Abstract
BACKGROUND: The fruit quality and flowering characteristics of Kiwifruit (A. deliciosa cv. Hayward) in the following year is known to be affected by the extent and timing of defoliation of the current year. In korea, the production of kiwi, which is a perennial, straggling deciduous warm-temperate fruit, is often restricted by wind damage due to typhoons resulting to defoliation at the middle season of its growing period. In this paper, we report the effect of the different timing of defoliation and severities at the current season to the kiwifruit quality. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty seven-year-old 'Hayward' trees grown under polyethylene film rain-shelter were defoliated in different days from August to September at seven day-intervals. In each day, 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of leaves were removed from the trees. Fruits from each treatment were classified into four floating types (L: lying in bottom, S: standing on bottom, F: floating and SF: floating at the surface of water) by submerging them into tap water. Defoliation of kiwifruit trees in August and September caused air holes in locules of inner pericarp. Increased number of air hole in locules of a fruit was observed in floating types F and SF, and most of the air holes were located in stem end. The defoliation of trees in August significantly reduced the ratio of L-floating type fruits, which have the least number of locule air holes. The extent of defoliation also affected the distribution of the four types, the more leaves removed, the less L-floating type fruits harvested. The weight of fruits from trees defoliated in August was lower than that of fruits from September. Soluble solids content decreased as the number of locule air holes increased. Negative correlations were observed between the extent of defoliation and the weight and soluble solids content of fruits. CONCLUSION: Early defoliation effect on kiwifruit locule air hole occurrence and fruit quality were more severe in August than in September. And also if the defoliation severity is over 25%, severe fruit quality reduction expected to happen due to increase of fruit locule air hole in the inner pericarp.
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