The Training Systems Affect Fruit Quality, Yield, and Labor Efficiency in Peach (P. persica L. Batsch)

In the Vase system, the most common training system for peach-growing countries for more than a century, light distribution to the canopy is uneven, and access to the canopy for pruning, thinning, and harvest labor is difficult. It is important to identify alternative systems to the Vase system considering the cultivar and growing environment to facilitate labor and enhance productivity and quality. In Türkiye, one of the important centers of peach growing worldwide, detailed research has yet to be published on the applicability of training systems alternative to the widely used Vase system. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different training systems (Vase, Catalan Vase, Quad-V, Tri-V) on growth, yield, fruit quality, and labor costs of peach cultivars (Extreme® 314, Extreme® 436, Extreme® 568). The experiment was conducted from 2017 to 2022. Although the distance between rows in all training systems is 5 m, the distance between trees on the row is determined as 4 m in Vase, 3 m in Catalan Vase, 2.5 m in Quad-V, and 2 m in Tri-V. In the experiment, vegetative development parameters, such as canopy volume, trunk sectional area, and the amount of winter pruning weights, differed according to the training system. In the final year, the Vase system, which produces the most pruning weight, generates 48.0% more pruning weight compared with the Tri-V system, which produces the least. Concerning yield per tree and hectare, trained to the Vase system yielded higher fruit per tree regardless of cultivar, while the Quad-V and Tri-V systems yielded more fruit per hectare. The training system and cultivar affected the fruit size; the largest fruits were obtained from the Extreme® 568 cultivar trained according to the Vase system. The most time needed for winter pruning was obtained from the Vase (79.4 min/tree) system, and the Tri-V (57.4 min/tree) and Quad-V (60.3 min/tree) systems required the least time. The Catalan Vase (31.1 min/tree) system required the least time for summer pruning. The most fruit harvest in an hour was obtained from the trees trained according to the Tri-V (164.5 kg/h) and Quad-V (132.02 kg/h) systems. These results suggest that Quad-V and Catalan Vase systems performed well and could be alternatives to the Vase system

A study on the relationships between some fruit characteristics in cherries

Introduction. Some fruit characteristics are very important for cherry marketing. This study aimed at determining relationships between some of them to help researchers on fruit quality. Materials and methods. The relationships between fruit cracking, fruit weight and diameter, soluble solid and acidity content, and fruit stalk thickness were determined on 35 sweet cherry cultivars in Amasya in Turkey. Results and discussion. There was a positive polynomial relationship between the fruit stalk thickness and fruit cracking; between fruit weight and fruit stalk thickness; and between fruit weight and fruit firmness. There was a positive relationship between the fruit weight and the acidity content, and between the fruit firmness, acidity and soluble solid. There was a negative relationship between fruit firmness and pH. Conclusions. Some relationships between cherry characteristics exist, which may help researchers to solve some problems such as fruit cracking. These studies may contribute to producing fruit with a good quality and help to evaluate new cultivars

Leaf area estimation in some species of fruit tree by using models as a non-destructive method

Introduction. Leaf area measurements are used commonly in the study of growth and development of fruit trees. These measurements can be made destructively by using a variety of sensitive instruments and/or non-destructively by using models of leaf area estimation. For models of leaf area estimation, some leaf parameters such as the length and width of leaves are usually used in the measurements. Construction of a model of leaf area estimation. Computer programs such as Excel, SAS and SPSS may be used in this process. In brief, after a leaf has been placed on a sheet of paper and photocopied, a digital planimeter or suitable tool may be used to measure the actual leaf area. The leaf width (W) and length (L) of the leaves sampled can be measured by a simple ruler. After this, regression analysis of the data may be performed separately for each genotype, species or cultivar. The analysis can be conducted with various subsets of the independent variables; for instance, leaf length (L), leaf width (W), L2, W2 and [L2 / W2] to develop the best model for predicting leaf area. Regression analyses should be carried out until the deviation sum of squares is minimized. Models of leaf area estimation for specific crops. In our study, prediction models of leaf area were developed by referring to the relevant current literature that studied such fruits as avocado, banana, blackberry, cacao, cherry, chestnut, grape, guava, kiwifruit, lotus plum, peach, pistachio, rabbiteye blueberry, red currant, red raspberry, sour orange, strawberry, pecan and white mulberry. Advantages and disadvantage of the models of leaf area estimation. Some advantages and a disadvantage of models of leaf area estimation are presented. Conclusion. Our mini-review has shown that the models which have been formulated and which will develop in the future for some fruit species can be reliably used

Modelling of the leaf area for various pear cultivars using neuro computing approaches

Aim of study: Leaf area (LA) is an important variable for many stages of plant growth and development such as light interception, water and nutrient use, photosynthetic efficiency, respiration, and yield potential. This study aimed to determine the easiest, most accurate and most reliable LA estimation model for the pear using linear measurements of leaf geometry and comparing their performance with artificial neural networks (ANN).Area of study: Samsun, Turkey. Material and methods: Different numbers of leaves were collected from 12 pear cultivars to measure leaf length (L), and width (W) as well as LA. The multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to predict the LA by using L and W. Different ANN models comprising different number of neuron were trained and used to predict LA.Main results: The general linear regression LA estimation model was found to be LA = -0.433 + 0.715LW (R2 = 0.987). In each pear cultivar, ANN models were found to be more accurate in terms of both the training and testing phase than MLR models.Research highlights: In the prediction of LA for different pear cultivars, ANN can thus be used in addition to MLR, as effective tools to circumvent difficulties met in the direct measurement of LA in the laboratory

Molecular characterization of sweet cherry genetic resources in Giresun, Turkey

Introduction. Turkey potentially has a very rich source of sweet (Prunus avium) and sour (P. cerasus) cherries. P. avium is apparently native to some parts of Northern Turkey, where Giresun is located. Identification of the sweet cherry cultivars produced in Turkey will help in choosing appropriate cultivars and aid in the preservation of natural resources required for breeding studies. The most conventional method of cultivar identification is based on the assessment of morphological characteristics. However, this method is insufficient to distinguish closely related cultivars. The aims of our study were to determine the molecular profile of sweet cherry accessions grown in Giresun, Turkey, and to determine their genetic relationships. Materials and methods. In our study, we identified 44 sweet cherry accessions grown in Giresun by using genetic markers (SSR, Simple Sequence Repeat), and we determined the genetic relationships among the sweet cherry genotypes. For DNA isolation, we collected young leaves sampled on a single plant per accession, then amplification of microsatellite loci was performed. In total, ten SSR primer pairs, previously isolated from peach and sweet cherry, were used. Genetic similarity values were calculated. A cluster analysis was performed to generate a dendrogram. Results and discussion. Of the ten primers tested, six primer pairs did not result in suitable amplification products with the 44 accessions studied. The remaining four polymorphic SSR primer pairs produced 33 alleles with an average of 8.25 putative alleles per locus, ranging from 7 to 11. Depending on the accessions, similarity ratios ranged from 0.32 to 0.98, with a mean value of 0.64. In conclusion, the results obtained demonstrate a high level of polymorphism among sweet cherry genotypes from a single province in Turkey

Comparative evaluation of phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of new sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) genotypes in Turkey

Introduction Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), one of the most consumed fruits in the world, is rich in phenolic and especially anthocyanin content. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the phenolic properties of 11 different sweet cherry genotypes collected from Giresun, Turkey. Methods Total phenol, flavonoid, anthocyanin and antioxidant properties were observed spectrophotometrically in three different extraction (conventional, microwave-assisted and ultrasound-assisted) processes. Major phenolic, anthocyanin and antioxidant structures were visually assessed by high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Various phenolics in its structure were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results T2 and E5 genotypes had the highest content in terms of total phenol, flavonoid, anthocyanin and antioxidant activity. In HPTLC, cherry samples contained high levels of chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, p-coumaroylquinic acid, rutin and cyanidin-3 rutinoside. Among the phenolics examined in the LC-MS/MS method, the major compounds in the structure of cherry were found to be chlorogenic acid, rutin and catechin. The T2 genotype had higher phenolics than the other cherry samples (chlorogenic acid 19.3 mg/100 g; catechin; 3.8 mg/100 g; rutin 33.1 mg/100 g). Conclusion As a result, T2 and E5 genotypes had higher phenolic and antioxidant activity compared to other genotypes and commercial cultivars. It can be said that the antioxidant contents of these genotypes are due to the high anthocyanin amount in their structures. In addition, T2 genotype contained more major phenolics than other cherries. In the next stage, it is recommended to carry out studies on the cultivation of these two varieties

Determination of potential hazelnut plantation areas based GIS model case study: Samsun city of central Black Sea region

Turkey is one of the few countries in the world with a favourable climate for hazelnut production. In addition, it has the leading position in world hazelnut production and export, supplying about 70% of world’s production. However, hazelnut production exceeds the demand and new some regulations have been enacted to create new land use policies in Turkey. By putting into practice regulations restricting hazelnut plantation areas, a more efficient and productive hazelnut harvest policy could be created. Samsun city is one of the most important hazelnut production centres in Central Black Sea region. The main objective of this study is to determine potential hazelnut areas in Samsun city located Central Black Sea Region according to current regulations using geographic information system technique regarding to support hazelnut policy developers and organizations. According to the criteria dictated by government regulations, potential hazelnut area in Samsun province was determined and 86973 ha of the total area is suitable hazelnut area which is about 9.3% of whole province

Improved model for the non-destructive estimation of strawberry leaf area

Introduction. Non-destructive estimation of leaf area saves time as compared with geometric measurements. For this reason, several leaf area prediction models were produced for some plant species such as grape, avocado and kiwifruit in previous studies. In this research, we attempted to offer a reliable equation that predicts strawberry leaf area non-destructively by linear measurements of leaf geometry. Materials and methods. An equation was developed by using Sweet Charlie and Camarosa strawberry cultivars and by measuring lamina width, length and leaf area. Results and discussion. It was found that the relationships between the actual leaf area and the predicted leaf area given by the equation developed were significant at a level of 0.1% and that r2 was 0.993. In addition, the model was validated by measurements of new leaf areas of seven other strawberry cultivars. Conclusions. The model developed could be used for strawberries in relevant studies

Canopy temperature for peach tree at various soil water contents

Canopy temperature measurements with infrared thermometry have been extensively studied as a means of assessing plant water status for field and row crops. Achieving high quality peach fruit depends on the ability to maintain mild to moderate levels of water stress in the crop during the growing season. The paper examined the spatial distribution of tree canopy temperature (Tc) using thermal images in a peach orchard for irrigation scheduling. The variation of Tc was investigated in three irrigation regime treatments (factor A) that produced various soil moisture content (SMC) values, three cardinal points (factor B): South, North and East-West aspects combined, and five up-down vertical position measurements (factor C: upper, middle upper, middle, middle lower and lower) across the tree canopy thermal images. It was found that Tc was significantly influenced by the irrigation regime. Cardinal point showed a significant Tc difference between South on the one hand and the other aspects. The vertical position within canopy image did not significantly influence Tc