Verfrühung von Süßkirschen im Folienhaus

Early ripening sweet cherry cvs ‘Burlat’, ‘Earlise’, ‘Samba’, ‘Souvenir des Charmes’ and clone M, which are all characterised by large fruit size and dark red fruit, on GiSelA 5 rootstock were forced – by closing a polytunnel from 24 March to 20 April 2006 – at Klein-Altendorf research station of Bonn University. A portable gas heater was used for automated frost protection in April. An adjacent uncovered planting at the same spacing of 3.8?m?×?1.75?m served as control. Forcing resulted in a 16–18 days earlier flowering in April relative to the 12–16 days earlier harvest at the beginning of June, resulting in a 2–4 days longer fruit development and retarded ripening. PAR was reduced in the polytunnel by 40% on sunny and 30% on overcast days with a concurrent drop in the humidity to 30% on sunny and 40% on overcast days and nearly 100% relative humidity at night. Polytunnel air temperatures on sunny days were increased – during ventilation – by up to 6?°C relative to the outside, e.g. 33?°C versus 27?°C outside. Forced cherries saved one spray application against aphids compared to those outside. Fully-grown cherry leaves contained 40–60?mg chlorophyll/g FM sufficient for photosynthesis with commensurate chlorophyll contents when grown in the polytunnel compared with those outside, and were deficient in calcium (0.5% DM) and magnesium (0.2% DM), but with a surplus in both nitrogen (3.5% DM) and phosphorus (0.42% DM). The surplus leaf nitrogen was due to excessive nitrogen mineralization in the rich soil under the higher temperatures in the polytunnel which caused the vigorous vegetative growth despite the dwarfing rootstock. Great fluctuations in fertilisation – despite strong flowering and sufficient pollination with honey bees – of between 4–71% may be due to the combination of S-alleles of the cherry varieties, infrequent water supply, nutrient imbalance and microclimate. Trees of cv. ‘Burlat’, ‘Earlise’ and clone M in their fourth leaf yielded an average of 2.5–7.5?kg fruit with 15?kg/tree in one case. Fruit of forced cvs. ‘Burlat’, ‘Souvenir’ and ‘Samba’ were larger compared with those of cv. ‘Earlise’ and clone M, which were smaller as a result of increased fruit load on the tree than those from uncovered control trees. For all five cvs tested, except forced cv. ‘Earlise’, a fruit mass of between 10?g (28?mm ) and 12?g (30?mm) and a sugar content of 12–17% with sugar:acid ratios of 20–37:1 made their fruit suitable for marketing as superior or premium fruit at higher farm-gate prices of 4.5–8?€/kg. Fruits were sufficiently dark red or black and firm for short distance transport and rapid sale. An economic evaluation showed financial gains, when yields exceed 8?kg fruit per tree per year at a farm-gate price of 4.50?€/kg.     

Verfrühung von Süßkirschen unter geschlossener Folie

The sweet cherry cvs. ‘Burlat’, ‘Earlise’, ‘Samba’, ‘Souvenir’, and clone M, all with early ripening, large, dark, red-black fruit, were cultivated at a spacing of 3.80x1.75 m under complete rain cover in a whole orchard at the Klein-Altendorf Research Station near Bonn, Germany during April and May 2004. Under such cover, these sweet cherry trees flowered 6–13 days earlier and their fruit ripened 12–19 days earlier than those from uncovered control trees, indicating shorter or enhanced fruit development and maturation in up to 1 week. The cover proved insufficient for frost protection at night, despite increased daytime air and soil temperatures (by as much as 15°C and 5°C, respectively). Trickle irrigation was used to overcome loss of soil moisture due to the rain cover. Burlat leaves grown under this cover were thinner and softer and contained less chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll than the leaves of uncovered control trees, without limiting photosynthesis. In contrast, the chlorophyll content of clone M leaves grown under cover equalled that of uncovered controls. Three of the five cvs. employed developed fruit mass of 9–15 g (25–33 mm fruit diameter). Three-year-old sweet cherry trees on dwarfing GiSelA 5 rootstocks were more vigorous than those without cover and produced 3–4.5 kg fruit per tree. The cover had no adverse effect on fruit colouration. The cherries grown under cover were slightly smaller, softer, with attractive colouration, and tasted better due to increases in both sugar and acidity, with sugar:acid ratios of 25–30:1.     

Honigbienen zur Bestäubung von verfrühten Süßkirschen im geschützten Anbau

The objective of the present work was to study ways of additional foraging of honey bees in a sustainable production of forced sweet cherries in a polytunnel in order to reduce any loss of bees and to substitute the annual re-introduction of new bumble bees (Bombus terrestris L.) which are lost after use. Three honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) hives were employed during the three weeks flowering in April 2006 in a closed, unheated polytunnel to pollinate sweet cherry cvs ‘Burlat’, ‘Earlise’, ‘Samba’, ‘Souvenir des Charmes’ and an unnamed clone on dwarfing GiSelA 5 rootstock at Klein Altendorf research station near Bonn, Germany. The central position of hive A allowed the honey bees to collect pollen and nectar exclusively from the flowering sweet cherries in the tunnel. Hive B also inside the tunnel had apertures inside and outside the tunnel, while hive C outside the tunnel adjacent to its wall, had inside and outside apertures; honey bees from the latter two hives were allowed to forage both inside the tunnel or outside. Differences in air temperatures between the inside and outside the tunnel were no more than 5?°C due to effective ventilation. A portable gas heater for automated frost protection maintained the night temperature in the polytunnel in April above 0?°C. Measurements of the flight activity showed a close correlation with the ambient temperature at the respective hive location. The two bee hives A and B within the tunnel showed larger flight activities of an averaged 540 bees per hour compared with 180 bees per hour outside due to low spring temperatures. Honey bee population A in the centre of the tunnel declined after three weeks pollination to ca. 9,200 individuals and produced only 46?kg honey due to shortage in food reserves and intense flight activity. The outdoor bee population C with ca. 15,000 individuals yielded also only 49?kg honey due to lack of flight activity during the cold April 2006 compared with 68?kg honey from population B with ca. 16,000 individuals but continuous flight activity within the tunnel and additional foraging outside. Control bee hives D and E with ca. 22,000 individuals each, which had remained at the institute at Bonn, produced 82–93?kg honey during the same time. Cherry forcing resulted in a 12–18 days earlier flowering in April 2006 relative to the 12–16 days earlier harvest in June 2006. Large fluctuations in yield of 0.3–15.4?kg/tree were due to commensurate S-alleles causing intersterility, insufficient fertilisation and location of the cherry cultivars relative to each other and the bee hive.     

Mechanische Fruchtbehangsregulierung verringerte den Junifruchtfall und verbesserte die Fruchtqualität und Fruchtgröße bei ‚Conference‘- und ‚Alexander Lucas‘-Birnen

In the absence of any chemicals approved for thinning pears but market demand for large particularly cv. ‘Conference’ fruit, the objective of the present study as part of a MSC thesis was to improve fruit quality i.e. achieve these fruit sizes by mechanical blossom thinning. Therefore, 18-year-old cv. ‘Conference’ pear trees, trained as super spindles, on quince A rootstock with a spacing of 4?×?0.4 m were used in Klein-Altendorf near Bonn, Germany; cv. ‘A. Lucas’ and un-thinned trees served as control. These pear trees with intense flowering were blossom-thinned on 15 April 2009 with rotor speeds of either 300 rpm or 400 rpm both at 5 km/h tractor speed with the new mechanical thinning device developed at the University of Bonn in 2004–2006. Therein, a vertical mast supports three horizontal rotors, whose vertically rotating tines remove excessive flowers; the device is mounted on the front three point hitch of the tractor. In 2009, a year with severe June drop, mechanical thinning reduced the intensity of the natural June drop with increasing rotor speed and was stronger reduced in cv. ‘A. Lucas’ (by ?38%) than in cv. ‘Conference’ (by ?27% relative to the control). In cv. ‘A. Lucas’, the natural June drop was as strong as mechanical thinning and resulted in large-sized 80 mm pear fruit in the control; mechanical thinning with 400 rpm further increased fruit mass by 16 g relative to the un-thinned control or 6 g larger than in the thinning with 300 rpm. In cv. ‘Conference’, fruit fell within the next larger fruit size class after the stronger mechanical thinning with 400 rpm at 5 km/h: the portion of pear fruit in the 75/80 mm size class was 2 fold and in the 80/85 mm size class was 6 fold that in the control. The portion of <?60, 60/65 mm and 65/70 mm fruit was halved relative to the control; the average fruit mass was increased by 40 g. Vegetative growth appeared unaffected by mechanical thinning. The risk of both over-sized fruit and over-thinning appears small, since mechanical thinning reduced the natural June drop and did not induce subsequent fruit drop. Mechanical thinning was more efficient in cv. ‘Conference’, as intended, despite more intense flowering in cv. ‘A Lucas’. An economic evaluation proved difficult, since the natural June drop particularly in cv. ‘A. Lucas’ led to large-sized fruit (80 mm) in the control, and any (mechanical) thinning is associated with lower yields (?26% in cv. ‘Conference’ and ?12% in cv. ‘A. Lucas’). Overall, the results indicate the potential of mechanical thinning as a substitute (or combination partner for chemical thinning if approved) in pear.     

In vitro Germination of Early Ripening Sweet Cherry Varieties (Prunus avium L.) at Different Fruit Ripening Stages

In vitro embryo culture enabled satisfactory germination of immature seeds produced in crosses from early ripening sweet cherry varieties (Prunus avium L.). Three varieties —‘Rita’, ‘Bigarreau Burlat’ and ‘Carmen’— were crossed with ‘Early Star’ as male parent. Germination rate was affected by the developmental stage of both fruit and embryo. Fruit ripening stage was a critical factor for culture infection rate that increased with maturity. In-ovule embryo culture on Murashige and Skoog medium without hormones improved the embryo size but did not increase the germination rate due to a further increase in infection rate. Ex-ovule embryo culture on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with BA 1 mg L^?1, NAA 0.5 mg L^?1, 20 g L^?1sucrose, 10 g L^?1 sorbitol and 6 g L^?1agar during the stratification time increased embryo length. Germination was performed on Brooks and Hough medium at the 22?±?1?°C with 16/8 h light/dark photoperiod. The highest germination rate (75?%) was reached in embryos that were 3?4 mm in length, after 30-days stratification at 4?°C. Embryos in fruits at green-yellow stage that were 3?4 mm long were morpho-physiologically developed to produce bipolar seedlings, without combined application of embryo culture and micropropagation.     

Mikroklima-, Farb- und Geschmacksverbesserung durch Licht reflektierende Folie zu verschiedenen Auslegeterminen bei ��Elstar��- und ��Jonagold�� ?pfeln unter schwarzem und wei?em Hagelnetz

Fruit colouration of the bi-coloured apple cvs ??Elstar Elshof?? and ??Jonagold Wilmuta?? on M9 under hailnet is often hampered due to light deprivation in the autumn, caused by shorter photoperiod, declining solar angle and decreasing light intensity. Therefore, reflective ground cover (Extenday^®) was spread early (beginning of July) or late (beginning of August) either side of the tree rows under white (88?C92% light transmission) or black (80?C84% light transmission) hailnet at the University of Bonn, Campus Klein-Altendorf (50.4°N), Germany, to improve fruit quality, particularly fruit colouration and taste, particularly sugar content. The five-year-old apple trees on M9 rootstock, spaced at 3.5 m?×?1 m, were planted in N-S orientation to optimise light utilisation; adjacent uncovered trees without reflective ground cover without hailnet served as control. The ground covers improved light reflection perpendicular from the ground in the middle of the alleyways by 14% at 90° angle, but by 5-fold at a 45° angle into the periphery of the tree canopy, both measured 1 m above ground. The diurnal course of light reflection 1 m from the ground differed distinctly from that of incident radiation: The latter depended on the East or West side of the tree row. By contrast, light reflection values depended solely on the use of reflective ground cover irrespective of hailnet and row orientation. Relative humidity and air temperature appeared unaffected by the use of reflective mulch; sunburn did not appear in any of the treatments. 1,200 colour measurements showed that the reflective ground covers improved red colouration of the downward-facing, lower and tree-facing, inner side of apple fruit of both varieties from 91?C99°hue colour angle (green) in the uncovered control to 51?C59°hue (red) irrespective of the date of spreading the mulch i.e. early or late. By contrast, no differences were observed in the sun-exposed, outer side of the fruit. The lowest fruit firmness and lowest sugar content were observed in apple fruit under the black hail-net. The firmest fruit with the largest sugar concentration (as a measure of taste) were observed in all trials with reflective mulch, particularly in the lower third of the tree canopy, starting from the uncovered control, the white hailnet to the black hailnet; sugar concentration improved with the time of mulching. Overall, the shorter time of mulching of 4 versus 8 weeks prior to anticipated harvest from the beginning of July (for cv. ??Elstar??) and mid-August (for cv. ??Jonagold??) proved sufficient for improving fruit quality, colouration and taste under both white and black hailnet at 50°N. Based on an expected 10-year lifespan with reduced UV-exposure under hailnet in North-western Europe, this currently most expensive reflective ground cover increased gross returns by 560?C840 ?/ha/year due to more well-coloured class 1 apples and a smaller percentage of poorly coloured apples (?<?25% blush) compared with the material cost of 700 or 350 ?/ha/year, if used once or twice a year, but without any labour cost involved. Financial returns varied between 210 and 490 ?/ha/year, based on double use per season of the light reflecting material, whereas single use only reached the break-even point. Hailnets are expected to increase due to climate change associated with better light conditions for reflection in the autumn and taller tree training leading to more shade in the lower tree canopy; new alternative reflective, low cost ground covers may then contribute to better utilisation of light otherwise lost in the alleyways and better economy for use in a fruit orchard.     

Einfluss rezenter Klimaveränderungen auf die Phänologie bei Kernobst am Standort Klein-Altendorf – anhand 50-jähriger Aufzeichnungen

This project examines the effects of climate change on pome fruit phenology at Klein-Altendorf in the Rhineland fruit-growing region in the West of Germany, using 50 years of weather data and phenology records, including beginning of flowering (F1), full bloom (F2), harvest date and leaf drop of apple and pear, with the following results:

1. Fifty years of weather records and pome phenology data showed a distinct separation between a first phase (1958–1987), which was 0.42°C cooler, and a second phase (1988–2007), which was 0.66°C warmer than the long-term, 50 year temperature average of 9.4°C, indicating the start of the climate change in 1988.
2. Annual average temperatures rose from 8.8°C to 10.2°C, i.e. by 1.4°C over 50 years at Klein-Altendorf, which affected the apple phenology. A comparison of the second phase (average temp. 10.1°C) with the first phase (9.0°C) resulted in a temperature rise of 1.1°C; the temperature rise in the winter (1.2°C) was greater (by 0.2°C) than in the summer (1.0°C). This temperature rise in the last 20 years (second phase, 1988–2007) was more pronounced in the winter months January ( $ + $ 1.7°C) and February ( $ + $ 1.8°C) than in the spring months March and May both with $ + $ 1.4°C leading to enhanced early post-bloom fruit drop, and July ( $ + $ 1.3°C) and August ( $ + $ 1.6°C).
3. Annual precipitation remained constant at ca. 600?mm with an increase in February, March and April and an equivalent decrease in May (?10?mm) and July (?7?mm) during fruit development.
4. Soil temperatures increased by 2.6°C and hence greater than the air temperature ( $ + $ 1.45°C) over the last 50 years; this increase was most pronounced between January and March.
5. Minimum air temperatures increased also by 2.6°C from ?6.1°C in March 1958 to ?3.5°C in March 2007. The more advanced flowering, brought about by warmer January to March temperatures, now coincides with late spring frosts, thereby maintaining the risk of yield loss due to spring frost in April, a month when the minimum temperature still continues to drop.
6. On average, apple and pear flowering was 10 days earlier without extension of the flowering period after warm winters and appeared more severely affected than the harvest period (3–9 days) and leaf drop (2–3 days earlier) with distinct varietal differences. The apple flowering period was 4 days shorter in the last 10 years and reduced from 12–15 days to 8–10 days. Early maturing cultivars (cvs) ripened 3–4 days earlier, while late cvs ripened 8–12 days earlier. The period between harvest and leaf drop was extended by 2–7 (apple) to 11 days (pear), which requires regional differentiation according to the respective climatic zone and may be beneficial for nutrient translocation into the perennial woody parts of the tree.
7. Since the changes in the temperature-based vegetation period did not explain the effects of climate change on pome phenology, a `pomological vegetation interval' between the beginning of flowering and beginning of leaf drop was defined and was extended by climate change in spring by 0–10 days in apple and by 8 days in pear. Based on flowering (F1, F2) advances, the Meckenheim fruit-growing region was more strongly affected by the climate change compared with other European fruit growing regions.

     

Mechanische Fruchtbehangsregulierung bei Apfel verbessert Fruchtgröße,Fruchtfestigkeit, Fruchtausfärbung und die Source: Sink – Verhältnisse mit mehr Einzelfruchtständen (Singlets) bei ‘Gala’

The objective of the MSc project was to improve fruit quality, i.e. fruit firmness, colour and size, by mechanical blossom thinning. Ten-year-old slender spindle apple cv. ‘Gala, Mondial’ trees at Campus Klein-Altendorf near Bonn, Germany with an intense flowering of 7–8 on the 0–9 scale were blossom-thinned on 21 April 2009; unthinned trees served as control. Rotor speeds were 360 rpm or 420 rpm at 5 or 7.5 km/h tractor speed using the new mechanical thinning device developed at the University of Bonn in 2004–2006. Therein, a vertical mast supports three horizontal rotors, whose vertically rotating tines remove excessive flowers; the device was mounted on the front three point hitch of the tractor with the following results:

1. Mechanical thinning reduced the number of apple fruit from 18 per branch section in the un-thinned control, 12–13 in the medium to 8 fruit in the strongest thinning (420 rpm, 5 km/h).
2. Similarly, the number of singlets (one fruitlet/flower cluster) nearly doubled from ca. 2 per branch in the control to 3–4 after mechanical thinning, as intended.
3. The natural June drop after mechanical thinning resembled that in the un-thinned control.
4. Mechanical thinning increased fruit mass by 20 g—48 g relative to the un-thinned control.
5. Mechanical thinning with 420 rpm increased the portion of premium fruit >?70 mm (class I) by 43?% (7.5 km/h) and 63?% (5 km/h); combined mechanical and hand-thinning yielded the largest portion of fruit >?70 mm (70?%), but with a dramatic loss in yield (55?%).
6. Mechanical and manual thinning improved the portion of well coloured fruit (75–100?% coloured) (78–98?%) when compared to the un-thinned control fruits with 55?%, probably due to selective removal of shaded fruits from the inner tree canopy.
7. Overall, mechanical thinning alone gave better results than hand thinning alone or its combination with hand-thinning in cv. ‘Gala’; mechanical thinning waived the need for hand thinning in this experiment.
8. Mechanical thinning improved fruit firmness from 9.4 kg/cm² in the un-thinned control to 10.4 kg/cm².
9. Neither vegetative growth nor subsequent fruit drop were stimulated by this type of mechanical thinning.
10. The risk of both alternate bearing and over-sized fruit was waived due to the variety employed.
11. An economic evaluation showed a net profit of € 220/ha in the weak (420 rpm—7.5 km/h) aνô € 1,844/ha in the intermediate (360 rpm—5 km/h), but a net loss of € 1,120/ha (420 rpm—5 km/h) for the strongest thinning treatment, assuming a cost of € 120/ha for the mechanical treatment and a saving of € 200 for reduced hand thinning.

Overall, the positive results of a better fruit quality (size, colour and firmness) offer the potential of mechanical blossom thinning in cv. ‘Gala’, which is difficult to blossom-thin chemically.     

Farb- und Fruchtqualitätsverbesserung bei Äpfeln mit Monophosphat und Extenday

Monophosphates reportedly enhance red colouration of bi-coloured apple fruit by stimulating anthocyanin synthesis and, in addition with calcium or potassium, may improve fruit firmness; colour and firmness which may be restricted by the climate in Western Europe. 12-year-old cv. ‘Elstar’ apple trees at Klein-Altendorf near Bonn, Germany, were sprayed weekly with either of two monophosphates four weeks prior to harvest to improve fruit quality, i.e. colouration, sugar and firmness. White, woven reflective cloth was spread as an alternative on the grass strips between the tree rows six weeks prior to harvest for the same purpose. Untreated apple trees served as control. Neither of the three treatments affected fruit maturation, measured as Streif index. The monophosphate formulation containing calcium (Seniphos; 24% P₂O₅; 4% CaO; 2?×?10?L/ha) increased the sugar content of the cv. ‘Elstar’ apples in the outer as well as in the inner tree canopy and the reflective cloth additionally in fruit of the lower canopy close to the cloth's position on the ground. This white reflective cloth (Extenday) also affected fruit from the outer tree canopy with the largest sugar content (12.6°Brix) and firmness (7.6?kg/cm²) at harvest. The monophosphate formulation containing potassium (Rizammina 42; 8% P₂O₅, 21% K₂O; 3?×? 2.5?kg/ha) improved the category of greater 25% fruit colouration by only 3%. Both Seniphos and the reflective cloth increased this portion by 17–19%, thereby raising the portion of class-1-fruit by 8%, equivalent to additional earnings of 1,060 €/ha. The green ground colour of apples in the shaded inner canopy was retained by either monophosphate. In the well-illuminated tree periphery, however, the ground colour of fruit treated with either monophosphate was less green (more yellow-green) and the top colour was more red. The white reflective cloth induced the same positive effects on fruit colouration to a much larger extent. Both monophosphates increased fruit firmness after 4?months cold storage around 5% at a time when fruit were too soft for marketing as fresh products.     

Interaction of Maximum Daily Trunk Shrinkage and Fruit Quality in European Plum

Maximum daily trunk shrinkage (MDS) has been suggested as an appropriate indicator of plant water status because it is closely related to stem water potential. Interaction of MDS and fruit quality was studied in plum (Prunus domestica L. ‘Jojo’/Wavit and ‘Tophit plus’/Wavit) in temperate climate. According to the MDS data, trees were grouped as low MDS (LMDS) and high MDS (HMDS). Fruit quality was analysed during fruit development (95, 103, 117 DAFB for ‘Jojo’ and 99, 112, 121 DAFB for ‘Tophit plus’) before commercial harvest. Fruit picked at commercial harvest (137 DAFB and 140 DAFB for ‘Jojo’ and ‘Tophit plus’, respectively) were stored at 2 ± 0.5?°C (90 ± 2% RH) for 28 days, and 2 days shelf life at 20?°C providing 6 measuring dates postharvest. Results confirmed that MDS was positively correlated with water vapour pressure deficit also in the apparent temperate, semi-humid climate. Transpiration of fruit from high crop load and resulting HMDS trees, which can be assessed as physiologically drought, was low compared to that of fruit from LMDS trees. Furthermore, HMDS tree grown plums had enhanced soluble solids and dry matter contents with a tendency of reduced fruit size.     

Effect of photoperiods before,during and after vernalization on flower initiation and development and its varietal difference in Japanese bunching onion (Allium fistulosum L.)

Summary

To control the bolting of Japanese bunching onion (Allium fistulosum L.) photoperiodically, the effect of photoperiods before, during and after vernalization on flower initiation and development and the varietal differences were investigated using the two mid-season flowering cvs Kincho and Asagi-kujo, and a late-season flowering cv. Cho-etsu. A long-day photoperiod (LD, 16 h) given before vernalization inhibited flower initiation. Especially, the bolting rate of ‘Asagi-kujo’ decreased by about a half, compared with the short-day photoperiod (SD, 8 h). The interaction between the effect of night temperature (3°C, 7°C, 11°C or 15°C) and the effect of the photoperiod (SD and LD) during vernalization was also investigated. In ‘Kincho’, LD did not affect flower initiation at 3°C, but inhibited flower initiation at 7°C, 11°C and 15°C. In ‘Asagi-kujo’, flower initiation was significantly inhibited by LD under all temperature conditions. This inhibitory effect was stronger at 11°C and 15°C than at 3°C and 7°C. In ‘Cho- etsu’, LD significantly inhibited flower initiation at 3°C and 7°C, and flower initiation rarely occurred at 11°C and 15°C. In this study, generally, LD during vernalization inhibited flower initiation in all cultivars. Thus Japanese bunching onion required a short-day photoperiod in flower initiation, which was stronger in ‘Asagi-kujo’ and ‘Cho-etsu’ than in ‘Kincho’. From these results, we conclude that low temperature and a short-day photoperiod complementarily induce flower initiation in Japanese bunching onion. Varietal differences exist in the requirement of low temperature and a short-day photoperiod: the primary requirement in ‘Kincho’ is low temperature and that in ‘Asagi-kujo’ is a short-day. After flower initiation, the early stage of flower development is day-neutral, and after the floret formation stage, a long-day photoperiod promotes flower development and elongation of the seedstalk.     

Mechanische Fruchtbehangsregulierung

The objective of the present study was to thin apple flowers without use of chemicals, in order to improve fruit quality, reduce labour for hand thinning and overcome alternate bearing. The newly developed device comprises three rotors with adjustable angles and vertically rotating ropes, which remove excess apple flowers. Eleven year-old cv. ‘Braeburn’ apple trees were thinned at flower opening (BBCH growth stage 61) with the new device in Klein-Altendorf near Bonn, Germany. Adjacent untreated, hand-thinned or chemically (benzyladenine-)thinned apple trees of the same rows served as controls. Tree branches remained un-damaged by the vertically rotating ropes. Slight leaf damages of less than 8% were observed at the fastest rotor speed of 320?rpm, which also gave the best thinning results. The portion of class one fruits >?70?mm was increased by 10% without yield loss and by up to 20% with yield losses of ca. 5–10%, depending on the settings, relative to the untreated control. This was equivalent to fruit mass gains of 10?g without yield loss and of 20?g with 10%–20% yield loss with economic gain in both cases. The single or double-sided mechanical thinning required 1.2?h ha^?1 or 2.4?h ha^?1 at a tractor speed of 2.5?km h^?1 and reduced the subsequent hand thinning by respectively 20% or 45% (by 7?h or by 15?h/ha or its cost by 50–135 €/ha). The new device gently removed up to one third of both peripheral and central flowers at a cost of less than 100 €/ha and with a negligible risk of over-thinning and without effect on return bloom.     

Promotion of floral initiation in ‘Fuerte’ avocado by low temperature and short daylength

Potted avocado (Persea americana Mill., cv. ‘Fuerte’) plants were maintained in growth cabinets for up to 32 weeks and new growth observed for flower formation. Flowers were formed if temperatures were 20°C or below, but with 25° or 30°, even if only for 1 hour per day, flower formation was inhibited. Time to flowering was accelerated, but number of flowers reduced, if daylength was shortened from 15 h to 9 h. With low temperature and short days, full bloom was about 4 months after starting experiments. Spring flowering of cv. ‘Fuerte’ in the field could follow flower induction about 4 months previously with the onset of winter temperatures and daylengths.     

Einfluss von Biostimulanzien und Lichtreflexionsfolie auf die Fruchtqualität und Farbentwicklung bei Apfel

The aim of this research was to improve inner and external fruit quality and fruit colouration using four-year-old apple ‘Braeburn, Hillwell’ trees on M9 (3?m × 1?m spacing) by employing reflective ground covers and biostimulants at Klein-Altendorf, nr. Bonn, Germany (50°N). Two reflective ground covers were spread on both sides of tree rows seven weeks before anticipated harvest and two biostimulants were applied two times – four and two weeks before harvest. Adjacent trees of the same row without reflective ground cover or without biostimulants served as control.Reflective ground covers significantly improved red colouration from 71°hue in the control to 49°hue with the ground cover Lumilys® and to 40°hue with Extenday®. The red colouration of the lower surface of fruits improved from 85°hue in the control to 52°hue with Lumilys® and 40°hue by Extenday®. Apple trees with Extenday® and Lumilys® produced 69% and 44% well-coloured fruit (with 75–100% fruit colouration) compared with 16–26% in the control.By contrast, an acceleration of ripening processes was not observed in plots with reflective ground covers compared with the control. There were no differences in sugar contents (°Brix) and fruit firmness (kg/cm²), but starch breakdown in fruit with reflective mulch was significantly delayed compared with the control resulting in retarded maturation.An economic analysis based on material costs and lifespan – excluding the labour costs for spreading and removing the ground covers – showed an economic advantage, if these mulches are used more than once a year.Both biostimulants showed neither effects on inner and external fruit quality nor on fruit colouration. Fruits with Wuxal®ATRiun or Sunred® did not improve the percentage of well-coloured fruits (75%–100% fruit surface with red colouration) compared with the untreated control. Similarly, inner and external fruit quality showed no significant differences in fruit firmness, sugar content and starch degradation. An economic analysis based on chemicals’ costs – excluding the labour costs for applying the biostimulants – resulted in no economic advantage. The chlorophyll – based ‘Index of Absorption Difference’ (IAD; measured non-destructively by the DA-meter) in some cases correlated positively with the Streif (maturation) index based on destructive assessment fruit firmness, sugar content and starch breakdown in an ‘ART system’.     

Flowering and Fruiting in ‘Arbequina’ Olives in Subtropical Climates Where Olives Normally Remain Vegetative

Abstract

It is generally assumed that lack of flowering and fruiting in olives in subtropical climates of southern Texas (e.g. Weslaco Texas area; N 26.16° Latitude 97.96° Longitude) is due to fewer chilling days (<7.2°C) during winter than most olive growing areas of the world. However using controlled environmental chambers we have recently shown that flowering and fruiting in the ‘Arbequina’ cultivar of olives can be achieved without any chilling days. This raised the question of why olive trees don't flower in southern Texas where they do experience some chilling days. We hypothesize that the absence of flowering in olives growing in southern Texas and a similar climate elsewhere is due not to the lack of enough chilling days but most likely due to high temperatures during the day (≥°C) that inhibit flowering. To test our hypothesis we provided cooling to olive trees growing under Weslaco Texas climate by simple shading or by evaporative cooling. These treatments resulted in good flowering and fruiting in ‘Arbequina’ olives in Weslaco Texas after a typical winter period although normally olive trees in this subtropical climate remain vegetative even after winter months.     

Wie viele Nährstoffe werden mit dem Mulchen der Fahrgassen in den Baumstreifen einer Obstanlage verfrachtet?

The objective of this PhD project was to investigate the nutrient translocation associated with the mulch from the grass alley to the tree strip. Therefore, a historical, approved 40-year fertiliser trial with apple cv. ‘Gloster’ on M9 rootstock at a spacing of 4 m?×?1.5?m was employed at Klein-Altendorf Research Centre, University of Bonn, Germany, which comprised mineral nutrition (1?t/ha??CaO? $ + $ ?NPK), an organic plot (10?t??FM/ha pig manure) and an unfertilised plot as control. Grass alleys were mowed 5?× in 1995 and 3?× in 1996 as commonly practised in fruit orchards; foil was spread on the tree strips to capture the biomass transferred with the mulching. Overall, ca.??60% of the grass mulch dry matter (mowed at 2?cm height) remained in the grass alleyway, while ca.??40% was translocated to the tree strips, which amounted to 550?kg??DM (Dry Matter) in the unfertilised plot and 800?kg??DM/ha/year in both fertilised plots with the five mulches in the wet year 1995. Grass mulch contained 2–3%??N and 2.2–2.9%??K in the unfertilised control plot or 2.1–3.9%??N and 2.7–4.1%??K on per leaf dry matter in both the inorganic NPK and organically fertilised plot; the nitrogen content of the grass mulch increased during the growing season in the wet year 1995, but remained low and constant at 2.5%??N in the dry year 1996. By contrast, calcium was decreased from 0.5–0.7%??Ca in the unfertilised plot to 0.3–0.6%??Ca in the organic plot. Overall, 25–50% of the grass mulch was translocated from the grass alleys (ca. 4,000 m²) into the tree strips, representing an organic fertilisation of 10–25?kg??N, 2–4?kg??P, 15–25?kg??K, 3–5?kg??Ca and 1–2?kg??Mg per hectare and year. This would theoretically be equivalent to ca 50% supply of??N,??P and??K and??10% of calcium as required nutrients by fruit trees depending on rate of nutrient availability. Its subsequent partial availability reported of 54%??N within??90 days after mulching and large nutrient content are discussed with respect to the low nutrient content in leaves dropped from the fruit trees in the autumn, where the nutrients had been previously translocated into the woody perennial parts of the tree. This nutrient cycling should be integrated in environmental-friendly sustainable fertilisation strategies for fruit orchards.     

Influence of temperature on seed germination in papaya under subtropical conditions of India

The effect of temperature on germination and days taken for germination was evaluated in Carica papaya cvs., ‘Pune selection-3’ and ‘Pusa Dwarf’. The highest average seed germination per cent was observed in the month of July (96.8 and 93.0?%), followed by August (94 and 88.5?%), whereas the lowest average seed germination was observed in the month of January (44.2 and 36.8?%) in ‘Pune selection-3’ and ‘Pusa Dwarf’, respectively. Minimum number of days (5.17 and 6.33) was observed for germination in the month of July, whereas the maximum number of days (29.5 and 31) was taken in the month of January in both the cultivars, respectively. The average highest germination and seedling height was observed at temperature 29.8 °C and 29.5 °C during July and August, respectively, whereas the lowest was observed at temperature 14 °C and 15.9 °C during January and December, respectively. The optimum time for nursery sowing was July to August for autumn season crop under subtropical conditions of India.     

Cherry 2016 – Abschlusskonferenz des EU Projektes COST Cherry FA 1104 im Anbaugebiet der Tragana Rodochori-Kirsche in Nordgriechenland

The final COST Cherry FA 1104 conference was organized in Greece, Europe’s 4^th largest cherry producer after Poland, Italy and Spain. Altitudes of ca. 600 m asl provide sufficient chilling (1200 Chilling Units) for early flowering at 40°N at the beginning of April in Greece’s predominant cherry growing region Macedonia; honey bees provide pollination. Cherries are cultivated on fertile soil without frost protection or polytunnels and harvested from 25 May to 15 June. Old varieties and trees are eventually replaced by new varieties in intense plantings on micro-propagated GiSelA 6 or Piku rootstocks from local tissue culture labs; nurseries provide the grafted trees for the cherry industry. The pomology institute in Naoussa was founded at a site of a grapevine nursery 50 years ago in 1961 for research and to support the industry and extended to cherry from 1970 onwards. A small portion (13–17?%) of the 60,000 t harvest is exported mainly to Europe (8–10,000 t), while Russia imported 6000 t of Greek cherries until 2014, before the Russian embargo started. Export quality is achieved by hand thinning of the small fruitlets with scissors after flowering. These large-fruited cherries of EU protected origin ‘Tragana Rodochori’ obtain farm gate prices of 2–3 €/kg making the Greek cherry industry worth € 120 million a year.     

Use of low-pressure storage to improve the quality of tomatoes

Freshly harvested vine-ripened tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Neang Pich) were stored at low pressure (4 kPa) at 10°C for 11 days with 100% RH. Fruit quality was examined upon removal and after being transferred to normal atmosphere (101 kPa) at 20°C for 3 days. Weight loss was significantly lower in fruits which were stored at low pressure (4 kPa) than in fruits that were stored at regular atmosphere (101 kPa) at 10°C. Fruits that were stored at low pressure (4 kPa) reduced calyx browning by 12.5%, and calyx rots by 16%, compared to fruits that were stored at regular atmosphere (101 kPa) at 10°C. Fruit firmness was not significantly different between fruits stored at low pressures (4 kPa) and the normal atmosphere (101 kPa), with an average firmness of 14 N after fruits were stored at 10°C for 11 days. There was no difference in the SSC/TA ratio. The results suggest that a low pressure of 4 kPa at 10°C has potential as an alternative, non-chemical postharvest treatment to improve tomato quality during storage.     

Early forcing of narcissus: The effects of lifting date and stage of floral development at the start of cooling

Early Narcissus flowers may be obtained if bulbs are lifted early from the field, warm-stored (35°C) and then cool-stored (9°C) before forcing in a glasshouse. The earliest satisfactory forcing was investigated, in ‘Carlton’ and ‘Fortune’, by lifting weekly from 27 May to 22 June, and storing at 17°C for 0–7 weeks between warm- and cool-storage. Storage at 17°C is usually intercalated to allow the completion of flower differentiation prior to the start of cool storage.After warm-storage, the bulbs lifted on 27 May and 22 June had reached Stages Sp and A2 of flower differentiation, respectively; 5–7 weeks of 17°C-storage were then needed to reach complete flower differentiation (Stage Pc). Cool storage was therefore begun with bulbs ranging from Stage Sp to Stage Pc. The earliest cooled bulbs had progressed only to Stage A2, and all others to Stage Pc, after 14–16 weeks of cool storage. No floral defects (e.g., split paracorolla) were noted in any treatment, but in ‘Carlton’, about half the bulbs lifted on 27 May and stored for 0 or 1 week at 17°C did not yield a flower, due to failure of the scape to elongate and death of the flower bud within the spathe.Duration of the glasshouse period was reduced by later lifting and by longer 17°C-storage, but following lifting on 15 or 22 June and 2 or more weeks at 17°C, differences were trivial. For flowering within 30 days in the glasshouse, 5 or 6 weeks' 17°C-storage was needed with 27 May lifting, reducing to 1 week at 17°C after 22 June lifting. Flowering within 21 glasshouse days was achieved only after 15 or 22 June lifts followed by 4–5 weeks at 17°C. The earliest flowers in ‘Fortune’ (7 November) were produced following 3–5 weeks at 17°C after lifting on 27 May or 1 June, or following 1–2 weeks at 17°C after later lifting. In ‘Carlton’, the earliest flowers (23 November) followed 2–3 weeks at 17°C after lifting between 1 and 15 June, or 0–1 weeks at 17°C after the last lifting date (22 June). Following the use of 3 weeks' 17°C-storage, flowering date was about equal, irrespective of lifting date. However, further extension of 17°C-storage resulted in a delay in flowering date. Scape length increased irregularly with longer storage at 17°C; scapes were taller following later lifting (8–22 June) than following earlier lifting. Differences in flower diameter between treatments were relatively small.