The effect of the crown shape on qualitative indicators of picking maturity and keeping capacity of apple fruits in the conditions of Crimea

В современных условиях развития интенсивного садоводства актуальной проблемой является подбор менее затратных и трудоемких систем формирования крон с соблюдением всех агротехнических мероприятий для получения высоких урожаев хорошего качества. Цель исследований направлена на изучение влияния разных способов формирования кроны на показатели съемной зрелости и лежкость плодов. Работа выполнялась в отделении «Крымская опытная станция садоводства» ФГБУН «НБС-ННЦ РАН» по методикам полевых исследований с плодовыми культурами. Объектами исследований являлись четыре формы кроны на подвое ЕМ-IХ (4 х 1 м, 2500 дер./га) и плоды сортов зимнего срока созревания: Джалита, Бреберн, Ренет Симиренко. Проведенные исследования позволили выявить наиболее эффективные формы кроны и достаточно устойчивые сорта для закладки интенсивных садов с высокой плотностью посадки, дающие высококачественную товарную продукцию, как в саду, так и в период хранения. Изменчивость показателей съемной зрелости в плодах зависит от сорта, погодных условий выращивания и формы кроны. Установлено, что плоды сортов Джалита, Бреберн (французская ось) и Ренет Симиренко (стройное веретено, безлидерная уплощенная, трехлидерная) в период хранения не имеют физиологических заболеваний. Дегустационная оценка вкуса составляет - 4,5-5,0 баллов, а естественная убыль не превышает 5,1%. Установлено также, что при хранении плоды сорта Джалита (стройное веретено, трехлидерная крона) повреждаются до 20% разными плодовыми гнилями, а плоды сорта Бреберн (стройное веретено) - подкожной пятнистостью - до 30%. Отмечено, что в период хранения происходит снижение плотности мякоти плодов в 1,4-2,2 раза, а также изменение вкуса в зависимости от сорта и формы кроны. In modern conditions of intensive gardening development, the actual problem is the selection of less costly and labor-intensive systems of crown shaping in compliance with all agrotechnical actions in order to obtain heavy yield of good quality. The goal of the research is aimed at studying the effect of different methods of crown shaping on the indicators of picking maturity and keeping capacity of fruits. The work was carried out in the department "Crimean experimental gardening station" of the FSBSI NBS-NSC RAS using methods of field research with fruit crops. The objects of research were four crown shapes on the EM-IX rootstock (4 x 1m, 2500 trees/ha) and the fruits of winter ripening varieties ‘Dzhalita’, ‘Brebern’, ‘Renet Simirenko’. The studies provided allow us to identify the most effective crown shapes and sufficiently resistant varieties for establishing intensive gardens with a high density of planting, giving high-quality marketable products, both in the garden and during storage. The variability of indicators of fruit picking maturity depends on the variety, weather conditions of growing and the crown shape. It was established that fruits of varieties ‘Dzhalita’, ‘Brebern’ (French axis) and ‘Renet Simirenko’ (slender spindle, leaderless flattened, three-leader) did not have physiological diseases during storage. Tasting assessment is 4.5-5.0 points, and the natural loss does not exceed 5.1%. It is also established that fruits of the ‘Dzalita’ variety (slender spindle, three-leader crown) during storage are subject to damage by various fruit rot up to 20%, and fruits of the ‘Brebern’ variety (slender spindle) by subcutaneous spotting - up to 30%. It is noted that during the storage period there is a decrease in the density of fruit pulp by 1.4 - 2.2 times, and a change in flavor depending on the variety and crown shape.

Farklı Terbiye Sistemlerinin M26 Anacı Üzerine Aşılı Braeburn ve Red Chıef Elma Çeşitlerinde Ağaçların Gelişimi, Verim ve Meyve Kalitesi Üzerine Etkileri

Çalışma 2008-2009 yıllarında, Tokat koşullarında M 26 anacına aşılı Braeburn ve Red Chief elma çeşitlerinde yürütülmüştür. Araştırmada, 2006 yılı Aralık ayında tek sıralı 3,5x1,5 m mesafe ile dikilen fidanlara Slender Spindle, Hytec, Vertical Axis terbiye sistemleri uygulanmıştır. Tel-herek kombinasyonu üzerinde geliştirilen ağaçların; vegetatif gelişimi, verim ve meyve kalite performanslarının incelendiği çalışmada dikimden 2 yıl sonra terbiye sisteminin gövde kesit alanına etkisi görülmemiştir. Aynı dikim yoğunluğu ve aynı anaç üzerinde en küçük taç hacmi Hytec (1,04 m3) sisteminde belirlenmiştir. Bu sonuçlara göre terbiye sistemlerinin taç hacmi üzerine etkili olduğu saptanmıştır. Verim etkinliği üzerine terbiye sistemlerinin etkisi görülmezken, dekara verim değerlerinde en yüksek değer M 26/Vertical Axis kombinasyonundan (716,33 kg/da) elde edilmiştir. Meyve kalite kriterleri üzerine terbiye sisteminin etkisi görülmezken, kırmızı rengi temsil eden ‘a’ değeri Red Chief/M 26/Vertical Axis kombinasyonunda (23,68) belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre meyve renk oluşumunda ağaç yüksekliği ile birlikte dikim sıklığının da etkili olduğu tespit edilmiştir.

Mechanical Crop Load Management (CLM) Improves Fruit Quality and Reduces Fruit Drop and Alternate Bearing in European Plum (Prunus domestica L.)

(1) Background: With ca. 10 million tons of annual production worldwide, the plum (Prunus ssp.) ranks as a major fruit crop and can suffer from small fruit size, premature fruit drop and alternate bearing, which are addressed in this paper using a range of crop load management (CLM) tools. (2) Methods: Sixty 10-year-old European plum cv. “Ortenauer” trees on dwarfing St. Julien INRA GF 655/2 rootstock (slender spindle; 4.25 × 2.80 m) in a commercial orchard near Bonn (50°N), Germany, were thinned in 2 years and flower intensity assessed in the following year. Thinning was performed either mechanically (type Bonn/Baum) or chemically, with ATS (ammonium thiosulfate) or ethephon (Flordimex), or by a combination of mechanical and chemical methods, to improve fruit quality and the proportion of Class 1 fruit. Adjacent un-thinned trees served as controls. (3) Results: Natural fruit drop in June was reduced from 290 fruits per tree in the un-thinned controls to 265 fruits after ATS blossom treatment, and to 148 fruits after mechanical thinning at 380 rpm at a 5 km/h tractor speed at full bloom. The un-thinned control trees developed a large number of small, undersized fruits. The yield of Class 1 fruits increased per tree from 47% in the un-thinned controls, up to 69% after crop load management. Sugar content and fruit firmness were unaffected. (4) Conclusions: The study has shown that fruit quality (i.e., fruit size) and financial returns could be improved by either mechanical (380 rpm at 5 km/h) or chemical thinning, or a combination of both.

Vegetative parameters of sweet cherry (Cerasus avium L.) cultivars in two training systems

Hungarian sweet cherry production has been changed recently. Thanks to the favourable selling prices many new plantations were established in the last years. In the new orchards mainly spindle canopy are trained, although many type of crown forms are used all over the world. In our study slender spindle and bush canopy were evaluated with three cultivars (‘Petrus’, ‘Vera’, ‘Carmen’) grafted on Prunus mahaleb rootstock. Vigor of the 3-4 years old trees showed spectacular differences. The highest vigor with Spanish bush was found for cv. ‘Vera’, but on slender spindle canopy the thickness values were medium. Meanwhile cv. ‘Petrus’ showed the highest trunk thickness with spindle canopy, but the lowest with Spanish bush. On spindle canopy cv. ‘Carmen’ presented the highest ramification ability, but its 2-3 years old twigs started to bald very early, which can be considered an unfavorable phenomenon. Bush canopy still can be described with strong vegetative growth on 3-4 years old trees, as vigor of spindle trees are more moderate.

Influence of the Planting Distance and the Crown Shape on the Fruit Harvest and the Productive Potential of Cherry Trees in a High-Density System

Cherry technology is permanently modernized due to new varieties, vegetal rootstocks and new tree management systems. The cherry varieties “Bigarreau Burlat”, “Ferrovia” and “Lapins”, grafted on Gisela 6 (Prunus cerasus × Prunus canescens) rootstock at distances of 5x1.5 m; 5x2.0 m; 5x2.5 m, were studied in the southern area of the Republic of Moldova. The trees were shaped by the Ameliorated natural reduced-volume crown and Slender Spindle Ameliorated form. Cherry trees start to yield in the fourth year after planting; the largest total fruit production from the tree was obtained in the variant with trees planted at a distance of 5x2.5 m and per hectare, when the trees were planted at a distance of 5x1.5 m. In the fourth year of yielding, the production of “Ferrovia” cherry variety, where the trees were shaped by the Ameliorated natural crown with low volume constituted 15368-18155 kg/ha, and at the time the “Slender Spindle Ameliorated” form, constituted 16904 -20074 kg/ha. Although the results are preliminary, it seems that high-density planting systems combined with low-power vegetal rootstocks and improved crowns can give higher yields of cherries in the first 4 years than the traditional improved crown system with low volume.

Influence of the Crown Shape on the Input of the Fruit and the Productive Potential of Cherry Trees in a High-Density System

The purpose of this study was to practice and improve the use of low volume crowns in a high-density system in order to obtain qualitative cherry production that would be competitive on the market and to make efficient use of the labor force. The research was carried out in the intensive cherry orchard planted in the autumn of 2011 with “Ferrovia”, “Kordia”, and “Regina” varieties, grafted on Gisela 6 (Prunus cerasus × Prunus canescens) rootstock interspaced at 4x2.5 m and managed according to the Ameliorated natural crown systems with low volume, Ameliorated Slender Spindle and Vase shaped crown. Harvest, diameter, firmness, dry matter content and fruit weight were determined. The trees started to yield in the third year after planting. The harvest in the second year of yielding was 4-5 kg/tree. The average harvest in the third year of yielding was 9640-13290 kg/ha. For all three varieties the harvested quantity and fruit size were correlated with the crown shape. The Ameliorated Slender Spindle crown provided the highest production per hectare, while the Flattened Vase Shaped crown provided the lowest yield but had the highest values of the fruit size (28.2-28.4 mm) and of the soluble dry matter in the fruit (17.9-18.6 Brix%).

Influence of the pruning system on the growth and productivity of slender spindle apple trees

Slender spindle is currently the most widespread pruning system for apple trees in the Czech Republic. However, further modifications of this pruning system have been developed. In this study, two pruning systems were compared in the years 2012 to 2015: slender spindle and modified slender spindle (characterised by ‘click’ pruning). The pruning systems were validated on three varieties, using either winter pruning or winter pruning supplemented with late summer pruning in August. The studied parameters included the average length of annual shoots, increase of trunk cross-sectional area (ITCA), fruit yield per tree, specific yield, average fruit weight, number of fruits and their size in various parts of the tree crown, the number of interventions by pruning and the total weight of the removed biomass. There were no significant differences in most of the parameters mentioned above. Application of the ‘click’ pruning technique over several years significantly increased the number of cuttings but the total biomass removed was lower compared with traditional slender spindle.

Comparison of Two Training Methods Applied to Apple Trees Trained to Slender Spindle During the First Years After Planting

The research was focused on the comparison of two pruning methods (winter pruning and winter + summer pruning) applied to apple trees trained to a standard and a modified slender spindle. The orchard of ‘Topaz’ trees, grafted on rootstock M 9, was planted in spring 2011. In the years 2013 – 2016, trunk cross sectional area (TCSA), crown volume, cumulative yields, yield efficiency, relative proportion of fruit size classes, number of cuts and dry matter of pruned wood were analyzed. The total growth intensity of the trees, measured by TCSA, was similar among the treatments. The trees of modified slender spindle had lower mean crown volume (2.751 – 2.765 m3) comparing to slender spindle with additional summer pruning (3.355 m3) and proved to better control the tree size. The modified slender spindle brought similar or slightly lower cumulative yields, but significantly higher proportion of good sized fruits (in categories above ř 70 mm) comparing to slender spindle. The pruning of modified spindle brings generally higher number of cuts removing a higher amount of woody biomass in comparison to slender spindle, regardless if combined with summer pruning. The additional summer pruning brought no beneficial effect in reduction of growth, fruit production and fruit size of the modified slender spindle.