467 Overcoming Dormancy, Advancing Budbreak, and Advancing Fruit Maturity in `Bing' Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.): Surfactants/ Dormant Oils + Calcium Ammonium Nitrate or Hydrogen Cyanamide

In continuing trials (1995-current), we have used a variety of treatments to overcome inadequate chilling, coordinate bloom, improve leaf out and cropping, and advance/coordinate maturity in sweet cherry, cv. Bing. Treatments have included hydrogen cyanamide (HCN, Dormex) and various surfactants or dormant oils combined with calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN17). Chill hour accumulation, (required chilling for `Bing' = 850 to 880 chill hours) has varied greatly in each dormant season from 392 (Hollister, 1995-1996) to adequate, depending both on the season and location (central valley vs. coastal valley). In 1998, 4% HCN advanced budbreak significantly compared to any other treatment, although other chemical treatments also were more advanced than the untreated control. Dormex advanced completion of bloom 11% to 40% more than other treatments, although other dormancy-replacing chemicals were at least 16% more advanced in petal fall than the untreated control. Dormex contributed to slightly elevated truss bud death, as did 2% Armobreak + 25% CAN17. In 1998, fruit set was improved by 2% Armobreak + 25% CAN17 (79%) compared to the untreated control (50%); all other treatments statistically equaled the control. Fruit set was not improved by Dormex, although bloom was advanced by a few days in this treatment. As fruit set was increased by treatments, rowsize decreased (as did fruit weight), as expected, but no treatment resulted in unacceptable size. In 1997, fruit set was also improved by 2% Armobreak + 25% CAN17; however, fruit set was so low overall in that year that no real impact was found. In 1997 and 1998, 4% HCN advanced fruit maturity compared to other treatments, with darker, softer, larger fruit at commercial harvest. These and additional results will be presented.

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Control of Dormancy and Budbreak in Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) cv `Bing' with Surfactant + Calcium Ammonium Nitrate and Hydrogen Cyanamide

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.33.3.514c ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 514c-514

Author(s):

K.G. Weis ◽

S.M. Southwick ◽

J.T. Yeager ◽

M.E. Rupert ◽

W.W. Coates

Keyword(s):

Ammonium Nitrate ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Full Bloom ◽

Calcium Ammonium Nitrate ◽

Hydrogen Cyanamide ◽

Minimum Requirement ◽

Nitrate Treatment ◽

Fruit Maturity ◽

San Joaquin County

Continuing trials (1995–present) advanced budbreak and flowering with a surfactant and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN17), and in 1997, hydrogen cyanamide (HCN). Chilling in 1996–1997 was marginal in San Joaquin County (SJ, 830 chill hours, 18 Feb.), and low in San Benito County (SB, 612 chill hours, 21 Feb.). When we used the “45 °F” chilling model, the most effective surfactant + nitrate treatment timings for both locations were similar by chill accumulation (≈72 % to 82% of required chilling for `Bing' = 850–880 chill hours), although the two locations differed in total chill accumulation and date of effective treatment. Full bloom (FB) was advanced by 1 week with 4% HCN in SJ, followed by 2% surfactant + 25% calcium ammonium nitrate applied on 21 Jan. (700 chill hours), compared to the untreated control. Bloom duration (full bloom to petal fall) was compressed most by surfactant and CAN17. Bloom in SB was also most advanced by HCN, followed by 2% surfactant + 25% CAN17 applied on 21 Feb. (612 chill hours). Fruit set was improved in SB by surfactant and CAN17 in mid-February; set was too low, however, for real impact. In SJ and SB, HCN advanced fruit maturity most, followed by surfactant and CAN17 applied 21 Jan.; these fruits were softer. We believe that, in order for treatments to be effective in advancing budbreak and full bloom, some minimum amount of chilling must be accumulated prior to application (perhaps 60% to 75% of chilling requirement). We have also determined that where chilling is well below minimum requirement, higher rates of CAN (25%) are necessary to advance bloom. A further advantage of using Armobreak + CAN is improved N level in buds and bark after treatment (1997).

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Regulating Budbreak, Flowering, and Fruit Maturity in Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) cv. `Bing' by Surfactant and Nitrate Applications

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.31.4.603e ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 603e-603

Author(s):

K.G. Weis ◽

S.M. Southwick ◽

J.T. Yeager ◽

W.W. Coates ◽

Michael E. Rupert

Keyword(s):

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Calcium Nitrate ◽

Potassium Nitrate ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Full Bloom ◽

Fruit Maturity ◽

Flower And Fruit Development

The years 1995 and 1996 were low chill years in California with respect to stone fruit dormancy. Advancing reproductive budbreak and flowering was accomplished in `Bing' cherry (Prunus avium) by single-spray treatments of a surfactant {a polymeric alkoxylated fatty amine [N,N-bis 2-(omega-hydroxypolyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene) ethyl alkylamine]} and potassium nitrate in combination when applied at “tightbud,” ≈ 42 days (1 Feb. 1995) before full bloom and with surfactant and potassium nitrate in combination when 10% green calyx was apparent, 33 days before full bloom. Applying 2% surfactant (v/v) + 6% potassium nitrate (w/v) was most effective in advancing bloom, speeding progression through bloom, and advancing fruit maturity when applied at tightbud stage. Surfactant (2% or 4%) applied with 25% or 35% calcium nitrate (w/v) on 2 Feb. 1996 significantly advanced full bloom compared to nontreated controls. Fruit maturity (1995) was somewhat advanced by surfactant–nitrate treatments, but fruit set and final fruit weight were equivalent among treatments. No phytotoxicity was noted in foliage or fruit. In California, marginal and insufficient winter chilling often causes irregular, extended, or delayed bloom periods, resulting in poor bloom-overlap with pollenizers. As a result, flower and fruit development may be so variable as to have small, green and ripe fruit on the same tree, making harvest more time consuming and costly. Data indicate that this surfactant, in combination with a nitrogenous compound, has potential to advance reproductive budbreak and advance maturity in sweet cherry without reducing fruit set or fruit size. Advancing the ripening time of sweet cherry even 2 to 3 days can increase the price received per 8.2-kg box by $10 to $20.

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Sensory Quality of `Bing' Sweet Cherries Following Preharvest Treatment with Hydrogen Cyanamide, Calcium Ammonium Nitrate, or Gibberellic Acid

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.41.3.745 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 745-748 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Murray Clayton ◽

William V. Biasi ◽

I. Tayfun Agar ◽

Stephen M. Southwick ◽

Elizabeth J. Mitcham

Keyword(s):

Gibberellic Acid ◽

Ammonium Nitrate ◽

Sensory Quality ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Calcium Ammonium Nitrate ◽

Hydrogen Cyanamide ◽

Flavor Intensity ◽

One Year

`Bing' sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) trees were treated with hydrogen cyanamide (CH2N2) or calcium ammonium nitrate (CaNH4NO3) during dormancy, or gibberellic acid (GA3) 26 days before harvest during three consecutive years. Fruit were evaluated at harvest for sensory taste quality using twenty trained panelists sampling for firmness, sweetness, tartness, and cherry flavor. Nondestructive instrumental firmness preceded destructive sensory firmness on the same untreated and GA3-treated cherries in one year when used as a supplementary evaluation. Sensory firmness was consistently higher in GA3 fruit and to a lesser extent in CH2N2 fruit than in CaNH4NO3 and untreated fruit. Instrumental firmness of GA3 fruit did not increase significantly compared with untreated fruit yet instrumental firmness of each treatment correlated relatively well with perceived sensory firmness. Sensory sweetness and cherry flavor scored very similarly, yet both attributes simultaneously varied between treatments across the years. Perceived sensory tartness of treated fruit was variable among years; yet, on average, was rated among treated and untreated fruit as similar. Under the assumption that elevated sensory firmness, sweetness, and cherry flavor intensity reflects improved sweet cherry quality, GA3 fruit were rated of higher quality than untreated fruit given their increased firmness and similar or occasionally elevated sweetness and cherry flavor intensity. CH2N2 fruit maintained quality similar to that of untreated fruit, despite often having marginally higher firmness, due to similar or reduced ratings for sweetness and cherry flavor intensity. Notwithstanding similar firmness between CaNH4NO3 and untreated cherries, sensory quality of CaNH4NO3-treated cherries was reduced due to their often-diminished levels of perceived sweetness and cherry flavor.

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Flowering and Fruiting of `Burlat' Sweet Cherry on Size-controlling Rootstock

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.29.6.611 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 29 (6) ◽

pp. 611-612 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Frank Kappel ◽

Jean Lichou

Keyword(s):

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Prunus Cerasus ◽

Sweet Cherries ◽

One Year ◽

Size Controlling

The effect of rootstock on the flowering and fruiting response of sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) was investigated using 4-year-old branch units. The cherry rootstock Edabriz (Prunus cerasus L.) affected the flowering and fruiting response of `Burlat' sweet cherry compared to Maxma 14 and F12/1. Branches of trees on Edabriz had more flowers, more flowers per spur, more spurs, more fruit, higher yields, smaller fruit, and a reduced fruit set compared to the standard rootstock, F12/1. One-year-old branch sections had more flowers and fruit, higher fruit weight, and heavier fruit size compared to older branch portions.

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(102) The Dynamic Model and Rest-breaking Agents in California `French' Prune Production

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.41.4.1031a ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 1031A-1031

Author(s):

Kitren Glozer ◽

Franz J. Niederholzer

Keyword(s):

Dynamic Model ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Fruit Firmness ◽

Calcium Ammonium Nitrate ◽

Application Timing ◽

Calendar Date ◽

Fruit Maturity ◽

Dormant Season ◽

Chill Portions

Use of rest-breaking chemicals may partially substitute for chill requirement in “French' prune. Many California prune growers use oil in the dormant season to tighten and advance bloom, with application timing judged by experience and calendar date. Other rest-breaking agents have become commonly used in California cherry production and their application is generally timed by chill portion accumulation, calculated by the Dynamic Model. We evaluated the effects of treatments of dormant oil or CAN17 (calcium ammonium nitrate) + Entry on budbreak and bloom progression in `French' prune with applications timed at regular intervals. While most treatments improved fruit set and reduced reproductive bud death, an optimum range for both types of rest-breaking treatments was found for advancement and compression of bloom. All rest-breaking treatments advanced fruit maturity equally, compared to the untreated control, as measured by fruit firmness. Although chill hour (hours ≤7°C) calculations might also be used for timing these treatments, when chill portion and chill hour accumulations are compared for the 2004–05 dormant season at several different sites, differences from site-to-site are small for chill portions, and much greater for chill hours. This fact supports experimental evidence from numerous California trials in sweet cherry in which rest-breaking treatment timings based on the Dynamic Model tend to be more consistent than the timings based on the “chill hour” model.

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Abnormal Anther and Pollen Development in Sweet Cherry Cultivars Resulting from Lack of Winter Chilling

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.31.4.684d ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 684d-684

Author(s):

K.G. Weis ◽

S.M. Southwick ◽

Michael E. Rupert

Keyword(s):

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Pollen Dispersal ◽

Central Valley ◽

Anther Dehiscence ◽

Floral Differentiation ◽

Pollen Growth ◽

Pollen Sacs ◽

Sweet Cherry Cultivars

Lack of pollen dispersal was noted in various sites and cultivars of sweet cherry (Prunus avium) following one of California's warmest recorded winters (≈550 hours @ 7°C in the Central Valley). `Bing' cherry is thought to require 850 to 880 hours for adequate budbreak and bloom development. Cross pollination is required by most sweet cherry cultivars for fruit set, including `Bing'. Complete anther dehiscence averaged 13% in `Bing' trees sampled, compared to 52% in `Rainier', 65% in `Brooks', 84.5% in `Burlat', 33% in Van, 23% in `Larian', and 86% in `Black Tartarian'. A range of degree of dehiscence from none to half-open was widely apparent, again by cultivar. Many partially dehiscent anthers did not shed pollen normally but appeared to have the mass of pollen completely adherent inside the pollen sacs. `Black Tartarian', `Larian', and `Burlat' shed pollen readily, however, pollen from dehiscent anthers of other cultivars generally appeared to stick together on the everted locule walls and required direct manipulation to be withdrawn from the pollen sac. Anther morphology ranged from normal size to half normal size, anthers appearing to be without pollen altogether that shriveled on drying, and lobes that were aborted. Pollen germination was low overall: 19% `Bing', 18% `Rainier', 20% `Brooks', 57% `Burlat', 14% `Van', 48% `Larian', and 48% `Black Tartarian'. Poor fruit set in low chill years is often attributed to lack of bloom overlap with pollenizers, however, inadequate chilling also may contribute to low fruit set by inhibiting anther and pollen growth and development. The implications of a critical chilling requirement for normal floral differentiation are that in cherry-growing areas where low chill years are common, pollen may not be viable or transferrable from pollenizers and female gametophytic development also may be impaired.

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Postharvest Quality of 'Bing' Cherries Following Preharvest Treatment with Hydrogen Cyanamide, Calcium Ammonium Nitrate, or Gibberellic Acid

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.38.3.407 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 407-411 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Murray Clayton ◽

William V. Biasi ◽

I. Tayfun Agar ◽

Stephen M. Southwick ◽

Elizabeth J. Mitcham

Keyword(s):

Gibberellic Acid ◽

Ammonium Nitrate ◽

Skin Color ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Postharvest Quality ◽

Strong Interactions ◽

Calcium Ammonium Nitrate ◽

Hydrogen Cyanamide

During three consecutive years, 'Bing' sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) trees were treated during dormancy with the dormancy-manipulating compounds, CH2N2 or CaNH4NO3, or were treated with the plant growth regulator GA3 at straw color development. Fruit of a range of maturities, based on skin color, were evaluated for quality following harvest and simulated transit and market storage conditions. At comparable maturities, CH2N2 and GA3 fruit were of similar firmness and were consistently firmer than CaNH4NO3-treated and untreated fruit across years, storage regimes, and maturities. CaNH4NO3 and untreated fruit were of similar firmness. CH2N2-treated cherries were larger than fruit of other treatments, but only marginally with respect to variation in fruit size between years. Contraction of fruit diameter occurred after 3 days storage, but ceased thereafter up to 11 days storage. Soluble solids and titratable acidity varied between years, storage regimes, and maturities. Strong interactions of treatment and year concealed possible treatment effects on these indices. GA3 fruit contained fewer surface pits in one year while CH2N2 fruit suffered less shrivel in another. The earlier harvest date for CH2N2 fruit often avoided higher field temperatures and the resulting promotion of postharvest shrivel. Pitting and shrivel were more prevalent in stored fruit. Brown stem discoloration developed in storage, occurring most frequently in mature fruit, although methyl bromide-fumigated fruit were particularly susceptible. This disorder was more common in GA3 fruit during years of high incidence. Chemical names used: gibberellic acid (GA3); calcium ammonium nitrate (CaNH4NO3); hydrogen cyanamide (CH2N2).

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Multi-year analyses on three populations reveal the first stable QTLs for tolerance to rain-induced fruit cracking in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.)

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00571-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

José Quero-García ◽

Philippe Letourmy ◽

José Antonio Campoy ◽

Camille Branchereau ◽

Svetoslav Malchev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Confidence Intervals ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Linear Models ◽

Basic Research ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Phenotypic Variance ◽

Fruit Cracking ◽

The Stability ◽

Sweet Cherry Cultivars

AbstractRain-induced fruit cracking is a major problem in sweet cherry cultivation. Basic research has been conducted to disentangle the physiological and mechanistic bases of this complex phenomenon, whereas genetic studies have lagged behind. The objective of this work was to disentangle the genetic determinism of rain-induced fruit cracking. We hypothesized that a large genetic variation would be revealed, by visual field observations conducted on mapping populations derived from well-contrasted cultivars for cracking tolerance. Three populations were evaluated over 7–8 years by estimating the proportion of cracked fruits for each genotype at maturity, at three different areas of the sweet cherry fruit: pistillar end, stem end, and fruit side. An original approach was adopted to integrate, within simple linear models, covariates potentially related to cracking, such as rainfall accumulation before harvest, fruit weight, and firmness. We found the first stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for cherry fruit cracking, explaining percentages of phenotypic variance above 20%, for each of these three types of cracking tolerance, in different linkage groups, confirming the high complexity of this trait. For these and other QTLs, further analyses suggested the existence of at least two-linked QTLs in each linkage group, some of which showed confidence intervals close to 5 cM. These promising results open the possibility of developing marker-assisted selection strategies to select cracking-tolerant sweet cherry cultivars. Further studies are needed to confirm the stability of the reported QTLs over different genetic backgrounds and environments and to narrow down the QTL confidence intervals, allowing the exploration of underlying candidate genes.

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Variability of Old Sweet Cherries Found in Slovak Regions and Their Preservation

Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences Section B Natural Exact and Applied Sciences ◽

10.1515/prolas-2017-0031 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 71 (3) ◽

pp. 184-189

Author(s):

Michaela Benková ◽

Iveta Čičová ◽

Daniela Benedikova ◽

Lubomir Mendel ◽

Miroslav Glasa

Keyword(s):

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Sweet Cherries ◽

Prunus Mahaleb ◽

Breeding Programmes ◽

Prunus Avium L

Abstract The work is focused on the evaluation of variability of morphological and pomological characteristics of several old sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) that were found in different Slovak regions. The experimental work has been performed during two years, 2014 and 2015. The following characteristics according to the descriptor list of subgenus Cerasus were evaluated - period of flowering and ripening, morphological characteristics of the flowers, fruit size, fruit weight, and quality parameters. The results showed high variability of evaluated accessions. From the 13 surveyed localities, the most valuable accessions were found in the locality Hornį Streda - places Čachtice, Krakovany, Nitra, and Brdárka. During the collecting expeditions, 170 accessions of sweet cherry, with fruit of the different quality were found. The most interesting accessions were grafted onto rootstocks with different intensity of growth (Prunus avium L., Prunus mahaleb L., and ‘Gisela5’). Some of the selected cherry accessions can be used for commercial growing after tests, while some of them can be used only for collection of genetic resources and as potential genitors in breeding programmes.

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EFFECTS OF HYDROGEN CYANAMIDE ON APPLE AND PLUM FRUIT THINNING

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.27.6.690a ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 690a-690

Author(s):

Esmaeil Fallahi ◽

Brenda R. Simons ◽

John K. Fellman ◽

W. Michael Colt

Keyword(s):

Malus Domestica ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Apple Fruit ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Full Bloom ◽

Hydrogen Cyanamide ◽

Fruit Thinning ◽

Prunus Salicina

Influence of various concentrations of hydrogen cyanamide (HC) on fruit thinning of `Rome Beauty' apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), `Friar,' and `Simka' plums (Prunus salicina Lindley) were studied. A full bloom application of HC at all tested concentrations decreased `Rome Beauty' apple fruit set and yield, and increased fruit weight. Hydrogen cyanamide at 0.25% (V/V) resulted in adequate apple thinning, indicated by the production of an ideal fruit weight. Prebloom and full bloom applications of HC at greater than 0.75% reduced plum fruit set and yield in `Friar.' Full bloom application of HC at 0.25% to 0.50% showed a satisfactory fruit set, yield, and fruit size in `Friar' plum. Full bloom application decreased fruit set and yield in `Simka' plum. Hand thinning, as well as chemical thinning, is recommended for plums.

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