Crop Load Management Does Not Consistently Improve Crop Value of ‘Sweetheart’/‘Mazzard’ Sweet Cherry Trees

Self Cite

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) producers in the Pacific Northwest have devoted considerable acreage to late-maturing cultivars. By using these cultivars to extend the harvest window, producers avoid lower returns associated with cherries harvested during the peak period (i.e., midseason) when supplies are overly abundant. Over several years, we evaluated preharvest applications of gibberellic acid (GA3) between 10 and 100 ppm (a.i.) on the late-maturing sweet cherry cultivars Lapins, Skeena, Staccato, and Sweetheart. Individual trials examined the timing of GA3 applications and/or rate on fruit quality attributes at harvest and after 4 weeks of cold storage at 0 °C. The influence of GA3 timing and/or rate on sweet cherry skin color and harvest delay was also evaluated. Multiple applications split between the end of Stage II (pit hardening) and mid-Stage III (final fruit swell) of fruit development did not improve fruit quality attributes or delay skin color development of ‘Skeena’ and ‘Sweetheart’ compared with equivalent concentrations applied once at the end of Stage II. Low concentrations (between 10 and 25 ppm) consistently improved fruit firmness (FF) of all cultivars by 10% to 43%. No further improvements in FF were observed when rates exceeded 25 ppm. Skin color development was retarded by GA3 but did not respond in a consistent manner to increasing rate. Fruit size was not uniformly increased by GA3. In trials where GA3 had a positive effect on fruit size, the effect was observed at low concentrations and was not further improved with increasing rate. A cultivar-dependent response to GA3 was observed for return bloom. ‘Skeena’ reproductive buds per fruiting spur and flowers per floral bud in years after treatment were unaffected by GA3 concentration. On the contrary, the number of flowers per bud of ‘Lapins’ was significantly reduced to 79% and 38% of control levels for 50 and 100 ppm GA3, respectively. At 100 ppm, GA3 additionally limited the number of reproductive buds returning on fruiting spurs of ‘Lapins’. GA3 reduced stem browning and surface pitting disorder of ‘Sweetheart’ and ‘Lapins’ after 4 weeks of cold storage at 0 °C; however, these effects were optimized at 25 ppm. Respiration rate and weight loss were unaffected by GA3 at harvest or after 2 and 4 weeks of cold storage. Unidentified endogenous factors that regulate FF and are inducible by GA3 appear to be largely responsible for improved resistance to pitting. Collectively, the results demonstrate high sensitivity of cherry FF and skin color to GA3. Split applications did not provide further harvest delays or affect any of the attributes evaluated, possibly because low rates (20 ppm) applied at the first timing were sufficient to saturate the response. In general, fruit quality of late-maturing cultivars of sweet cherry was improved by low rates of GA3 applied in a single application at the end of pit hardening.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sweet Cherry Fruit Firmness and Postharvest Quality of Late-maturing Cultivars Are Improved with Low-rate, Single Applications of Gibberellic Acid

Einhorn¹,

Yan²,

Turner³

2013

Self Cite

“…It is not possible to determine conclusively from our data if these year-to-year differences in fruit quality are primarily the result of variation in cropload or other factors acting independently on both, but the depressive effect of high fruit load on cherry SSC has been previously reported (Marsal et al, 2010). Einhorn et al (2011) found in controlled thinning experiments over two growing seasons that average fruit size, SSC, firmness, and TA were increased on 'Sweetheart' sweet cherry on Mazzard rootstock on thinned trees with low cropload. Our results further suggest that high cropload can decrease fruit TA and firmness indicating that differences in fruit quality related to cultivars may be altered by differences in cropload.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Interaction of Irrigation and Soil Management on Sweet Cherry Productivity and Fruit Quality at Different Crop Loads that Simulate Those Occurring by Environmental Extremes

Neilsen

Kappel

et al. 2014

‘Cristalina’ and ‘Skeena’ sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L.) on Gisela 6 (Prunus cerasus × Prunus canescens) rootstock planted in 2005 were maintained since 2006 in a randomly blocked split-split plot experimental design with six blocks of two irrigation frequency main plot treatments within which two cultivar subplots and three soil management sub-subplots were randomly applied. The focus of this study was the growth, yield, and fruit quality response of sweet cherry to water and soil management over three successive fruiting seasons, 2009–11, in a cold climate production area. The final 2 years of the study period were characterized by cool, wet springs resulting in low yield and yield efficiency across all treatments. Soil moisture content (0- to 20-cm depth) during the growing season was often higher in soils that received high-frequency irrigation (HFI) compared with low-frequency irrigation (LFI). HFI and LFI received the same amount of water, but water was applied four times daily in the HFI treatment but every other day in the LFI treatment. Consequently, larger trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) and higher yield were found on HFI compared with LFI trees. Soil management strategies involving annual bloom time phosphorus (P) fertigation and wood waste mulching did not affect tree vigor and yield. Increased soluble solids concentration (SSC) occurred with LFI. Decreased SSC occurred with delayed harvest maturity in trees receiving P fertigation at bloom. The largest fruit size was correlated for both cultivars with low crop loads ranging from 100 to 200 g fruit/cm2 TCSA. Overall cool, wet spring weather strongly affected annual yield and fruit quality, often overriding cultivar and soil and water management effects.

“…The greater SSC observed in a limited sample of fruit from infected plants is consistent with what might be expected in plants with reduced water uptake because of plugging of the xylem. Also, studies involving other fruit crops have sometimes shown that greater SSCs were associated with reduced crop loads (Berkey et al, 2011;Einhorn et al, 2011;Serra et al, 2016). Researchers should be aware of a possible effect of X. fastidiosa in case unexplained variations in soluble solids are observed, for example, in a cultivar or breeding line evaluation of a plant species in which X. fastidiosa can be a chronic issue (P. Perkins-Veazie, personal communication).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Xylella fastidiosa with Yield Loss and Altered Fruit Quality in a Naturally Infected Rabbiteye Blueberry Orchard

Ferguson¹,

Clark²,

Smith³

2017

Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. causes disease in a number of plants in the southeastern United States, including southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrids), but little was known concerning its potential impact in rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum Aiton syn. Vaccinium ashei Reade). In a naturally infected orchard in Louisiana, mean yields of X. fastidiosa–positive plants were 55% and 62% less than those of X. fastidiosa–negative plants in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Average berry weight was also lower in X. fastidiosa–positive plants. Within 3 years of testing positive for X. fastidiosa, four of nine X. fastidiosa–positive plants appeared dead. However, plants that were X. fastidiosa–negative in 2013 remained so until 2015, indicating that the bacterium did not spread rapidly in this established orchard during this time. Other factors, including soil chemistry variables, Phytophthora cinnamomi, ring nematode, and ringspot symptoms, were also investigated to determine if one of these might predispose plants to infection with X. fastidiosa or be partly responsible for observed yield loss. In most cases, interactions were not found, but associations with soil Cu and Zn suggest a need for further research on whether these elements predispose rabbiteye blueberry to X. fastidiosa infection and thereby contribute to yield losses. Researchers, extension workers, and growers should be aware of X. fastidiosa as a potential yield- and survival-impacting factor in rabbiteye blueberry.