scholarly journals Spatial Variability of Grape Yield and Quality: Using GIS as a Precision Viticulture Tool to Optimize Vine Yield and Quality

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1011A-1011
Author(s):  
Said Ennahli ◽  
Sorkel Kadir

Variability due to soil types, topography, and climate within a vineyard influences grapevine physiological parameters and fruit quality. Technical feasibility of using precision Geographic Information System (GIS) as a viticulture tool to improve vineyard management and increase wine quality will be investigated. The study was conducted in an experimental vineyard where rows consist of plots with 24 cultivars and selections randomly planted and managed similarly. Monitored vineyard parameters collected by Global Positioning System (GPS) location include soil characteristics, soil moisture, vine growth, crop load, and fruit characteristics. Geospatial maps are used to differentiate yield between the cultivars and selections as high, medium, or low. Production was determined from each variety/selection within the vineyard. Yield parameters were number of clusters, cluster weight, and weight of 50 berries; fruit composition (such as pH), titratable acidity, soluble solids concentration, and anthocyanins were measured. Maps for each factor will be derived via GIS tools and spatial analysis will be conducted to assess which spatial variability factor has more effect on grapevine physiology, yield, and fruit quality. This type of analysis can be used by grape growers to achieve specific wine characteristics in a large or small vineyard by controlling all sources of variability, leading to the ability to perform precision viticulture in the future, with low cost.

HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 652b-652
Author(s):  
P.M. Perkins-Veazie ◽  
J.K. Collins ◽  
N. Maness ◽  
B. Cartwright

High populations of melon aphid (aphis gossypii) reduce cantaloupe plant growth and yield; effects on subsequent fruit quality are unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate fruit quality from plants with high and low aphid populations. Up to 50% of melons from plants having high aphid populations were unmarketable due to surface sooty mold. Melons from plants with high or low aphid populations, but not cultivars, were similar in flesh quality. The internal color of `Perlita' and `Sweet Surprise' was a more yellow hue while that of `TAM Uvalde' was more orange. `Sweet Surprise' melons were lower in percent soluble solids concentration and titratable acidity, but were higher in mg fructose/ml juice compared to the other cultivars. A trained taste panel of 30 people evaluated melons from 2 cultivars showing little damage from melon aphid infestations and from 2 cultivars exhibiting high damage. All melons had similar taste qualities with acceptable sweetness, flavor, odor and texture. These results show that high aphid populations deleteriously affect cosmetic appearance, but not flesh quality, of melons.


2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 586-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Stevens ◽  
John D. Lea-Cox ◽  
Brent L. Black ◽  
Judith A. Abbott

In consumer-harvested marketing, crop management practices and production systems directly affect the experience of the customer. An experiment was designed to compare overall consumer preference and fruit quality characteristics among three perennial cold-climate strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) production systems: conventional matted row (CMR), advanced matted row (AMR), and cold-climate plasticulture (CCP). Replicate plots of each system were maintained for two harvest seasons. Volunteers harvested subplots in each system and completed a survey to evaluate pick-your-own consumer preferences. The CCP system was preferred by a majority of consumers in the first year, whereas the AMR system was rated highest in the second year. Preferences were positively correlated with ease of harvest and fruit appearance and negatively correlated with the percentage of fruit unfit for harvest. Fruit quality measurements made on marketable fruit in the second harvest season indicated that there were no treatment differences in titratable acidity or soluble solids concentration, but significantly lower fruit firmness in the CCP treatment compared with CMR and AMR.


1993 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl E. Niedziela ◽  
Paul V. Nelson ◽  
Daniel H. Willits ◽  
Mary M. Peet

Commercial recommendations exist for using short-term salt-shocks on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) to improve fruit quality. Six experiments were conducted to 1) assess the influence of nutrient concentration and short-term salt-shocks on fruit quality and yield and 2) identify a vegetative predictor of subsequent fruit quality. The first objective was addressed in three nutrient film technique (NFT) experiments (Expts. 1-3). Four treatments were applied: two maintained constant at two baseline concentrations (0.25X and 1X-commercial level) and two provided salt-shock periods of 30 min, twice daily. There were no effects of baseline concentration or salt-shocks on total number and weight of marketable fruit. Fruit quality was better at the 1X baseline concentration as observed by higher titratable acidity (Expt. 2), higher percent dry matter (Expts. 2 and 3), higher soluble solids concentration (Expt. 2), and lower pH (Expts. 2 and 3), however, weight per marketable fruit was lower (Expt. 2). Salt-shocks had little effect on fruit quality, refuting its commercial potential. Salt-shocks decreased fruit pH (Expts. 1 and 3). However, titratable acidity increased at the 0.25X level and decreased at the 1X level (Expt. 3). In Expt. 2, but not in Expt. 3, citrate concentration in the fifth leaf from the apex of young vegetative plants was correlated with subsequent fruit quality. Three additional experiments in static hydroponics with vegetative plants showed no significant differences in leaf citrate levels due to a single, short-term salt-shock. Thus, citrate is not a good predictor of fruit quality.


2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 886-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.S. Miller ◽  
R.W. McNew ◽  
B.H. Barritt ◽  
L. Berkett ◽  
S.K. Brown ◽  
...  

Cultivar and planting site are two factors that often receive minimal attention, but can have a significant impact on the quality of apple (Malus ×domestica) produced. A regional project, NE-183 The Multidisciplinary Evaluation of New Apple Cultivars, was initiated in 1995 to systematically evaluate 20 newer apple cultivars on Malling.9 (M.9) rootstock across 19 sites in North America. This paper describes the effect of cultivar and site on fruit quality and sensory attributes at a number of the planting sites for the 1998 through 2000 growing seasons. Fruit quality attributes measured included fruit weight, length: diameter ratio, soluble solids concentration (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), flesh firmness, red overcolor, and russet. Fruit sensory characteristics rated included crispness, sweetness, and juiciness, based on a unipolar intensity scale (where 1 = least and 5 = most), and acidity, flavor, attractiveness, and desirability based on a bipolar hedonic scale (where 1 = dislike and 5 = like extremely). All fruit quality and sensory variables measured were affected by cultivar. The two-way interaction of cultivar and planting site was significant for all response variables except SSC, TA, russet, crispness, and sweetness ratings. The SSC: TA ratio was strongly correlated with sweetness and acidity sensory rating, but was weakly correlated with flavor rating. The results demonstrate that no one cultivar is ideally suited for all planting sites and no planting site is ideal for maximizing the quality of all apple cultivars.


HortScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 1375-1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinwook Lee ◽  
In-Kyu Kang ◽  
Jacqueline F. Nock ◽  
Christopher B. Watkins

The effects of preharvest and postharvest treatments of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) in combination or alone on fruit quality and the incidence of physiological disorders during storage of ‘Fuji’ apples [Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.] at 20 and 0.5 °C were investigated. Preharvest 1-MCP (Harvista) treatments were applied 4 or 10 days before harvest (DBH), and then fruit were either untreated or treated with 1-MCP (SmartFresh) postharvest. Fruit were stored at 20 °C for up to 4 weeks or at 0.5 °C for up to 36 weeks. At harvest, starch pattern indices and watercore incidence and severity were lower in fruit with preharvest 1-MCP treatment applied 10 DBH than in untreated fruit and in fruit treated 4 DBH. At 20 °C, the combination of preharvest and postharvest 1-MCP treatments reduced the internal ethylene concentration (IEC) more than preharvest 1-MCP treatment alone, but not to a greater extent than postharvest 1-MCP treatment alone. Greasiness and watercore were reduced more by the combination of preharvest and postharvest 1-MCP treatments than by either treatment alone. However, preharvest and postharvest 1-MCP treatments, in combination or alone, did not consistently affect flesh firmness, titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids concentration, color a* values, or incidences of flesh browning, core browning, and stem-end flesh browning. At 0.5 °C, the combination of preharvest and postharvest 1-MCP treatments inhibited IECs and maintained firmness and TA more than no treatment or preharvest 1-MCP treatment alone. However, there was a lesser extent of differences than there was with postharvest 1-MCP treatment alone. Incidences of physiological disorders were not consistently affected by the preharvest and postharvest 1-MCP treatments. Overall, the results suggested that the preharvest 1-MCP treatment positively affected fruit quality attributes compared with no treatment during shelf life and long-term cold storage, but not as effectively as a combination of preharvest and postharvest 1-MCP treatments.


HortScience ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 885-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerry H. Neilsen ◽  
Denise Neilsen ◽  
Peter Toivonen ◽  
Linda Herbert

A randomized, complete block, split-plot experimental design with six replicates was established and maintained annually for the first five fruiting seasons (1999 to 2003) in a high-density apple [Malus sylvestris (L) Mill var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf] orchard on M.9 rootstock planted in Apr. 1998. Main plot treatments involved eight different nutrient regimes, each containing three tree subplots of each of five different cultivars (Ambrosia, Cameo, Fuji, Gala, and Silken). This report compares a +phosphorus (P) treatment, involving annual fertigation at bloom time of 20 g P/tree as ammonium polyphosphate (10N–15P–0K), to a −P treatment. Both treatments also received nitrogen, potassium, and boron nutrients through fertigation. Drip fertigation of P increased 2 M KCl-extractable P to 0.4-m depth within 0.5-m distance of the drippers. Leaf and fruit P concentrations were consistently increased by the +P treatment with few differences among cultivars. P-fertigated trees also had a 20% increase in cumulative yield overall cultivars during the first five fruiting seasons. Standard fruit quality measurements, including fruit size, soluble solids concentration, titratable acidity, and red coloration were unaffected by P application. However, reductions in incidence of water core at harvest, increased resistance to browning, and elevated antioxidant content of harvested fruit measured in some years imply a role for P in apple membrane stability. The cumulative results indicate that applications of 20 g P as ammonium polyphosphate annually at bloom would be advantageous for apples receiving adequate fertigated applications of nitrogen, potassium, and boron. Best apple performance was associated with leaf P concentrations above 2.2 mg·g−1 dry weight and fruit P concentrations between 100 and 120 mg·kg−1 dry weight.


HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 463d-463
Author(s):  
P. Perkins-Veazie ◽  
J.K. Collins ◽  
B. Strik

Harvesting raspberry fruit with an attached receptacle prevents compression of the fruit in storage containers and permits harvesting of immature fruit. This study was done to determine the effects of receptacle retention on fruit quality during storage. `Heritage' raspberry fruit from Oregon and Arkansas were harvested at light red (red ripe) and dark red stages of maturity, and stored at 2C, 95% RH for 7 days. Dark red fruit with receptacles were firmer than those without receptacles, but there were no differences in light red fruit. Ethylene production was higher from raspberries stored with receptacles. Total anthocyanin increased in all fruit after storage and was slightly higher in fruit without receptacles. Soluble solids concentration did not change but titratable acidity decreased during storage for all treatments. When fruit were harvested after several days of rain, decay incidence in fruit held with receptacles increased. Harvesting raspberries with attached receptacles did not increase postharvest fruit quality.


1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Prohens ◽  
F. Nuez

The introduction of pepino (Solanum muricatum Aiton) as a new greenhouse crop relies on the development of clones that produce high fruit yields with an increased soluble solids concentration (SSC). We have evaluated two breeding strategies aimed at obtaining new, improved clones of this heterozygous vegetatively propagated crop: selection in the segregating generation F1 (hybrids) or in the first generation of selfing (selfings). We recorded the total yield, SSC, fruit weight, shape, firmness, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid concentration in seven populations of hybrids and in five populations of selfings. Four populations of clonal replicates were used to estimate environmental variability. Total yield and its heritability were higher in the hybrids than in the selfings. Expected responses to selection showed that it might be possible to select clones with a yield higher than 80 t ha−1 with selection pressures lower than 5% in some hybrid populations. Heritabilities for SSC were moderate, but clones with a SSC higher than 9.0 °Brix could be selected. We also found an important variation in the other characters studied, indicating that improved clones could be selected for all of them. Values for genotypic correlations between characters were very variable. In most hybrid populations, however, we did not find negative genotypic correlations between yield and fruit quality characters. Our results indicate that new hybrid clones of pepino that exceed present clones in yield and fruit quality might be obtained. Key words: New crops, plant breeding, clonal propagation, hybrids, selfings


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 184
Author(s):  
Antonio Felippe Fagherazzi ◽  
Daniel Suek Zanin ◽  
Marllon Fernando Soares dos Santos ◽  
Juliana Martins de Lima ◽  
Paola Daiane Welter ◽  
...  

In strawberry production, the combination of a high productive performance and fruits with desirable physicochemical characteristics requires the use of plants with a good quality and high initial vigor. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of plants with different crown diameters on the productive performance and fruit quality of strawberry plants of the cultivar ‘Pircinque’ (Short Day). The study was conducted in two evaluation cycles (2016/2017 and 2017/2018). The experimental design was divided into randomized blocks, with four repetitions, and plots consisting of 20 plants. This study evaluated the crown diameters of plants of 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 mm. The productivity and number of fruit values increased significantly by 57% with larger caliber plants, which also provided precocity of productivity. The use of more vigorous plants also favored the production of fruits with higher soluble solids/titratable acidity ratios (+28%) and with epidermis coloration closer to intense red (−4.3%). For the cultivar ‘Pircinque’, plant crown diameters between 15 and 17 mm are the most favorable because they condition the best productive performances in combination with precocity and a good fruit quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafiye Adak

The balance of mineral nutrients in plant nutrient solutions has an influence on yield, fruit quality and physiological disorder of strawberries grown in soilless conditions. Nutrient solutions that enhance the yield and quality of plants grown in soilless conditions are optimized through anion-cation equilibrium, optimum K++Ca2+/Mg2+ and K+/Ca2+ ratios. In this study, the effect of three different K+/Ca2+ ratios (5.5/7.0; 5.0/7.0; 6.0/6.0) on some morpho-physiological features (crown diameter, chlorophyll index, leaf temperature), fruit yield, fruit quality (fruit weight, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, firmness) and physiological disorder (tip burn) of ‘Albion’ and ‘Festival’ strawberries, were investigated. Results show that increasing K+/Ca2+ ratios significantly accelerated the tip burn incidence. On the other hand, the highest yield, firmness and the lowest tip burn were achieved at 5.5/7.0 ratio of K+/Ca2+ treatment.


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