Weather Affects Seedless Watermelon Yield, But Not Fruit Size or Quality

Medium-sized triploid watermelons were evaluated in southeast Pennsylvania in 2002 and 2003 to determine the best adapted cultivars for this region. The 2002 season was unusually hot and dry, while 2003 was unusually cool and wet. Yields and fruit quality were compared for the eight cultivars that were grown both seasons to determine the effect of weather on seedless watermelon. Cooler temperatures reduced total fruit number and total yield but not average fruit weight or soluble solids. Researchers evaluating triploid watermelons over several seasons can compare size and °Brix among cultivars, but will need to be cautious when predicting total yields.

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Fruit production and quality of mini-watermelon with different number of stems, in troughs cultivation system and substrate reuse

Semina Ciências Agrárias ◽

10.5433/1679-0359.2021v42n2p471 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 471-486

Author(s):

Josiéle Garcia Dutra ◽

◽

Roberta Marins Nogueira Peil ◽

Tatiana da Silva Duarte ◽

Cesar Valmor Rombaldi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Fruit Yield ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Plant Management ◽

Cultivation System ◽

Fruit Number ◽

Yield And Quality ◽

The One

Substrate-filled pots are growing systems commonly used for vegetable farming. However, few are the studies available relating them to mini-watermelon cultivation. Our study presents a growing system using substrate-filled troughs and leachate recirculation as a low-cost and less environmentally harmful soilless cultivation system for mini-watermelons. For a growing system to be viable and provide high fruit yield and quality, several aspects must be studied, including substrate physical properties and reuse potential in successive crops, besides plant management-related aspects. Therefore, our goal was to evaluate the effects of a trough system and substrate reuse on changes in the properties of raw rice husk and on fruit yield and quality for mini-watermelons at different stem training. To this purpose, two trials were conducted using nutrient solution recirculation systems. In the first, we evaluated the effects of pot and trough systems. In the second, first- and second-use substrates were compared in the trough system. In both trials, one and two-stem training systems were analyzed. The results of the first trial show that the trough system had a greater positive impact on substrate water holding capacity (WHC), which increased from 7.9 to 15.6%, while the pots increased substrate WHC only to 11.2%. However, both systems neither affected fruit yield (8 kg/m² on average) nor fruit quality. The two-stem training promoted higher fruit yields (4.2 kg/plant) and contents of total soluble solids - TSS (11.4 °Brix) but did not affect average fruit weight. Moreover, the one-stem training provided higher fruit number (7.3 fruits/m²) and fruit yield (9.7 kg/m²). In the second trial, the reused substrate showed a higher WHC (12.4%) than the one used for the first time (9.9%). The reused substrate also provided better results in terms of fruit yield and quality (5.9 fruits/m², 5.3 kg/m², and 10.5o Brix). In the second trial, two-stem training also increased average fruit weight, and hence yields per plant. Nevertheless, the stem number did not affect fruit number per plant, fruit yield per square meter, and fruit quality.

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YIELD AND QUALITY OF TRIPLOID WATERMELON HYBRIDS.

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.25.8.859f ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 25 (8) ◽

pp. 859f-859

Author(s):

Donald N. Maynard ◽

Gary W. Elmstrom

Keyword(s):

Total Yield ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

The Other ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Yield And Quality ◽

Other Hand ◽

Seedless Watermelon ◽

Triploid Watermelon

Evaluations of 30 triploid (seedless) watermelon hybrids were conducted in the Spring 1989 season at Bradenton and Leesburg, Florida. There was considerable variation in relative cultivar yields at the two locations. However, consistency in some cultivars did occur. 'HMX 7924' produced the highest total yield and 'CFREC 88-2' had high total yields at both locations. On the other hand, 'ACX 882322', 'Fengshan No. 1', 'FMX 28', 'Fummy', 'Honeyheart', 'Nova', and 'NVH 4295' produced low total yields at both locations. Average fruit weight was high for 'Ssuper Sweet Brand 5244', 'CFREC 88-4', and 'HMX 7924' whereas 'ACX 882322', 'FMX 28', 'Fengshan No. 1', 'Nova', and 'PSR 49087' produced low average fruit weight. Soluble solids exceeded 11% in all entries at Bradenton whereas two entries were lower than 10% at Leesburg. Several experimental lines out performed the named cultivars suggesting that future introductions will be superior to those already available.

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QUALIDADE E PRODUTIVIDADE DE FRUTOS DE FIGO CULTIVADO EM TRÊS DENSIDADES DE PLANTIO

Colloquium Agrariae ◽

10.5747/ca.2018.v14.n4.a260 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 161-166

Author(s):

Scheila Lucia Ecker ◽

Clevison Luiz Giacobbo ◽

Leandro Galon ◽

Adriana Lugaresi ◽

Gian Carlos Girardi

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Planting Density ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Fig Tree

The objective of this work was to verify the influence of planting density on productivity and fruit quality of the fig tree. The design was used in three blocks, the plants of the cultivar Roxo de Valinhos were submitted to three planting spacings: 5 x 0.5 m; 5 x 1.0 m; and 5 x 1.5 m. The evaluated characteristics were: length of branches; average weekly growth of branches; fruit size; average fruit weight;soluble solids (°Brix); yield of mature fruits; productivity of green fruits; accumulated productivity; and dry mass of fruits.The length of the branches was not influenced by planting spacing, the plants conducted at lower densities presented higher productivity, both of green fruits and accumulated productivity.Plants submitted to lower planting density produced fruits with higher dry matter, but these were smaller in size, but without significant difference for those submitted to lower density. It wasconcluded that productivity is directly affected by fig planting density, but not all the qualitative aspects of the fruits were affected.

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Partial Defoliation Can Decrease Average Leaf Size but Has Little Effect on Orange Tree Growth, Fruit Yield and Juice Quality

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.40.7.2011 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 40 (7) ◽

pp. 2011-2015 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Rongcai Yuan ◽

Fernando Alferez ◽

Igor Kostenyuk ◽

Shila Singh ◽

James P. Syvertsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Leaf Area ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Leaf Size ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Fruit Yield ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Juice Quality ◽

Fruit Number ◽

Acid Ratio ◽

Orange Trees

The effects of 2 consecutive years of annual defoliation during the harvest season on fruit size, yield, juice quality, leaf size and number were examined in trees of the midseason cultivar `Hamlin' and the late-season cultivar `Valencia' orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb.]. In `Hamlin', removal of up to 50% of the leaves in late November had no effect on fruit yield, fruit number, fruit size, soluble solids yield, juice °Brix, and °Brix to acid ratio of juice the following year. In `Valencia', removal of 50% of the leaves in late March decreased fruit yield and soluble solids yield but did not affect Brix or the Brix to acid ratio of the juice. Leaf size of new flush was reduced by removal of 50% of the leaves in both cultivars but there was little effect on total canopy size. There were no measured effects of removing 25% of leaves from tree canopies. Thus, canopy growth, fruit yield, fruit quality, and leaf size were not negatively impacted when annual defoliations did not exceed 25% of the total canopy leaf area in `Valencia' and `Hamlin' orange trees for two consecutive years. Overall, fruit weight increased linearly with increasing ratio of leaf area to fruit number, suggesting that fruit enlargement can be limited by leaf area.

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Effects of Trichoderma harzianum on the yield and fruit quality of tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum) grown in an unheated greenhouse

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea04003 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 131 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

U. Bal ◽

S. Altintas

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Trichoderma Harzianum ◽

Root Zone ◽

Total Yield ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Marketable Yield ◽

Growing Media ◽

Growing Period

Trichoderma harzianum was applied to seedling growing media (a peat and soil-based mixture or greenhouse soil) at the time of sowing, at transplanting to vials and at planting. The factorial experiment using 2 seedling growing media, 2 cultivars and 4 dosages of T. harzianum at 0 (control), 4 g/m2, 10 g/m2 and 24 g/m2 showed that the Trichoderma dosage had no significant effect on the yield or fruit quality. None of the 3 factor interactions between the criteria studied, that is, total yield, marketable yield, early yield, individual fruit weight, total soluble solids and titratable acidity, were significant except for fruit diameter. The 3 factor combination of Peat × Belleveu F1 × 10 g/m2 resulted in the highest total yield, marketable yield and early yield with 1552, 1373 and 681 g/plant, respectively. The interaction between media and cultivars was significant for all the yield characteristics studied. However, the main effect of T. harzianum on early yield was the highest at 4 g/m2, producing 527 g/plant in comparison to the control with 374 g/plant. It was, therefore, hypothesised that the positive effect of T. harzianum, observed in the early yield, may be extended to the whole growing period by further applications, that is, by periodical renewal of the T. harzianum population at the root zone.

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GA3—INDUCED FRUIT SET OF RABBITEYE BLUEBERRY

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.27.6.689c ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 689c-689

Author(s):

Raguel Cano—M ◽

Rebecca L. Darnell

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Fruit Development ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Total Yield ◽

Titratable Acidity ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Full Bloom ◽

Development Period

The effects of different GA3 concentrations and application times on fruit set, fruit development period, and fruit quality in rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) were studied. Flower clusters were sprayed with 100 or 250 ppm GA3 at 90% full bloom and again 7 days later, or with 125 ppm GA3 at 90% full bloom and again 7, 21, and 42 days later, under greenhouse conditions. Fruit set was monitored every 10 days and fruit weight, fruit development period, soluble solids, and titratable acidity were measured at harvest. Fruit set in GA3 treatments averaged 69 to 76% compared to an average of 43% for the pollinated control. Weight of GA3 treated berries averaged 1.2, g while that of pollinated berries averaged 2.0 g. However, calculated total yield was greater for the GA3 treatments compared to the pollinated control, averaging 244 and 206 g/treatment, respectively. GA3 increased the fruit development period by 2 to 11 days, depending on the treatment. Soluble solids and titratable acidity were not affected by any treatment.

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Yield and Fruit Quality of Sixteen Fragaria vesca Accessions Grown in Southern Florida

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci13322-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 53 (10) ◽

pp. 1396-1403

Author(s):

Alan Chambers ◽

Pamela Moon ◽

Yuqing Fu ◽

Juliette Choiseul ◽

Jinhe Bai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Field Performance ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Quality Data ◽

Fragaria Vesca ◽

Fruit Number ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Southern Florida

Fragaria vesca is a diploid strawberry species that produces gourmet, aromatic fruits with only limited commercial production because of its relative obscurity. Most F. vesca research focuses on genetics and fruit aroma, but yield and fruit quality data across diploid accessions are lacking. Sixteen F. vesca accessions were grown in replicated field plots in southern Florida to measure field performance and fruit quality over multiple harvests during a single growing season. Accessions ‘Reine des Vallees’, ‘Baron Solemacher’, ‘Fragolina di Bosco’, and ‘Reugen’ all had significantly higher yield (115–140 g/plot/week) and fruit number (117–139 fruit/plot/week) compared with ‘Bowlenzauber’, ‘Attila’, ‘Ali Baba’, and ‘Pineapple Crush’ (31–57 g/plot/week and 32–60 fruit/plot/week) during peak production. Total average yield ranged from 240 g (‘Pineapple Crush’) to 1194 g (‘Baron Solemacher’) per plot of 10 plants. Fruit number and fruit yield were highly correlated (R2 = 0.96) for all accessions, and there was no significant difference in fruit weight among accessions through the entire season. Total soluble solids ranged from 10.9 to 13.5 °Brix, and fructose, glucose, sucrose, and total sugars ranged from 15.3 to 22.1, 13.5 to 20.0, 0.1 to 2.7, and 29.7 to 42.5 mg/g, respectively, fresh weight. Acidity ranged from 1.00% to 1.18% citric acid and was not consistently significantly different among accessions over multiple harvests. Forty-two aroma compounds were putatively identified over three harvests for each accession and included mostly esters and ketones with a few alcohols, terpenes, and aldehydes. The majority of these compounds were similarly abundant over harvests and among accessions with a few exceptions, including methyl anthranilate. These results are the first in-depth study of yield and fruit quality for a large number of F. vesca accessions that could lead to increased cultivation of this species for local markets.

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A Special Summer Pruning Method Significantly Increases Fruit Weight, Ascorbic Acid, and Dry Matter of Kiwifruit (‘Jinyan’, Actinidia eriantha × A. chinensis)

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci15158-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 55 (10) ◽

pp. 1698-1702

Author(s):

Guang-Lian Liao ◽

Xiao-Biao Xu ◽

Qing Liu ◽

Min Zhong ◽

Chun-Hui Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ascorbic Acid ◽

Fruit Quality ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Soluble Sugar ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Practical Method ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Financial Loss ◽

Significant Difference

Jinyan (Actinidia eriantha × A. chinensis) is one of the gold-fleshed kiwifruit cultivars currently being promoted in south China. However, its fruit dry matter is usually less than 16%, which seriously affects fruit quality including taste and flavor. This causes a financial loss to growers: not only are the prices paid for the fruit low because of their bad reputation for quality, but some orchards have been removed. Improvement of fruit quality is essential. In this study, a method is described for squeezing and twisting flowering shoots before flowering and removing the distal vegetative parts of flowering shoots after fruit set. The effects on fruit quality were determined. The dry matter of fruit was increased by 6.6%. Fruit size also increased as did the chlorophyll a content and the chlorophyll:carotenoid ratio. The significantly increased fruit dry matter, resulting in significant increases in fruit soluble solids concentrations (P < 0.01), thereby possibly improving fruit taste. Fruit weight, fruit length, and carotenoid and ascorbic acid concentrations were significantly enhanced in comparison with controls (P < 0.01), increasing by 20%, 7%, 12%, and 19%, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in soluble sugar concentrations, titratable acid concentrations, and the reduced chlorophyll b concentrations. This research provides a practical method to increase fruit dry matter, and hence a way to allow fruit quality to reach commercial requirements for cultivars such as Jinyan, which under previous management systems had significant shortcomings in fruit flavor and taste.

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Effect of Humic Acid on Growth and Productivity of Tomato Plants Under Heat Stress

Journal of Horticultural Research ◽

10.1515/johr-2017-0022 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 59-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Islam Mohamed Yassin Abdellatif ◽

Youssef Youssef Abdel-Ati ◽

Yousry Tammam Abdel-Mageed ◽

Mohamed Abdel-Moneim Mohamed Hassan

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Humic Acid ◽

Total Yield ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Summer Season ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Fresh Weight ◽

Tomato Plants ◽

Fruit Number ◽

Continental Climate

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of humic acid (HA) applied at 4.8, 9.6 and 14.4 kg·ha−1 on the growth and productivity of two tomato hybrids Nema 1400 and Platinium 5043 under hot continental climate. HA was applied twice to soil: the first one – three weeks from transplanting and the second one, after one week from the first application, in both seasons. Application of HA during the summer season targeted a great results on tomato plant growth and productivity. HA at 14.4 kg·ha−1 in-creased the vegetative growth of tomatoes (plant height and fresh weight) and flowering parameters (number of flower clusters and flowers per plant) as well as yield characters (fruit number per plant and fruit weight, which resulted in higher early and total yield) in both seasons. HA application had the least impact on fruit number per plant, and on vitamin C and total soluble solids (TSS) concentration as compared with control.

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Liquid Corn and Fish Fertilizers Are Good Options for Fertigation in Blackberry Cultivars Grown in an Organic Production System

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.50.2.225 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 225-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Javier Fernandez-Salvador ◽

Bernadine C. Strik ◽

David R. Bryla

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Production System ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Corn Steep Liquor ◽

Total Yield ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Organic Production ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

The Impact

The impact of organic fertilizer source on the growth, fruit quality, and yield of blackberry (Rubus L. subgenus Rubus Watson) cultivars (Marion and Black Diamond) grown in a machine-harvested, organic production system for the processed market was evaluated from 2011 to 2013. The planting was established in Spring 2010 using approved practices for organic production and was certified in 2012. Plants were irrigated using a dripline under a woven polyethylene groundcover (weed mat) installed for weed management. Two sources of liquid fertilizer were evaluated: 1) a corn steep liquor and fish waste digestion blend (“corn”; 2.5N–1.1P–1.2K); and 2) a fish solubles and molasses blend (“fish”; 4N–0P–1.7K). Fertilizers were applied by fertigation through the drip system at rates of 56 kg·ha−1 nitrogen (N) per year in 2011–12 and 90 kg·ha−1 N in 2013. The impact of fertigation on drip system performance was evaluated with two maintenance options, “flushing” and “no flushing” of the driplines. Total yield differed among years, whereas fruit soluble solids concentration and firmness as well as floricane biomass at pruning showed a year × cultivar interaction. ‘Black Diamond’ had greater total yield and average fruit weight than ‘Marion’, but produced a greater proportion unmarketable fruit. There was no effect of fertilizer source on yield, fruit quality, primocane length, or primocanes/plant in any year with the exception of fruit weight, which was greater with corn than with fish. ‘Marion’ had a greater floricane biomass when fertilized with fish than with corn. Soil nutrients were within the recommended range, except for boron (B), which was below recommended levels. Only soil nitrate-N was affected by fertilizer source, which was greater in ‘Marion’ than in ‘Black Diamond’ when fertilized with fish. Primocane leaf tissue nutrient concentrations were within recommended levels for all nutrients, except for calcium (Ca) and B, which were below recommended standards in both cultivars. Primocane leaf potassium (K) and zinc (Zn) concentrations were greater with fish than with corn. There was no fertilizer source or maintenance effect on emitter flow rate of the drip system in either year. However, flow rates decreased an average of 4.5% in the first year and 19% in the second year. Overall, there were no differences between the fertilizers on plant growth, yield, or fruit quality, and both fertilizers were suitable for planting establishment.

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