LENTICELS AS POMOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF APPLE AND PEAR FRUITS

The lenticels on the fruits that are permanently covered with epidermis are the organs for intercellular ventilation in the process of internal fruit tissue respiration.
In this paper we analyzed morphological parameters and presence of lenticels on fruit peel in order to determine whether the lenticels on fruits can be considered as a reliable cultivar characteristic under the given ecological and production conditions.
The emphasis was put on the evaluation of the presence of lenticels on fruits, bearing in mind the complexity of cold fruit storage.
The research of morphological parameters and presence of lenticels on fruit peel was conducted on 10 apple cultivars and 13 pear cultivars.
The average presence of the lenticels on fruits in the observed apple cultivars was 7.11 lenticels per 1 cm². The lowest average number of lenticels per 1 cm² of epidermis was found for the cultivar ‘Pinova’ (4.3), while the highest number was found for the cultivar ‘Granny Smith’ (12.6). The average presence of the lenticels on fruits in the observed pear cultivars was 24.15 lenticels per 1 cm². The lowest average number of lenticels per 1 cm² of epidermis was found for the cultivar ‘Alexander Lucas’ (11.70), while the highest number was found for the cultivar ‘Williams’ (37.50). As a cultivar characteristic it is possible to emphasize considerable variation of the number of lenticels between cultivars as well as between individual fruits of the same cultivar.
The evaluation of lenticels as an aesthetic fruit component represents significant cultivar characteristic.
The research shows correlations in presence and structure of lenticels with predisposition of cultivars for the duration of storage.

II International Symposium on Horticulture in Europe

G. Durić, N. Mićić, B. Pasalić

number of lenticels, aesthetic component of the fruits

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1099.97