Impact of Crop Load on Growth, Flowering and Fruiting in Apple cv. Gala Redlum

Abstract

This study assesses the influence of varying crop loads on growth, return bloom and fruiting traits with a focus on trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA)in High-Density Apple Cultivar Gala Redlum, Study was conducted at the experimental field of the Division of Fruit Science, SKUAST-Kashmir, during 2021-2022.The experiment, organized in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, utilized 4-year-old "Gala Redlum" plants. The trees were hand-thinned to 4, 6, 8, 10 fruits per cm2 of TCSA, with a control group undergoing no thinning. Results indicated that the highest values for annual shoot length (36.40 cm), return bloom (111.50 flower clusters/tree), fruit length (68.49 mm), fruit diameter (75.07 mm), and fruit weight (191.62 g) in the C2 treatment (4 fruits per cm2 of TCSA). Following closely, the C3 treatment (6 fruits per cm2 of TCSA) exhibited substantial values for the aforementioned parameters. Furthermore, the S2 treatment (10-12 cm2 TCSA) recorded maximum annual shoot length (30.63 cm), return bloom (64.13 flower clusters/tree), fruit length (61.74 mm), fruit diameter (69.18 mm), and fruit weight (168.16 g). Notably, the combined treatment C2xS2 yielded the highest return bloom (114.00 flower clusters/tree) and fruit characteristics (fruit length, diameter, and weight).