DETERMINATION OF FRUIT QUALITY PARAMETERS OF SWEET CHERRIES GROWN IN HIGH ELEVATION REGIONS IN HATAY, TURKEY

The Belen region of Hatay, Turkey, which has a high elevation (700 to 1000 m) has suitable ecological conditions for sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) production, the main income for Benlidere’s growers.
However, the origins of the sweet cherries grown in the region are unknown and there is a mixture of important cultivars.
This study was conducted to determine the quality parameters of the sweet cherries grown in the region.
The study was carried out in the Benlidere village of Belen.
Two sweet cherry orchards, differing 140 m in altitude, were selected and the fruit from the genotypes grown in these orchards were compared.
From 1995 to 1998, the fruit harvested from these orchards were sampled and pomological analyses, such as average fruit weight, fruit dimension, pedicel length, seed weight, total soluble solids (TSS) and acidity, were measured.
Harvest date varied between the 15^th of May and 22^th June.
Averaged over four years, the fruit weights of the genotypes varied from 2.6 g to 6.4 g, and the TSS ranged from 13.1% to 18.0%. It was concluded that sweet cherry production in the region could be improved with new cultivars and modern production techniques.

V International Cherry Symposium

A.A. Polat, C. Durgaç, O. Kamiloğlu

Prunus avium, pomology, cultivar, management

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.795.141