The Training Systems Affect Fruit Quality, Yield, and Labor Efficiency in Peach (P. persica L. Batsch)

Abstract

In the Vase system, the most common training system for peach-growing countries for more than a century, light distribution to the canopy is uneven, and access to the canopy for pruning, thinning, and harvest labor is difficult. It is important to identify alternative systems to the Vase system considering the cultivar and growing environment to facilitate labor and enhance productivity and quality. In Türkiye, one of the important centers of peach growing worldwide, detailed research has yet to be published on the applicability of training systems alternative to the widely used Vase system. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different training systems (Vase, Catalan Vase, Quad-V, Tri-V) on growth, yield, fruit quality, and labor costs of peach cultivars (Extreme® 314, Extreme® 436, Extreme® 568). The experiment was conducted from 2017 to 2022. Although the distance between rows in all training systems is 5 m, the distance between trees on the row is determined as 4 m in Vase, 3 m in Catalan Vase, 2.5 m in Quad-V, and 2 m in Tri-V. In the experiment, vegetative development parameters, such as canopy volume, trunk sectional area, and the amount of winter pruning weights, differed according to the training system. In the final year, the Vase system, which produces the most pruning weight, generates 48.0% more pruning weight compared with the Tri-V system, which produces the least. Concerning yield per tree and hectare, trained to the Vase system yielded higher fruit per tree regardless of cultivar, while the Quad-V and Tri-V systems yielded more fruit per hectare. The training system and cultivar affected the fruit size; the largest fruits were obtained from the Extreme® 568 cultivar trained according to the Vase system. The most time needed for winter pruning was obtained from the Vase (79.4 min/tree) system, and the Tri-V (57.4 min/tree) and Quad-V (60.3 min/tree) systems required the least time. The Catalan Vase (31.1 min/tree) system required the least time for summer pruning. The most fruit harvest in an hour was obtained from the trees trained according to the Tri-V (164.5 kg/h) and Quad-V (132.02 kg/h) systems. These results suggest that Quad-V and Catalan Vase systems performed well and could be alternatives to the Vase system.