Articles
Fruit size and yield efficiency of Fuji apples grown in Chile depend mainly on winter temperature and weather before harvest
Article number
1346_13
Pages
101 – 108
Language
English
Abstract
Yield and fruit size of apple trees depend on source-sink relationship, which is managed through agronomic practices.
It also depends on the relationship tree-environment, which is less reported.
The objective of this study was to associate the yielding behavior with weather conditions throughout the year.
Data was taken from 11 thinning trials performed throughout the 2012-2019 seasons in Fuji orchards of central Chile (34 to 37 °S). Winter, early, and late pre-bloom weather were described by maximum (Tmax), minimum (Tmin), and average temperatures.
The vegetative periods were: postharvest (45 days) of the previous season, bud break – bloom, 50 days after bloom, and periods of 50 to 40 days since early summer up to harvest.
The weather (Rad, Tmax, and Tmin) during the vegetative periods were integrated as carbohydrate yield using the MaluSim model.
To standardize the fruit size and yield efficiency, crop load expressed as fruits per intercepted PAR was used as covariate.
The differences between trials were less explained by cultivar and a specific year; each location-year-cultivar was considered a particular case.
Among cases, yield efficiency adjusted by crop load varied between 7.5 and 9.2 kg m‑2 PARi, being the crop load adjusted fruit weight between 226 and 289 g.
Yield efficiency and fruit weight were associated mainly with the mean temperature during winter and weather conditions 40 days before harvest.
Colder winter and higher carbohydrate yield before harvest had the highest yield.
Other variables associated with greater yield were the period 50 days after petal fall and postharvest, where higher carbohydrate yield would be desired.
Then, to obtain the maximum potential for Fuji apple, the selection of the site should consider mainly the weather conditions during the winter and during the end of summer beginning of the autumn period.
It also depends on the relationship tree-environment, which is less reported.
The objective of this study was to associate the yielding behavior with weather conditions throughout the year.
Data was taken from 11 thinning trials performed throughout the 2012-2019 seasons in Fuji orchards of central Chile (34 to 37 °S). Winter, early, and late pre-bloom weather were described by maximum (Tmax), minimum (Tmin), and average temperatures.
The vegetative periods were: postharvest (45 days) of the previous season, bud break – bloom, 50 days after bloom, and periods of 50 to 40 days since early summer up to harvest.
The weather (Rad, Tmax, and Tmin) during the vegetative periods were integrated as carbohydrate yield using the MaluSim model.
To standardize the fruit size and yield efficiency, crop load expressed as fruits per intercepted PAR was used as covariate.
The differences between trials were less explained by cultivar and a specific year; each location-year-cultivar was considered a particular case.
Among cases, yield efficiency adjusted by crop load varied between 7.5 and 9.2 kg m‑2 PARi, being the crop load adjusted fruit weight between 226 and 289 g.
Yield efficiency and fruit weight were associated mainly with the mean temperature during winter and weather conditions 40 days before harvest.
Colder winter and higher carbohydrate yield before harvest had the highest yield.
Other variables associated with greater yield were the period 50 days after petal fall and postharvest, where higher carbohydrate yield would be desired.
Then, to obtain the maximum potential for Fuji apple, the selection of the site should consider mainly the weather conditions during the winter and during the end of summer beginning of the autumn period.
Publication
Authors
V. Beyá-Marshall, C. Riquelme, G. Reginato
Keywords
crop load-adjusted fruit size, crop load-adjusted yield efficiency, intercepted PAR
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