ISHS Acta Horticulturae 293: IX International Symposium on Apricot Culture
MAIN FACTORS INFLUENCING CROPPING BEHAVIOUR OF SOME APRICOT CULTIVARS IN COASTAL AREAS |
| Authors: | R. Guerriero, S. Bartolini |
| Abstract:
Many cultivars, generally of continental origin, produce low yields when grown in coastal areas. When their unsatisfactory cropping cannot be traced to strictly genetic factors, it is usually attributed to the lack of climatic adaptation. This lack of adaptation causes very serious troubles prevalently on flower and fruiting biology. This paper analyses and discusses the factors which, according to various authors, are responsable for this effects. The current state of our knowledge indicates that there is no correlation between chilling requirement, at least according to the methods used to evaluate it to date, and the low yields of some cultivars in coastal areas. Infact, also these environments allow the accumulation of a sufficient number of hours of chilling or of C.U. to satisfy what are considered to be the requirements of these cultivars. It cannot be excluded that the lack of a correlation depends on imperfections in the methods proposed to evaluate both the effects of temperature on bud dormancy and the moment in time when dormancy can be considered broken. During dormancy, it would seem that flower buds are affected not so much by lack of chilling as by high temperatures. Buds can in fact develop normally with only medium-low winter temperatures, probably with different limits depending on the cultivar. | |
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