TAILIEUCHUNG - Impact of early cropping on vegetative development, productivity, and fruit quality of Gala and Braeburn apple trees

The highest crop load in the second growing year did not have negative consequences on the yield and fruit quality obtained in the third growing year. | Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research Article Turk J Agric For (2014) 38: 773-780 © TÜBİTAK doi: Impact of early cropping on vegetative development, productivity, and fruit quality of Gala and Braeburn apple trees 1 1, 1 Dragan D. RADIVOJEVIĆ , Jasminka M. MILIVOJEVIĆ *, Čedo DJ. OPARNICA , 1 1 2 Todor B. VULIĆ , Boban S. DJORDJEVIĆ , Sezai ERCİŞLİ 1 Department of Fruit Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia 2 Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: The effects of 5 crop load levels (all fruit removed and 10, 20, 30, and 40 fruit per tree) in the second growing year on vegetative growth, productivity, and fruit quality were studied in apple cultivars Gala and Braeburn on M9 rootstock in the second and the third leaf. An increase in vegetative growth was observed on the defruited trees in the second growing year. The highest crop load of 40 fruits per tree reduced average fruit weight by in Gala compared to those obtained on the trees carrying the lowest crop load (10 fruits per tree). The reduction in average fruit weight was compensated by the increase in yields. Yield per tree in the treatment with the highest crop load was higher in Gala and higher in Braeburn than the treatment with the lowest crop load. Yield efficiency (kg cm–2 trunk cross-section area) in both tested cultivars ranked the highest on the trees carrying the heaviest crop. The highest crop load in the second growing year did not have negative consequences on the yield and fruit quality obtained in the third growing year. Key words: Crop load, fruit characteristics, return bloom, tree growth, yield 1. Introduction For several decades, the use of intensive orchards has been proposed to improve .

• Nông nghiệp
• Impact of early cropping
• Crop load
• Fruit characteristics
• Return bloom
• Tree growth
• Vegetative development
• Braeburn apple trees