GROWTH AND FRUIT QUALITY OF THREE APRICOT CULTIVARS (PRUNUS ARMENIACA L.) UNDER TRICKLE IRRIGATION AND HYDROGEN CYANAMID (DORMEX® ) APPLICATION

The Murcia region is currently the main apricot production in Spain with a 12.000 h of surface and a mean annual production of 100.000 t and one of the more important in the Europe. ‘Búlida’ cultivar covers 65% of the regional production (30% of the fresh market); it is completed with early cultivar (valencianos group and ‘Mauricio’) and late maturing “clases” group (mainly ‘Pepito’). Murcia apricot orchards are irrigated (60% surface) under trickle irrigation.
The design and the management schedule of irrigation and fertilization, is very important to know the critical stages of fruit development and the final quality apricot fruit.
Hydrogen cyanamid (Dormex®) application is used in all fresh market cultivars (most important in early varieties) to advance and uniformize the ripening.
In the present study the cultivars ‘Búlida’, ‘Pepito’ and ‘Mauricio’ were tested with hydrogen cyanamid (Dormex®) application and the evaluation of the treatment has been performed on fruit quality parameters: weight, firmness, colour, soluble solids content and total titrable acidity water content fruit.

XII International Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline

J.G. Brunton, L. Rincon, D. Ruiz

Prunus armeniaca, phenologic stage, size, fresh mater, dry matter, total soluble solids, colour, acidity, firmness

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2006.701.124