Search results for "Prunu"

The role of mucilage of Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. on sweet cherry fruit during storage

2022

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is an important crop from temperate areas and is widespread and much appreciated by the consumers when the pedicel is green. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of sweet cherry fruit treated with a mucilage coating, extracted from cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill (OFI). The cultivar ‘Ferrovia’ was harvested at the commercial ripeness stage from an orchard in Puglia (Italy), stored for 14 days at 2°C and RH 92% and to evaluated by the variation of color and other qualitative parameters such as physical-chemical, nutraceutical and sensory analysis. Fruits were transferred at 10°C to postharvest laboratory of University of Palermo after…

Yield and profitability of modified spanish bush and Y-trellis training systems for peach

2015

Peach trees trained to modified Spanish bush (MSB) and Y-trellis (Y) were evaluated and compared in the Mediterranean settings of Southern Italy. The observations included two peach (Rich May and Summer Rich) and two nectarine (Big Bang and Nectaross) cultivars. In the MSB system, trees were spaced at 4.5 x 2.5 m (888 trees/ha), whereas in the Y system, trees were spaced at 5.5 x 2 m (909 trees/ha). Costs at planting, yield per tree, fruit size grade, unit price of sold peaches for each size grade, amount and cost of materials and labor for cultural management, and grower's profit were quantified throughout all six years from planting and at full crop (year 4-6). Fixed costs of the MSB syst…

CARATTERISTICHE AGRONOMICHE ED ASPETTI ECOFISIOLOGICI IN NOVE DIVERSE COMBINAZIONI D' INNESTO DI PESCO ( PRUNUS PERSICA L. BATSCH )

2011

The Sicilian peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) germplasm: Evaluation of genetic diversity using SSRs

2006

The decrease in worldwide consumption of peaches due to the poor flavour quality of the fruit has increased the demand for new tasty cultivars. The availability of plant genetic resources is an important prerequisite for improving fruit quality by breeding. In Sicily there is a large collection of local cultivated peaches, whose production fills a niche in the local markets, but which is at risk of disappearing. Their characteristics include highly aromatic fruit and late ripening. Because of their important agronomic characteristics, the Department of Colture Arboree of Palermo University has collected the most interesting accessions to safeguard them and to use the indigenous resources in…

Continuous detection of new plant water status indicators in stage I of nectarine fruit growth

2019

Conventional irrigation management is often inefficient in responding to seasonal changes of tree water needs. The use of leaf- and fruit-based sensors might provide helpful insights on tree water status, although they have been poorly investigated so far. Fruit gauges and leaf patch clamp pressure (LPCP) probes were tested during stage I of nectarine fruit growth to evaluate if leaf turgor pressure and fruit size may serve as indicators of water deficit. This experiment was carried out in the 2017/18 season. Four irrigation levels were applied to ‘September Bright’ nectarine trees (100, 40, 20 and 0% of crop evapotranspiration, ETc) and data were collected during stage I of fruit growth. T…

Rootstock Effect on Stem Water Potential Gradients in cv. 'Armking' Nectarine Trees

2004

The effects of rootstock vigour on scion xylem hydraulic conductivity were studied on potted trees of cv. ‘Armking’ nectarine grafted onto GF677 (vigorous) and MrS 2/5 (low-vigour) rootstocks. Water potential gradients of non-transpiring leaves were measured at three levels of the stem starting at 10 cm above the graft-point. Transpiration rates were estimated by weighing. Two sets of measurements were taken on the same trees, at two different transpiration-rate levels obtained by imposing a different level of evaporative demand. Measurements were taken after allowing transpiration to reach a steady-state (20 minutes after any environmental perturbation). Trees grafted onto the low-vigour r…

Relationship between canopy architecture and fruit quality on 'Rich May' peach grafted onto 'Penta' and 'GF677' rootstocks

2006

Observations on crop efficiency and fruit quality of peach trees of ‘Rich May’ grafted onto ‘GF677’ (peach x almond) and ‘Penta’ (Prunus domestica L.) rootstocks are reported. Results were related to canopy architecture parameters, particularly to scaffold branches, shoot and leaf blade inclination angles, to the pattern of light distribution, and to the area of sunflecks projected at midday on the ground. Trees grafted onto ‘GF677’ were more vigorous, in terms of trunk cross-sectional area, summer pruning weight and leaf area. Within canopy light distribution profiles were in agreement with foliage density, with a higher light interception observed in trees grafted on ‘GF677’. Within canop…

Propagation techniques and nursery management for the production of certified peach plants in Europe

2022

The propagation of fruit trees, particularly peaches, nectarines and canning clingstone, has reached highly specialized levels since the 1960s. Over the years, the classic seed rootstocks have been replaced by numerous rootstocks produced in vitro, expanding the range of technical solutions for the different soil and climatic growing conditions of several areas. Thanks to the new genotypes from international breeding programs, it was thus possible to renew the cultivated varietal platform several times. Propagation techniques have also undergone an evolution, adopting solutions aimed at shortening nurseries’ production cycles by using June budding or micrografting. Finally, there are differ…

Fruit Ripening Evolution in Settembrina di Leonforte and Gialla Tardiva di Leonforte Peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] Ecotypes

2015

The aim of this research was to define the most appropriate harvesting time for the late ripening peach ecotypes Gialla Tardiva di Leonforte and Settembrina di Leonforte. Farmers used to apply a paper bag to each fruit to protect it from Mediterranean fruit fly egg-laying. The use of this cultivation practice reduces the use of pesticides with a major impact on consumer choice, but makes it more difficult to identify fruit commercial harvest time. The study was carried out using destructive quality indexes and the DA-Meter. The results showed a good correlation between DA-Meter classes and the chemical and physical characteristics of the fruit, giving useful information on fruit ripening an…

Transpiration/Evaporation Ratio in Prunus Fremontii and Marianna 2624 over a 4-Day Period of Drought

2017

Drought stress represents one of the major environmental limitations to crop production in a large portion of the Earth’s surface. Natural genetic resources are one of the most powerful weapons against environmental stress. In such contest, the behavior in terms of water loss of two species, P. fremontii (slower-growing) and Marianna 2624 (faster-growing), native to arid and humid regions respectively, was tested. Transpiration (T) and evapotranspiration (ET) rates and soil water content (SWC) were measured in the two species under controlled conditions. Evaporation rate from the soil surface was obtained by difference, and an average transpiration/evaporation ratio (T/E) was calculated to …