Organic management affects apricot fruit quality

In the last years, the growing interest for global warming and soil desertification mitigation strategies is influencing farmers’ and consumers’ choices.
Several studies highlighted that the reduction of tillage and use of external inputs (fertilization, irrigation, etc.) in organic management can contribute to enhance environmental sustainability.
Moreover, agronomic management is reported to exert a pivotal role in influencing fruit quality.
In the framework of the long-term experiment “MAintenance of Organic oRchards” (MAIOR), a preliminary qualitative evaluation of two apricot cultivars, ‘Kioto*’ and ‘Pieve*’, grafted on the same rootstock (Myrobalan 29C), was performed to identify the best agronomic practices for organic cultivation.
Three agronomic management systems were compared: i) business as usual (BAU – commercial fertilizer), ii) innovative diversified system with natural cover and compost (INC – municipal waste compost-MWC), iii) innovative diversified system with introduced cover and compost (ICC-MWC). Fruit weight, soluble solid content, pH, total acidity, dry matter, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity were analysed and compared among the different systems.
Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to study the correlation among fruit quality parameters and the relationship among cultivars and management options.
Preliminary results showed a significant effect of management system (p≤0.001) on all fruit quality parameters, with the only exception of dry matter.
In addition, significant differences (p≤0.001) were also recorded between cultivars regarding soluble solid content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity levels.
The first two principal components of PCA accounted for 90 and 6% of the total variance, respectively.
The biplot showed high levels of total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and total acidity for both cultivars under ICC practices, whereas soluble solid content was strongly related to BAU management. ‘Kioto*’ and ‘Pieve*’ showed a different behaviour under INC with respect to BAU and ICC systems.

III International Organic Fruit Symposium and I International Organic Vegetable Symposium

R. Ciccoritti, G. Roccuzzo, L. Principio, M. Cutuli, E.M. Lodolini, M. Terlizzi, C. Ciaccia, E. Testani, D. Ceccarelli

agroecological intensification, orchard management, stone fruit, diversification, quality traits, nutraceutical evaluation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1354.42