Fruit dry weight and quality of ‘Bing’ sweet cherries grown without resource limitations

CITTADINI E.D., RODRIGUEZ J., VAN KEULEN H., PERI P.L.

Bursa, Turquía

Simposio; 5th International Cherry Symposium; 2005

International Society of Horticultural Science

Understanding of potential fruit growth on a seasonal pattern is important to plan operations or as input variable in crop growth models. ‘Bing’ sweet cherry trees were heavily thinned at 63 degree-days (8 days) after full bloom to analyse weight and quality of the remaining fruits under conditions of non-limiting carbohydrate supply. The effect of fruit thinning on mean shoot growth and on the increment of trunk cross sectional area was also analysed to detect possible translocation from reproductive to vegetative growth. Mean Fruit Dry Weight (MFDW) of tagged fruits was estimated weekly from their diameter to identify the moment of the onset of competition between fruits within the trees. At harvest, Fruit Number to Leaf Area Ratio (FNLAR: fruits m-2 LA) was 52% lower in heavily-thinned trees than in non-thinned trees. Soluble solids content of mature fruits was higher (P<0.05) on thinned trees, but no significant effects were observed on titratable acidity, firmness and vegetative growth. Significant differences in fruit relative and absolute growth rate between thinned and non-thinned trees started after 400 degree-days post-bloom. As a consequence, a higher MFDW on heavily thinned trees was detected from 578 degree-days (61 days) after full-bloom to harvest. Therefore, practices in commercial orchards to reduce source-limitation should be carried out before the 400 degree-days after bloom.