irrigation (FI, 100% of ETc) and non-irrigated vines (NI). The study was undertaken in mature ‘Moscatel’ grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) grown in Pegões, South of Portugal. Compared to the other irrigated treatments, PRD vines showed a better microclimate at the cluster zone with higher incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). Within the more open canopies of NI and PRD treatments, berry temperatures were higher than those of denser ones (DI and FI). Compared to the conventional irrigation technique the better microclimate observed in PRD vines was a consequence of a reduction in vine growth, where lower values of leaf layer number, leaf area, canopy wideness, water shoots and shoot weight were observed. In PRD vines we observed a tendency to a development of a deeper root system, while DI and FI showed a more homogeneous root distribution throughout the different soil layers. PRD showed an improvement in berry quality with higher values of flavour precursors, and total phenols concentration without any significant yield reduction compared to DI and FI.     

Productivity of olive trees with different water status and crop load

SUMMARY

A field experiment was conducted over two growing seasons to determine the combined effect of crop load and irrigation on yield components of olive trees (Olea europaea L. ‘Leccino’) planted at 6 m 3.8 m in a sandy-clay soil. Different crop loads were established by manual thinning of fruits. Drip irrigation was managed to maintain pre-dawn leaf water-potentials (PLWP) within the following ranges: (i) higher than –1.1 MPa (FI; fully irrigated); (ii) between –1.0 and –3.3 MPa (DI; deficit irrigated); or (iii) below –1.2 MPa, but not lower than –4.2 MPa (SI; severe deficit irrigated). The irrigation period lasted from 6 – 16 weeks after full bloom (AFB) in 2003, and from 5 – 19 weeks AFB in 2004. In 2003, full bloom was on 26 May; in 2004, it was on 3 June. Neither irrigation regime nor crop load affected flowering or flower quality the following Spring. The combined fruit yields [on a fresh weight (FW) basis] over both years in SI and DI trees were 49.0% and 81.6% of FI trees, respectively. The oil yields of SI and DI trees were 52.5% and 81.2% of FI trees, respectively. Fruit FWs in FI trees were greater than those of DI or SI trees at 8 weeks AFB. At harvest, FI trees bore the largest fruits, and SI trees the smallest fruits. The FWs of individual fruits at harvest in the FI and DI treatments decreased as crop load increased, but no such relationship was apparent for SI trees. The oil content of the mesocarp increased as PLWP increased from approx. –3.5 MPa to –1.5 MPa. The oil content of FI trees at harvest decreased from 53.1% to 45.7% dry weight as fresh fruit yield increased from 5 – 25 kg dm^–2 trunk cross-sectional area. However, crop load did not have any effect on the oil content of the mesocarp in DI trees. Fruit maturation was delayed by irrigation. Maturation index also decreased (indicating delayed maturation) as the crop load on FI or DI trees increased, but did not vary with crop level in SI trees.     

The inhibition of flower bud differentiation in ‘Crimson Gold’ nectarine with GA3 as an alternative to hand thinning

The reduction of flower bud density by gibberellin sprays, to adjust the cropping level, is a novel approach to fruit thinning of peach and nectarine. A linear reduction in the number of flowers developed per unit of shoot length was found following the spray application of increasing concentrations of GA₃, in the nectarine cultivar ‘Crimson Gold’. These reductions in flower number led to reductions in yield at harvest, and increases in mean fruit weight. Flowering was slightly delayed by the GA₃ treatments, but no differences in ripening were detected at harvest, this depending rather on fruit size. The yield obtained by the application of 200 mg l⁻¹ GA₃ corresponded to that obtained with a very good thinning level, as established by hand thinning. No secondary effects on vegetative growth followed either the application of GA₃ or the reductions in crop load by means of hand thinning. Decreasing crop-loads have resulted in an increase in fruit size and an advance of fruit ripening, measured by greater levels of soluble solids and lower flesh firmness. A good commercial quality fruit size was obtained for crop-loads of 300 fruits per tree or less.     

Long-term effects of managed grass competition and two pruning methods on growth and yield of peach trees

Ground cover competition and tree training strongly affect development of newly planted peach trees and eventual productivity of peach orchards. This experiment characterized the long-term interactive effects of three levels of competition and two pruning criteria on yield, fruit size, and marketable yield efficiency. Trees of two cultivars (’Jersey Dawn’, JD, and ‘Redskin’, RS, on Lovell) of peach (Prunuspersica (L.) Batsch) were planted in an orchard in 1993 and grown for 14 years in a vegetation free area (VFA) width of 0.6 or 2.4 m. A separate group of trees that were in the 2.4 m VFA had grass seeded beneath them in 1998 to obtain 0 m VFA. All trees were pruned to maintain canopy size with wide-angled scaffold limbs and intense pruning (IP) or upright branch form with reduced pruning (RP). In general, RS had greater yield than JD and yield was greatest in the 2.4 m VFA with RP and least in the 0.6 m VFA with IP. Cumulative marketable (≥6.35 cm) and average annual total yield of both cultivars was similar for RP trees in 0 m VFA and IP trees in 2.4 m VFA's although more of the fruit were in the largest size class (>6.98 cm) in the IP trees. Reduced pruning increased crop load. Fruit weight decreased with increased crop load more in RS than JD and this response was similar for all VFA's within each cultivar. Grass competition tended to reduce both the number and weight of fruit per tree but the average weight of individual marketable fruit was reduced only in the 0.6 m VFA of RS. Tree size was reduced by grass competition and pruning times measured from 1995 to 2000 were less in RP than IP. Consequently, marketable yield efficiency of marketable fruit (grams fruit ≥6.35 cm/cm² trunk cross-sectional area, TCSA) measured from 2004 to 2007 was generally greater in trees with RP than IP and in the 0.6 than the 0 and 2.4 m VFA. The results indicate that persistent competition will reduce total annual yield per tree but with reduced pruning the concomitant increased crop load can help maintain marketable yield.     

水分胁迫对‘桂味’荔枝果实发育及糖代谢的影响

【目的】为研究水分胁迫对荔枝果实的生长发育、糖代谢及产量的影响,【方法】以15 a生‘桂味’荔枝(Litchichinensis Sonn‘Guiwei’)为试材,设以灌溉和水分胁迫2个不同的土壤水分处理。【结果】结果表明,水分胁迫下荔枝果实的大小、单果质量降低,果实发育受到抑制。水分胁迫的荔枝坐果率显著降低,同时导致最终产量的下降。对水分胁迫条件下糖积累的研究发现,‘桂味’荔枝前期以积累还原糖为主,果实发育后期主要积累蔗糖;胁迫处理的荔枝果实糖含量前期低于灌溉的,后期总糖、蔗糖及还原糖含量都高于灌溉处理的。在荔枝果实发育后期,分解蔗糖的酸性转化酶(AI)、蔗糖合成酶(SS)及合成蔗糖的蔗糖磷酸合成酶(SPS)的活性都为水分胁迫的高于灌溉处理的,这将有助于增加胁迫的果实库强及糖的积累。【结论】因此为使果实正常生长及提高产量和品质,生产上果实发育前中期应保持足量均衡的水分供应,后期不需要过多水分。     

Developmental problems in over-winter off-season longan fruit. I: Effect of temperatures

Fruit development was investigated in the field in over-winter off-season (bloomed in late November) and on-season (bloomed in mid April) longans (Dimocarpus longan Lour. cv. Chuliang) in 2004–2005 and 2007–2008 crops, and in potted trees grown in phytotrons set at cold (15/10 °C, day/night, simulating winter) or warm temperatures (28/23 °C, day/night) in 2008. Development of fruit in both on-season and off-season longans could be divided into two stages based on the pattern of fresh weight increase. Stage I was characterized by the slow fruit growth, and Stage II by rapid fruit growth with aril expansion. Off-season longan had a longer period of fruit development than on-season longan, chiefly due to a longer Stage I. The development of off-season fruit, especially in Stage I, was exposed to low and abruptly fluctuating temperatures. In contrast, the temperatures during on-season fruit growth were warmer and less fluctuating. Off-season fruit were smaller with a significantly higher fruit drop. Intensive fruit drop did not occur during cold period until temperature had risen. Fruit cracking in off-season longan was severe (27.6%) in 2004–2005 with a dry and cold winter, but negligible in 2007–2008 with a wet and cold winter. In phytotron experiment, trees exposed to the cold temperature regime during early fruit development produced significantly smaller fruit compared to those exposed to the warm temperature regime (6.2 g vs 7.3 g), while there was no significant difference in fruit drop rate and cracking incidence. The results suggested temperatures lower than 15 °C were stressful for the growth of young fruit and reduced the growth potential and thus fruit size. Severe fruit drop in over-winter off-season longan might be associated with stressful cold plus abrupt temperature fluctuations, while severe fruit cracking in over-winter off-season longan might be related to cold and dry weather in the winter.     

Grafting effects on postharvest ripening and quality of 1-methylcyclopropene-treated muskmelon fruit

In addition to managing soil-borne diseases in muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) production, grafting with resistant rootstocks may impact fruit quality. The ethylene antagonist 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) has been shown to extend shelf life of fresh muskmelon fruit. Postharvest characteristics of 1-MCP-treated melon fruit as affected by grafting, however, have not been well examined. This study was conducted to explore the influence of grafting with different rootstocks on ripening and quality attributes of 1-MCP-treated muskmelon fruit during postharvest storage. Grafted ‘Athena’ muskmelon with two commercial squash interspecific hybrid rootstocks including ‘Strong Tosa’ and ‘Tetsukabuto’ as well as non-grafted and self-grafted ‘Athena’ were grown in replicated field plots at the University of Florida Plant Science Research and Education Unit (Citra, FL, USA) during April–June 2010. Half-slip fruit from two harvests were treated with 1.0 μL L⁻¹ 1-MCP (18 h, 20 °C) and analyzed during storage at 13 °C. For fruit from the 27 May harvest, whole fruit and mesocarp firmness, titratable acidity, soluble solids, and ascorbic acid content were measured, while production of ethylene and CO₂ was determined on fruit from the 29 June harvest. Grafting did not show a significant impact on fruit yield but affected the fruit shelf life significantly. Fruit from non-grafted ‘Athena’ and ‘Athena’ grafted onto ‘Strong Tosa’ demonstrated a shelf life of 31 d for the first harvest and 22 d for the second harvest. Shelf life of fruit from self-grafted ‘Athena’ and ‘Athena’ grafted onto ‘Tetsukabuto’ declined by 6 d and 3 d for the first and second harvest, respectively. Whole fruit firmness decreased by approximately 15.5% on average from 13 to 31 d except day 19 as a result of grafting, but to a lesser extent with ‘Strong Tosa’ rootstock. Mesocarp firmness of grafted melon was reduced by about 30.2% at days 13 and 19 compared to non-grafted ‘Athena’ fruit. In contrast, titratable acidity, soluble solid content, and ascorbic acid concentration were less affected by grafting. All the measurements except for ethylene and CO₂ production declined during storage regardless of the grafting treatment. Compared with ‘Strong Tosa’ rootstock, ‘Tetsukabuto’ resulted in a more rapid ripening under 1-MCP application, as reflected by earlier increase in ethylene production and higher respiratory rate. The study demonstrates that grafting effects on postharvest ripening and quality of ‘Athena’ muskmelon can vary markedly with rootstocks used.     

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) fruit quality attributes and phytochemicals under different crop load

Three apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars were subjected to different degrees of fruit thinning during pit hardening. At harvest fruit quality characteristics were assessed, along with phytochemicals’ concentration, such as carbohydrates, phenolic compounds and organic acids. Antioxidant capacity of the pulp was estimated by diphenyl picryl hydrazyl and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. Thinning improved fruit weight in two of the three cultivars with a subsequent decrease in fruit firmness, without significant effect on total soluble solid content and titratable acidity. The skin color was not influenced by thinning, but carbohydrate concentration and sweetness index increased. Total phenol concentration increased with thinning, without any similar increase of the major individual phenolic compounds detected (neo-chlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, catechin, epicatechin, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid and caffeic acid). The antioxidant capacity of the pulp was not influenced by thinning. In overall, thinning enhanced the pomological traits of apricot fruits as well as their phytochemical content.     

Flower thinning method affects mineral composition of `Braeburn' and `Fiesta' apple fruit

Summary

Fruit mineral concentrations measured at harvest can have major effects on apple fruit quality on the tree or during storage. Orchard practices must therefore seek to optimize fruit mineral composition. The purpose of this study was to describe and elucidate the effects of hand thinning on whole trees and individual spurs on apple fruit mineral composition. Two methods of flower and fruitlet thinning were compared with no thinning on `Braeburn' and `Fiesta' apple trees. Alternate whole flower/fruitlet clusters or all but one flower/fruitlet within every cluster were removed at full bloom or 14±21 d after full bloom. Alternate-cluster thinning reduced final fruit numbers per tree and fruit Ca concentrations by up to 22%, while increasing final fruit size by up to 21%, compared with no thinning. These effects on fruit Ca concentrations were also measured across a range of fruit size classes. Within-cluster thinning at full bloom or up to 21 d after full bloom also reduced fruit numbers per tree but increased fruit size substantially, by up to 65% compared with no thinning, this effect being less for later thinning. However, fruit mineral concentrations were not influenced by this treatment. Some fruiting spurs were singled to one fruit 14 d after full bloom on alternately flower cluster thinned trees and on trees that had not been thinned at bloom, and compared with unthinned spurs on the same trees. Fruit Ca concentrations, primary spur leaf areas and primary spur leaf areas per fruit were greater for spurs bearing a single fruit (achieved by thinning manually or through natural abscission) than for multi-fruited spurs on the same trees. Spurs bearing one fruit on unthinned trees had greater fruit Ca concentrations, primary spur leaf areas and primary spur leaf areas per fruit, but lower fruit weight than the same spurs on alternate-cluster thinned trees. However, spurs on unthinned and alternate-cluster thinned trees with the same primary leaf areas per fruit had similar final Ca concentrations. Fruit size and crop loads were found not to be important in explaining fruit Ca concentration differences between thinning methods. However our results suggest that thinning method may affect Ca accumulation in apple fruit by altering the relationship between fruit numbers and leaf areas on individual spurs.     

Low leaf to fruit ratio delays fruit maturity of ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry on Gisela 5

Canopy leaf to fruit ratio (L:F) of 6-year-old ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry trees on Gisela 5 rootstock was manipulated at the end of stage II (38 DAFB) of fruit development. While control trees showed a L:F ratio of 0.7:1 without alteration, on other trees young fruit were manually removed to yield L:F ratios of 2:1 and 3:1, respectively. All leaves and young fruit on trees were counted 30 DAFB. The effect of altering the source–sink ratio of whole trees on sweet cherry fruit quality parameters (fruit increment, fruit mass, color, total soluble solids content, contents of individual sugars and organic acids) was evaluated in the study. High leaf area to fruit (LA:F) ratios influenced significantly darkest fruit color, higher fruit mass, higher total soluble solids content and higher ratio between sugars and acids, which corresponded to better ripening stage. Contents of glucose, fructose and sorbitol, but not sucrose, sum of individual sugars, and the content of malic acid differed significantly among fruit of the different treatments. Fruit of the most advanced maturity stage (treatment 3:1) had the highest quality. Each day of improved L:F ratio counts towards better sweet cherry fruit quality. The results show that low L:F ratio influenced prolonged ripening process and delayed fruit maturity of ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry.