ISHS Acta Horticulturae 468: III International Cherry Symposium
RAIN-CRACKING OF ‘ROYAL ANN’ SWEET CHERRIES: FRUIT PHYSIOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS, WATER TEMPERATURE, ORCHARD TREATMENTS, AND CRACKING INDEX |
| Author: | D.G. Richardson |
| Keywords: | Prunus avium, ‘Napoleon’, fruit maturity, soluble solids, diurnal trends, anti-transpirants, calcium sprays, water penetration into fruit |
| Abstract:
Fruit maturity stage, temperature of the water in contact with the fruit, water relations in the tree (turgidity), and duration of wetting, all interact to affect the incidence and severity of rain-induced splitting or cracking of sweet cherries. The strongest effect seems to be water temperature, followed by % soluble solids (Brix), but there are also effects relating to the water relations in the tree. Some rather surprising diurnal changes in cracking susceptibility have been observed. Similarly, some orchard treatments to reduce rain-cracking such as calcium sprays and/or ethephon have been shown to have a positive effect, while others such as anti-transpirants are ineffective or aggravate the problem. | |
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