Abstract
ABSTRACT Thinning is a cultural practice that leads to balance between fruit yield and quality. It is carried out in a short period of time and requires qualified workforce, whose shortage ends up increasing costs. This study aimed at evaluating the thinning effect of metamitron on peach trees at different periods of time after bloom. The experiment was carried out in a commercial orchard of ‘Sensacao’ peach trees located in Morro Redondo, Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state, Brazil, in 2015-2016 crops. Treatments were the application of 200 mg L-1 metamitron, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 days after full bloom (DAFB), and manual thinning 40 DAFB. Fruit abscission, effective fructification, period of manual and chemical thinning, number of fruits and yield per plant, mean fruit mass and fruit caliber were evaluated. When metamitron was applied 40 DAFB, percentages of fruit abscission and fruit set, besides the number of fruits, were similar to the ones found when manual thinning was carried out. The intensity of the thinning effect of metamitron in peach trees depends on the application period.
Highlights
Peach trees exhibit high fruit set, which results in plants with an excessive number of fruits
Fruit abscission of peach trees was influenced by the application period of metamitron
The highest percentages of fruit abscission were found in peach trees thinned with metamitron 20 days after full bloom (DAFB) in 2015 and 30 DAFB in 2016 (Figure 1)
Summary
Peach trees exhibit high fruit set, which results in plants with an excessive number of fruits. Trees with high load of fruits usually bear little fruits with low commercial value, besides the fact that branches may break as the result of their weight (Pereira & Raseira, 2014; Giovanaz et al, 2016). Current thinning practices have been carried out manually in orchards. They enable picked fruits to be selected, i. E., damaged, little and badly located ones are eliminated. This practice requires qualified workforce and must be carried out in a short period. It hinders its execution and, increases production costs (McArtney & Obermiller, 2014; Simões et al, 2013)
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