Reducing russeting of Golden Group Apple Cultivars organically grown with Potassium Bicarbonate

One of the biggest problems for organic apple growing is the quality of fruits that means size, color, and shape characteristic to the cultivar, without russeting. The fruits are very sensitive six weeks after bloom (Gildemacher, 2000). Sensitivity to russeting can be built in the period before bloom (Babin, 1977, Berkett, 2005. The effects are more visible when the cooper based fungicides before bloom are used. When the copper was replaced with sulphur or lime sulfur, better results were obtained (Jong, 2008). Experiments were conducted in 2008 in a commercial orchard at SC Agroindustriala SA Cluj-Napoca. The former is 5 ha of five years old trees on M9 spaced at 3,5 X 0,9 m including five cultivars of Golden Group: Golden Delicious, Golden Reinders, Lysgolden, Smoothee. The objective of this study was to test the effect of potassium bicarbonate in reducing apple russeting in comparison with classical product used in organically apple grow

COPPER-AMMONIAC PHOSPHATE IN THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN STONE FRUITS

A new chemical formula of fungicide based on copper (copper-ammoniac phosphate) was tested between 2007 and 2008 at SC Agroindustriala SA Cluj-Napoca, along with copper based fungicides widely spread and used in the protection of stone fruit species. The fungicides spoken of were: Funguran, Kocide 101WP, Champion 50 WP, CBF (copper based fungicides), which display a similar behaviour with statistically ensured differences in the control of Monilinia laxa, Xanthomonas pruni, Polistigma rubrum, Taphrina pruni in the plum, Monilinia laxa, Coccomyces hiemalis, Stigmina carpophila, Xanthomonas campestris in the cherry and Stigmina carpophila, Monilinia laxa and Coccomyces hiemalis in the sour cherry. The advantages displayed by CBF are: efficiency similar to the acknowledged copper based fungicides with a cooper doses ten times lower per hectare, meaning ten times lower price, long lasting effect, as through the NH4+ grouping they connect the foliar surface, non-polluting clean product, formula compatible with diverse foliar fertilizers. Thus, this product lowers the degree of attack to 1/3 and 2/3 as to the untreated control, similarly to the acknowledged fungicides

Plum chemical thinning

Chemical thinning consists in spraying the trees with different substances. By the way they act,substances can be: with caustic effects or general and with hormone effects or selective. The generaleffects substances contain the type of substances di - nitro, whose action mechanisms are as follows:when the flowers are open, in the next 10 h after the appliance of the substance, the stigma pollen isdestroyed and thus, the pollination doesn’t take place. Meanwhile, if the substance is used on the flowersthat are not open, it affects the petals, they don’t open anymore and pollination and fecundation doesn’ttake place too. For a proper effect this type of products must be used during the full flowering stage orimmediately after that. Hormonal substances are absorbed directlyinto the fruit or through the leavesand produce abscisia. Hormonal types of products is recommended during rainy periods and in theareas with late falls, when the appropriate time is from the full bloom until the petals fall or the initialperiod of fruit growing

Resistance of Several Sweet Cherry Varieties to Cracking under Heavy Rainfall

Sweet cherry cracking triggered by heavy rainfalls before harvest, is one of the major problems in cherry cultivation with almost all cherry-growing countries in the world (Anderson, 1982; Gleen and Poovaiah, 1989; Beyer and Knoche, 2002). To determinate the cracking resistance of seven varieties of cherry in terms of excessive rainfall during fruit maturation, an experiment was initiated at SC Agroindustriala SA Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in a sweet cherry orchard, established in 1996. The spring of 2010 was very rainy one, sum total of rainfalls in May and June 2010 surpassed 3.5 times that a normal year at Cluj-Napoca

CAMPFO-CA 000 – LEAF FERTILIZER EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING CRACKING IN THE SWEET CHERRY

The impact of sprinkling with calcium and copper based products on cracking of sweet cherry triggered by heavy rainfall before harvest, was checked at SC Agroindustriala SA Cluj-Napoca in 2008, on four sweet cherry cultivars: Van, Germersdorf, Stella and Boambe de Cotnari. The application of four treatments between May 12 and June 23, 2008, with Campfo 000, a leaf fertilizer acknowledged in 2007 in cooperation with a team of authors in the faculty of Chemistry of the Babes Bolyai” University in Cluj-Napoca, resulted in the reduction of percentage of cracked fruit was lower to a lesser extent. The utilization of this product is also proven by the fact that being a leaf fertilizer it results in considerable yield gains and quality fruit, too

HEREDITY OF CERTAIN QUANTITATIVE TRAITS AT AUTUMN- AND WINTER APPLE CULTIVARS IN THE CONDITIONS FROM CLUJ-NAPOCA

, , , University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Mănăştur Street, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Keywords: heredity, juice production, autumn apple, winter apple, genetic effects SUMMARY The experimental study carried out aimed at establishing the heritability coefficients in broad sense (H) for thirteen traits of interest in juice production. Traits were analyzed in view of nominalization of variants with which the genetic effects are highest in the phenotypic expression.The biological material utilized in the experiments that have been carried out were represented by five autumn apple cultivars and twelve of winter, to be found with the cultivar collection of the UASVM of Cluj-Napoca. Nominalization as genitor of the most valuable cultivars in the collection of autumn- and winter apples was not possible without knowing the extent to which the respective traits were ascertained preponderant-genetically or, by environmental conditions. Such a measurement is represented by the variability coefficient in broad sense, which was possible to be calculated on basis of the data obtained with the checked traits, during the three experimental years

HERITABILITY OF QUANTITATIVE TRAITS OF INTEREST FOR PRODUCTION OF JUICE IN F1 APPLE HYBRIDS

The investigations pertaining to the present work are materialized in the establishment of the heritability coefficient in broader sense (H) based on the results obtained in the series of experiments with apple hybrids and of heritability coefficients in narrower sense (h2 ) based on the regression of hybrid mean compared to parental mean for all the thirteen traits of interest for juice production taken into study. The study that has been carried out allows for the elaboration of some conclusions and recommendations concerning the melioration programmes in the apple in view of obtaining new cultivars possessing high fruit quality fit for both consuming in fresh state (desert fruit) and for producing juice

The Influence of cultivar, rootstock and culture system on growth and yield in apple

The influence of two apple rootstocks (M9 and MM106) on growth and yielding of four apple cultivars (ʻPinovaʼ‚ ʻTopazʼ, ʻFlorinaʼ and ʻGolden Reindersʻ) in two culture system was studied. The experiment was placed in  a commercial orchard at SC Agroindustriala Cluj-Napoca Romania, planted in 2007, during 2012-2104. In the experimental field some growth parameters (length of annual shoots, trunk cross-sectional area, tree height,) and fructification (average yield, and productivity index) were observed. The studied cultivars had a different response, on hand, due to the genetic characteristic of each one and on the other hand, due to the rootstock. The results showed that MM 106 transmit much strongly growth than M 9. The longest shoots, in mean values, gave the variants where the cultivars were grafted on MM 106 (53 cm) and the shortest (34.4 cm) on M9. The biggest average height of trees with  the MM 106 rootstock were obtained (290 cm). The smallest average height of trees with the variants where the trees were grafted on M 9 (239 cm) was registered. The biggest average trunk cross sectional area with the MM 106 were obtained (102.1 cm2). The best yield was obtained in variant where the cultivars were grafted on M 9 (47.03 t/ha) M9 rootstock has controlled the tree size of all cultivars more than MM 106 resulting in the lowest TCSA (58.8 cm2) and the highest yield per hectar (47.03 tone/ha) and yield efficiency (925 kg/cm2)

Effects of Fall Applications of Urea in Order to Improve Fruit Sizes, Weight and Buds Cold Hardiness in Sweet Cherry

The influence of treatments with urea, in quantity of 10 litres per hectare each time, on four cultivars of sweet cherry under the climatic conditions of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 2010-2011, was studied. Measurements on length of shoots, leaf area, trunk cross sectional area, yield and fruits weight were made. There were no differences regarding fruit firmness compared to untreated control. Better results using two treatments with urea were obtained. Treatment with, urea in tree variants were made: V1 - control which has no treatment received with urea; V2 - in which one treatment of urea inquantity of 10 litres per hectare in the autumn after fruits harvest but before leaves fall; V3, received two sprinklings with urea in quantity of 10 litres per hectare; one of them in the autumn after fruit harvest but before leaves fall and the second in the spring. Measurements were made on length ofshoots, leaf area, trunk cross sectional area, yield and fruits weight. Both treatments with urea increased the length of shoots, leaf area, trunk cross sectional area, yield and fruits weight. The best results in case of V3 - one treatment with urea in quantity of 10 litres per hectare in the autumn after fruits harvest but before leaves fall plus the second one in the spring before buds burst were performed