Pink Stage Research Articles

Integrated Metabolome, Transcriptome and Long Non-Coding RNA Analysis Reveals Potential Molecular Mechanisms of Sweet Cherry Fruit Ripening.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of important regulatory factors for many biological processes in plants, have received much attention in recent years. To explore the molecular roles of lncRNAs in sweet cherry fruit ripening, we conducted widely targeted metabolome, transcriptome and lncRNA analyses of sweet cherry fruit at three ripening stages (yellow stage, pink stage, and dark red stage). The results show that the ripening of sweet cherry fruit involves substantial metabolic changes, and the rapid accumulation of anthocyanins (cyanidin 3-rutinoside, cyanidin 3-O-galactoside, and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside) is the main cause of fruit coloration. These ripening-related alterations in the metabolic profile are driven by specific enzyme genes related to the synthesis and decomposition of abscisic acid (ABA), cell wall disintegration, and anthocyanin biosynthesis, as well as transcription factor genes, such as MYBs, bHLHs, and WD40s. LncRNAs can target these ripening-related genes to form regulatory modules, incorporated into the sweet cherry fruit ripening regulatory network. Our study reveals that the lncRNA-mRNA module is an important component of the sweet cherry fruit ripening regulatory network. During sweet cherry fruit ripening, the differential expression of lncRNAs will meditate the spatio-temporal specific expression of ripening-related target genes (encoding enzymes and transcription factors related to ABA metabolism, cell wall metabolism and anthocyanin metabolism), thus driving fruit ripening.

Effect of Different Post-Harvest Treatments on Quality and Shelf Life of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) Fruits During Storage

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a widely consumed vegetable crop worldwide. The perishability of fruits increased due to the high level of moisture which reduces quality and shelf life. Thus, this study was conducted in Kanchanpur, Nepal from 11th July to 1st August 2022 to investigate the impact of postharvest application of various chemical substances and plant extracts on the post-harvest life of tomatoes throughout the storage. The pink stage of the Heemsohna variety of tomato fruit was harvested and dipped in various treatment solutions; 0.1 % Gibberellic acid (GA3), 1.5% calcium chloride (CaCl2), 10% Aloe vera gel, and 15% Neem leaf extract (NLE) or distilled water as control. After that, the fruits were air-dried and kept at ambient temperatures. The experiment was set up using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 replications and 5 treatments. At three-day intervals throughout storage, the physicochemical properties and shelf life of tomato fruit were examined. The different postharvest treatments caused the changes in total soluble solids, titratable acidity, decaying loss, and weight loss to be delayed compared to the control. With 0.1% GA3 and 1.5% CaCl2, fruit had the lowest decay percentage followed by aloe vera gel and NLE. Similarly, the fruits dipped in 1.5% CaCl2, had shown maximum shelf life of 21 days. Hence, it was determined that postharvest treatment with GA3, CaCl2, Aloe vera gel, and NLE possesses the capacity to keep quality, extend shelf life, and delay spoilage.

Transcriptome and Metabolome Provide Insights into Fruit Ripening of Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme).

Insights into flavor formation during fruit ripening can guide the development of breeding strategies that balance consumer and producer needs. Cherry tomatoes possess a distinctive taste, yet research on quality formation is limited. Here, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were conducted on different ripening stages. The results revealed differentially accumulated metabolites during fruit ripening, providing candidate metabolites related to flavor. Interestingly, several key flavor-related metabolites already reached a steady level at the mature green stage. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the expression levels of the majority of genes tended to stabilize after the pink stage. Enrichment analysis demonstrated that changes in metabolic and biosynthetic pathways were evident throughout the entire process of fruit ripening. Compared to disease resistance and fruit color genes, genes related to flavor and firmness may have a broader impact on the accumulation of metabolites. Furthermore, we discovered the interconversion patterns between glutamic acid and glutamine, as well as the biosynthesis patterns of flavonoids. These findings contribute to our understanding of fruit quality formation mechanisms and support breeding programs aimed at improving fruit quality traits.

Tomato Maturity Estimation Using Deep Neural Network

In this study, we propose a tomato maturity estimation approach based on a deep neural network. Tomato images were obtained using an RGB camera installed on a monitoring robot and samples were cropped to generate a dataset with which to train the classification model. The classification model is trained using cross-entropy loss and mean–variance loss, which can implicitly provide label distribution knowledge. For continuous maturity estimation in the test stage, the output probability distribution of four maturity classes is calculated as an expected (normalized) value. Our results demonstrate that the F1 score was approximately 0.91 on average, with a range of 0.85–0.97. Furthermore, comparison with the hue value—which is correlated with tomato growth—showed no significant differences between estimated maturity and hue values, except in the pink stage. From the overall results, we found that our approach can not only classify the discrete maturation stages of tomatoes but can also continuously estimate their maturity. Furthermore, it is expected that with higher accuracy data labeling, more precise classification and higher accuracy may be achieved.

Pheno-thermal response of exotic high density apple varieties under temperate conditions of Kashmir

The present study evaluated the effect of mean temperature and rainfall on phenology attainment of twenty cultivars of apple grown temperate region of Kashmir, India during 2018 and 2019. The results showed that increase in accumulated heat units decreased the time for attainment of phenological stages. The minimum requirement of heat units were recorded in Elstar (17 day 0C), Jona gold (18 day 0C) and Red braeburn (18 day 0C) for attainment of silver tip stage while as dormancy break was recorded earliest in cv. Red braeburrn and Red velox. The attainment of pink bud stage was recorded earliest in Red delicious followed by Elrosa and Gala redlum. However, fruit setting was found earlier in cv. Jona gold (50.1 day 0C) and late in Gala redlum and Gala mast. Highest heliothermal units were found in cv. Gala Mast (478 day 0C h) and Braeburn (461 day 0C h) and lowest in Jona gold (336 day 0C h) while as maximum hydrothermal units were found in Gala red (484 day 0C h) and Gala mast (471 day 0C h). Yield and yield associated traits were also found significantly influenced by accumulated heat units with maximum yield recorded in cv. Golden clone B (90.54 t ha-1) followed by Gala redlum (75.93 t/ha) and Red chief (71.13 t ha-1) with maximum heliothermal use efficiency (0.22), heat use efficiency (1.46) and hydrothermal use efficiency (0.22), respectively.

Apple blister mite (Eriophyes mali Nal): pest biology and measures to prevent it harmfulness on apple orchards in Ukraine

Apple blister mite (Eriophyes mali Nal): pest biology and measures to prevent it harmfulness on apple orchards in Ukraine

Freezing Tolerance Enhancement and Thermographic Observation of Whole Peach Trees Applied with Cellulose Nanocrystals under Realistic Spring Frost Conditions Using a Soil-Fruit-Daylit-System.

Due to recent abnormal weather caused by global warming, peach flowering has gradually accelerated, and spring frost damage caused by premature de-acclimation has increased. In this study, under a simulated spring frost environment using a Soil–Fruit–Daylit–System (SFDS) chamber, we investigated whether treatment with 2% cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) could enhance the freezing tolerance of the flower buds from 2-year-old whole peach trees. Visual changes in the ice propagation were observed using an infrared camera at the same time. After the peach flower buds in the calyx red stage were placed in the SFDS chamber with a minimum temperature of −4 °C for ~20 h, the percentage of browning in the pistils and stamens was 57.0% in the control group and 14.1% in the group treated with 2% CNCs. During the first pink stage, the percentages of browning in the pistils and stamens in the control group and the group treated with 2% CNCs were 98.2% and 70.3%, respectively. However, when peach flower buds in the group treated with 2% CNCs were exposed to a −6 °C-targeted chamber, they could not mitigate frost injury. Almost all flower buds were damaged. Infrared thermal images showed that the first exotherm in the control group began at 2:33:03 am, whereas that of the group treated with 2% CNCs began at 3:01:33 am. The control started to express exothermic behavior at −4.2 °C, while the group treated with 2% CNCs started expressing exothermic behavior at −5.1 °C. Thus, treatment with 2% CNCs enhanced the freezing tolerance by −0.9 °C and delayed the first instance of exothermic behavior by ~28 min. These results indicate that treatment with 2% CNCs could mitigate the frost damage of peach flower buds in a frost environment of −5 °C.

Differential Phenolic Compounds and Hormone Accumulation Patterns between Early- and Mid-Maturing Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) Cultivars during Fruit Development and Ripening.

Color acquisition is one of the most distinctive features of fruit development and ripening processes. The color red is closely related to the accumulation of polyphenolic compounds, mainly anthocyanins, during sweet cherry fruit maturity. In non-climacteric fruit species like sweet cherry, the maturity process is mainly controlled by the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA), though other hormones may also play a role. However, the coordinated stage-specific production of polyphenolic compounds and their relation with hormone content variations have not been studied in depth in sweet cherry fruits. To further understand the accumulation dynamics of these compounds (hormones and metabolites) during fruit development, two sweet cherry cultivars ("Lapins" and "Glenred") with contrasting maturity timing phenotypes were analyzed using targeted metabolic analysis. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) approach revealed that phenolic acids, flavonols, and flavan-3-ols accumulated mainly until the straw-yellow stage in the early-maturing cultivar, while accumulation was mainly at the green stage in the mid-maturing cultivar, suggesting a cultivar-dependent stage-specific production of secondary metabolites. In the mid-maturing cultivar, anthocyanins were detected only from the red stage onward, whereas detection began at the pink stage in the early-maturing cultivar. ABA negatively correlated (p-value < 0.05) with the flavonols and flavan-3-ols in both cultivars. ABA and anthocyanin content increased at the same time in the early-season cultivar. In contrast, anthocyanins accumulated and the pink color initiation started several days after the ABA increase in the mid-maturing cultivar. Differential accumulation patterns of GA4, a ripening antagonizing hormone, between the cultivars could explain this difference. These results showed that both red-colored cultivars presented different accumulation dynamics of phenolic compounds and plant hormones during fruit development, suggesting underlying differences in the sweet cherry fruit color evolution.

ABA influences color initiation timing in P. avium L. fruits by sequentially modulating the transcript levels of ABA and anthocyanin-related genes

In sweet cherry, as in most non-climacteric species, abscisic acid (ABA) plays a major role in the control of fruit ripening and color development. Although the ABA treatment of sweet cherry fruits has been reported to upregulate anthocyanin pathway-related genes or ABA pathway-related genes, the temporality of molecular and physiological events occurring during color development and the ABA control of these events during the color initiation are lacking in this species. In this work, we analyzed variations in the Index of Absorbance Difference (IAD), a maturity index, and total anthocyanins along with changes in transcript abundance of ABA and anthocyanin pathway-related genes, from light green to red fruit stages. PavNCED1 and ABA signaling pathway-related genes upregulated when fruits transitioned from light green to pink stage, whereas anthocyanin pathway-related transcripts increased from pink to the red stage, together with increases in the anthocyanin content and IAD, suggesting sequentiality in molecular and physiological events during color development. Additionally, ABA applied at color initiation in planta advanced IAD, increased anthocyanin content, and yielded darker fruits at harvest. These changes were accompanied by changes in the transcript accumulation of ABA and anthocyanin pathway-related genes. This in planta treatment of sweet cherry fruits with ABA confirms that ABA is a central player in the control of color initiation in sweet cherries, associated with the transcript accumulation of genes involved in ABA homeostasis and signaling, which is followed by the up-regulation of anthocyanin pathway-related genes and color development.

Influence of air hanging stalks techniques in increasing shelf life of tomatoes

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is one of the most widely consumed fresh vegetables. But, it rapidly deteriorate soon after harvesting like other perishable fruits and vegetables. So, this study was conducted for development of a cheap storage technique of tomato for the benefit of the farmers. In the study tomatoes were harvested at different stages of maturity, viz., immature green, mature green, turning (breaker stage), pink, hard ripe and over ripe. It was observed that the air hanging stalk technique of tomato storage was far superior than farmers’ practice in all aspects. Again, among different stages of harvest, pink stage can be considered as the best in terms of storability and acceptability.

Effect of Different Concentrations of the Gibberellic Acid and Calcium Chloride Dipping on Quality and Shelf-life of Kochoro Variety Tomato

Tomato is a highly perishable horticultural produce; post-harvest management is very crucial to maintain the quality and to extend shelf life. In view of this, the present research was carried out to determine the effect of gibberellic acid (GA3) (0.075, 0.1, and 0.125%) and calcium chloride (CaCl2) (1, 1.5, and 2%) treatments on quality and shelf life of tomato (Kochoro variety) in two (green matured and pink) ripening stages. The experiment was carried out involving two factors (treatment and ripening stage) arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The treated fruits were stored at room temperature and the data on quality and shelf life was collected once in every 5 d. The data were analyzed using SAS version 9.8 for analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation. The mean temperature and relative humidity throughout the storage period were reported as 24.67 °C and 55.48%, respectively. The results of the study showed that the least color changes (1.16) and (1.38) were observed for the fruits treated with 1.5% CaCl2 in green mature (20 d of storage) and pink (15 d of storage) stages. Treatments of 0.1% GA3 and 1.5% CaCl2 effectively maintained the firmness of tomato fruits in green matured (0.7 kg/cm2) and pink (0.5 kg/cm2) stages by 20 d of storage duration. Treatment of 1% and 1.5% of CaCl2 on green matured tomato samples reported only 20% of the decay by 20 d of storage; however, control samples reported 60% of decay. Finally, from this study, it was concluded that postharvest treatments are significant in maintaining the quality and shelf life of the tomatoes in the green stage up to 20 d. Treatment with 1.5% CaCl2 and 0.125% GA3 is effective to prolong the storage life and quality of pink tomato; in the case of the green mature stage, treatment with 0.125% GA3 showed maximum shelf life.

Influence of Modified Atmosphere Packaging on the Postharvest Quality and Chilling Injury of Tomato Harvested at Different Maturity Stages

The present study was performed to determine effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on postharvest quality and chilling injury alleviation of tomatoes during low temperature storage. Tomatoes were harvested at two different stages (breaker and pink stage) and packed with MAP (Xtend® bags MAP). Air stored fruits were considered as control. All samples were stored at 5°C with 90% RH for 21 days. Weight loss, firmness, surface color, lycopene, ascorbic acid, total phenol, total antioxidant activity and chilling injury were investigated with intervals of 7 days. At the end of the storage, MAP of either breaker or pink fruits reduced the weight loss, maintained firmness and exhibited less biochemical changes than the control fruit. Moreover, tomatoes stored in MAP have less chilling injury than control at breaker maturity stage. The onset of chilling injury was also delayed by packaging compared to nonpackaged fruits. The general qualities of MAP fruits were better than those of air stored fruits. Overall findings indicate that MAP can be an effective method for enhancing the phytochemical content, delaying the senescence and chilling injury of tomatoes at breaker or pink maturity stages during low temperature storage.

Optical sensing for early spring freeze related blueberry bud damage detection: Hyperspectral imaging for salient spectral wavelengths identification

The floral tissue of blueberry buds is very sensitive to the freezing and can be damaged during early spring freeze events. Such damage results in loss of yield to the commercial blueberry producers. Therefore, this study investigated the feasibility of injured blueberry buds damage detection during early spring freeze using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technique. Imaged were the buds from bud swell and early pink stage for two growing seasons. Prior to imaging, buds in 2017 were subjected to freezing temperatures of −7 to −16 °C and −2 to −11 °C at respective growth stages. In 2018 season, buds were frozen at −11 to −20 °C and −4 to −13 °C at two respective sampling date for bud swell stage and at −2 to −11 °C for early pink growth stage. The HSI data was obtained using a push broom type system in the spectral wavelength ranges of 517–1729 nm. For the imaged buds, each of the indivisual buds on sampled shoot was considered as one sample, and the average spectra of such bud within 540 to 1599 nm was extracted for further analysis. Principal component analysis and successive projection algorithms were applied to select key wavelengths related to bud damage symptoms. Common wavelengths of 615, 673, 690, 756, 979 and 1467 nm were identified for both the growth stages. Partial least squares discriminant analysis was performed to identify normal and injured bud samples with the selected common wavelengths. Performance of the models manifested good results with better sensitivity (>0.80), specificity (>0.75), the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (>0.84) and accuracy (>0.75) attributes for 2017, 2018 seasons and two seasons combined test dataset.

Maturity stages affect nutritional quality and storability of tomato cultivars

ABSTRACTThis research was conducted to identify the optimum harvest maturity stage/s that yielded the highest nutritional quality and longest marketable shelf-life. “TY Megaton” and “Yureka” cultivars were harvested at the breaker, pink, and red stages and stored up to 20 days at 12°C with 85 ± 5% relative humidity (RH). Quality attributes, the contents of important secondary metabolites, and antioxidant activity were assessed during the storage period. Storing and marketing of tomato fruits up to 3 weeks could be possible. However, a gradually decreasing trend of ascorbic acid and total phenolic content was observed as the maturity stage and storage period proceeded, irrespective of the cultivar. Results of lycopene content and antioxidant activity suggest that better nutritional benefit from the breaker and pink stages could be obtained after 16 and 12 days of storage, respectively, and from the beginning to eighth day of storage for the red stage.

Foliar Fertilization for Enhancing Yield and Fruit Quality of Apple under Rain-Fed Conditions of Mid-Himalayas

A participatory experiment was conducted to assess the effect of foliar application of urea and Agromin on apple. Agromin is a commercial formulation of micronutrients containing mineral elements comprising of optimum proportion of zinc, copper, manganese, boron, molybdenum and magnesium. The experiment was conducted at three different sites at altitudes between 1800 to 2200 m above mean sea level. Thirteen to fifteen years old, uniform trees of cultivar Royal Delicious were applied with treatments viz. Urea @ 0.5% (T1), Agromin @ 0.25% (T2), Urea @ 0.5% + Agromin @ 0.25% (T3), Urea @ 1.0% (T4) and Urea @ 1.0% + Agromin @ 0.25% (T5). Urea and Agromin sprays were done between tight to pink cluster stage of growth. These treatments were compared to control plants which were applied the recommended doses of Nitrogen. Results showed that vegetative growth was significantly influenced by the application of urea and agromin. Application of Urea @1.0% + Agromin 0.5% (T5) resulted in highest plant height (29.17 cm), girth (1.10mm), shoot extension growth (45.25cm) and tree spread (14.23 cm) which was at par with treatment T4. Maximum fruit length (6.71cm), diameter (5.57cm), fruit weight (88.41g) and total yield per plant were recorded in the treatment T5 (Urea @1.0% + Agromin 0.5%) followed by the treatments T3(Urea @0.5% + Agromin @ 0.25%) and T1 (Urea 0.5%). The highest benefit: cost ratio (2.80) was obtained in the treatment T5 (Urea 1.0% + Agromin 0.25%). The lowest B: C ratio (2.45) was observed in Control due to the lowest number of large and medium grade fruits.

Ripening Recovery and Sensory Quality of Pink Tomatoes Stored in Controlled Atmosphere at Chilling or Nonchilling Temperatures to Extend Shelf Life

Harvesting before ripening initiation (i.e., mature green) may negatively affect the flavor of fresh tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) even though the ripening process off the vine is physiologically the same as that on the plant. Low temperature storage at or below the putative chilling injury (CI) threshold can also have detrimental effects on fresh tomato flavor regardless of the developmental stage of the fruit at harvest, but sensitivity to CI declines with ripening. Controlled atmospheres (CA) using reduced oxygen and elevated carbon dioxide partial pressures can extend the shelf life (SL) of tomatoes while possibly minimizing the negative effects of low temperatures. In this study, we explored the possibility that a combination of temperature and CA could be used to achieve similar SL for pink-harvested tomatoes as has been found in other studies with green-harvested fruit while avoiding the negative effects of CI on sensory quality. Consumer panels were given samples of pink-harvested tomatoes after they had reached the red ripeness stage in terms of surface hue following storage for 7 days in air or CA at 7.5, 15, or 20 °C followed by 2–7 days ripening in air at 20 °C. Exposing pink tomatoes to 7.5 °C before ripening to the full-red stage at 20 °C negatively affected fruit sensory quality, holding fruit constantly at 20 °C until they reached the full-red stage resulted in better quality for one taste panel, whereas there was no difference in another taste panel. The time to reach the full-red stage was extended by CA. Sensory quality of air- and CA-stored fruit was similar at the nonchilling temperatures of 15 and 20 °C. Pink stage tomato fruit stored in CA at 7.5 °C for 7 days did not attain full red color within the subsequent 7 days in air at 20 °C.

Phytochemical accumulation of anthocyanin rich mulberry (Morus laevigata) during ripening

The goal of the study was to determine the differences in phytochemical components of mulberry (Morus laevigata) fruits at different stages of ripeness. In this study, the highest total phenolic (1310.3 µg gallic acid equivalents/g fresh weight) and anthocyanin (925.6 µg cy-3-glu/g fresh weight) contents and antioxidant capacity (12.8 µmol trolox equivalents/g fresh weight) were observed in black ripening stage. The major sugars in mulberry fruits were fructose (17.55 g/kg). It was determined that the main organic acid in mulberry was citric acid ranging from 8.97 g/kg (pink stage) to 5.80 g/kg (black ripening stage), followed by malic acid ranging from 0.31 (pink ripening stage) to 5.67 (black ripening stage) g/kg. Looking at the contents of phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid (average 27.48 mg/100 g) was found to be the predominant phenolic compound. Current study shows that M. laevigata fruits are a good source of healthy phytochemicals.

Effect of cultivar and growing medium on the fruit quality attributes and antioxidant properties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

The objective of this research was to identify the growing medium that yielded the highest nutritional quality and longest marketable shelf life in tomato fruits. ‘TY Megaton’ and ‘Yureka’ cultivars were grown on soil and coir pith in the same climate-controlled glasshouse using a standard nutrient solution and the recommended cultivation practices. Fruits were harvested at the pink stage of ripening and stored at 12 °C in 85 ± 5% relative humidity for 20 days. The fruits of both cultivars grown on either growing medium were of acceptable quality for sale after 3 weeks of storage. The contents of the most important secondary metabolites of tomato responsible for providing their antioxidant activity (ascorbic acid, lycopene, and polyphenols) were not significantly affected by the choice of growing medium; however, significant differences were observed between the cultivars throughout the storage period. The results of this study demonstrated that the choice of cultivar is more important for fruit quality than the growing medium. The lycopene content and antioxidant activity of the fruits suggest that it is possible to achieve optimum nutrition from the pink-stage fruit of both cultivars after 12 days of storage, irrespective of the growing medium used.

Impact of early harvesting and two cold storage technologies on eating quality of red ripe tomatoes

Tomato fruits of cv. Caramba harvested at the pink ripening stage were cold stored for 4 and 7 days at 6 °C, then allowed to fully ripen at ambient temperature, and finally evaluated for eating quality, and compared with fruit fully ripened on the vine. In addition, fruits harvested at full ripeness were subjected to cold storage at 6 °C by a conventional or the innovative passive refrigeration PRS™ system for 2, 4, and 7 days, and then evaluated. Tomato quality evaluation included sensory, chemical (volatile compounds, sugars, and organic acids), and physical (flesh texture and skin colour) attributes. Fruit harvested at the pink stage, and then subjected to cold storage, when attained full external red colour showed less intense tomato odour, red ripe tomato odour, and flavour when compared to fruit fully ripened on the vine, and, at the same time, developed a perceptible mould off-odour. These differences were consistent with those observed in the levels of aroma compounds and fermentation metabolites. Main effects associated with cold storage of red ripe fruits by both conventional and passive refrigeration were increased skin toughness and decreased sourness. Passive refrigeration caused a more pronounced toughening of the skin, but no development off-odours were detected. Analysis of alteration of volatile synthesis confirmed recent findings on the molecular mechanism underlying chilling-induced loss of flavour in tomatoes.

Heading of shoots and hand thinning of flowers and fruits on 'BRS Kampai' peach trees

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of shoot heading and of hand thinning in different development stages of flowers and fruits on the fruit production and quality of 'BRS Kampai' peach (Prunus persica) trees. The experiment was performed during three crop years, under the conditions of the “Depressão Central” region in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and the treatments were: T1, heading of half of the mixed shoot; T2, heading of one third of the mixed shoot; T3, flower thinning in the pink bud stage; T4, thinning at full bloom; T5, thinning of fruit with 5 mm; T6, thinning of fruit with 20 mm; and T7, no thinning or heading (control). Fruit production and quality were evaluated. Plants with no thinning were more productive, but showed high frequency of fruits with a diameter smaller than 60 mm. Shoot heading reduced production per tree and resulted in small-sized fruit. Thinning time did not affect production, and fruit size was greater when thinning was performed at the bloom stage. 'BRS Kampai' peach trees can be thinned starting at bloom, which provides greater fruit size, with no production loss.