THE EFFECT OF LONG DAY TREATMENT ON FRUIT QUALITY AND PRODUCTION PERIOD OF RED CURRANTS (RIBES RUBRUM L.)

Red currants have a high chilling requirement.
When they are grown in greenhouses or tunnels in Belgian conditions they do not receive enough chilling.
This often results in low and uneven bud break, poor fruit set and low production level.
The effects of a long day treatment during the flowering period were studied for the cultivar ‘Junifer’ in a greenhouse.
The plants had lights daily from 5 p.m. for a period of 10 and 14 hours at a power level of 20 W/m². The long day treatment resulted in longer strigs and more flowers per strig.
This effect was stronger if the plants were given 14 hours light.
Fruit set was improved by providing lighting but the best results were obtained when the plants were given 10 hours light.
The production period was earlier.
On the 24^th of May 54.1 % of the total yield was picked from the control plants while 81.5 % was picked from the plants which had lights for 10 hours and 71.8 % from the plants given 14 hours light.
The production level was higher for the plants with lights.

VIII International Rubus and Ribes Symposium

A. Pitsioudis, G. Latet, P. Meesters

greenhouse production, strig quality, fruit set,

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.585.106