Correlations between sugar and acid content and peach growth

Abstract

SummaryThe relationship between peach fruit (Prunus persica L. Batsch) composition and growth was studied in six cultivar-training-site-season combinations. Individual fruit growth and sugar and acid content were measured. The approach combined a functional description of growth and a correlation analysis. Fruit growth was divided into two phases: pit growth with the first stage of the flesh growth, and a second stage of flesh growth. Fruit composition was analysed for the concentrations of sucrose, reducing sugars, malic and citric acids in the flesh. The variability of growth and composition within each combination was high. The variation of composition was mainly related to the variation of growth during the second phase, although the fruit having largest diameters at thinning were often those with the highest citric acid concentration. Fruits growing intensively during the second phase had the highest sucrose and malic acid concentration and the lowest reducing sugar and citric acid concentration. The physiological significance of these results is discussed.