SWEET CHERRY (PRUNUS AVIUM L.) FRUIT QUALITY IN RELATION TO WOOD AGE AND FRUIT POSITION ON THE BRANCH

Anthesis date, position of the fruit on the branch and fruit load have been reported to influence fruit quality at harvest in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.). Up to two weeks difference was found for anthesis date between 1- and 2-yr-old branches, and a differential flowering gradient was found within the branch, influencing fruit maturity and quality.
The research was carried out in Los Antiguos valley, province of Santa Cruz, Southern Patagonia, Argentina (46°32’S, 71°38’W) in ‘Lapins’ grafted on P. mahaleb. The aim of the trial was to determine the influence of the age of the wood and the location of the fruit along the branch on fruit quality parameters, during two seasons.
Fifteen branches including current-yr, 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old wood were selected from different trees, and basal, middle and terminal portions were considered in each age-type branch.
Fruit produced near the current-yr growth were considered to be in the basal portion of current-yr branches.
A split-split-plot design was applied, with age of the branch and location of the fruit within it as treatments.
Fruit quality indicators [weight, diameter, firmness and soluble solids content (SSC)] were measured at harvest.
No Age x Position interaction was found for any of the fruit quality parameters.
Similarly, no differences were found for fruit position on the branch for any of fruit quality parameters.
In relation to branch age, fruit diameter and SSC were statistically different between branches (p-value =0.0195 and p-value =0.0183, respectively). It was concluded that fruit located near current-year branches had greater SSC than fruit in older branches, while similar size was found between that fruit and those located on 2- year and 3-yr-old branches.

VI International Cherry Symposium

L. San Martino, V. Hochmaier, F.A. Manavella

fruit size, fruit weight, soluble solids content, firmness

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1020.39