Effects of Pruning Treatments on the Yield and Fruit Quality of Precoce de Tyrinthe Apricot Cultivar

Authors: LEVENT SON, ALİ KÜDEN

Abstract: This study was carried out to determine the effects of pruning on the yield, fruit quality and phenological aspects of three year-old trees of the Precoce de Tyrinthe apricot cultivar grown in Mut-Mersin. In the first experimental year, unpruned trees were found to be more productive; however, these trees gave lower yields (6.5 kg/tree) in the second year due to alternate bearing. August+winter (12.0 kg/tree), July+winter (10.4 kg/tree), and September+winter (10.1 kg/tree) pruning applications were more productive than control trees (6.50 kg/tree). The fruit size of the control trees was 34.05 g, while September+winter (45.66 g), August+winter (44.70 g), and winter (43.67 g) pruning applications gave better results. In 1996, the fruit weight was determined as 33.78 g in control trees, 50.41 g in August+winter, 45.96 g in September+winter, 42.01 g in July+winter pruned trees. Winter pruning was found to be more effective in terms of total soluble solid content than the other treatments. As a result, yield and quality were positively affected by a regular summer+winter pruning in the Precoce de Tyrinthe apricot cultivar.

Keywords: Apricot, summer pruning, winter pruning, productivity.

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