Pomology Research Articles

History of Hawaiian Pomology: Introduction to the Workshop

History of Hawaiian Pomology: Introduction to the Workshop

The cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.) tree selection

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.) has attracted attention because of many different usage such as fresh fruit production, processing material for medicinal and pharmacy industry. This study carried out some pomological, chemical and phenological properties of cherry laurel phenotypes to selection of the favorable phenotypes for cultivation. A total of 40 phenotypes were evaluated in the program, between the year 2008 and 2010 for three growing seasons. According to the searched literature, there is need to select good quality phenotype fruits for this specie. Therefore, this research is very important with this point. The data regarding tested pomological characteristics were evaluated by the modified weighed-ranked method. According to the results obtained, fruits weights of the phenotypes were between 0.82 and 5.22 g. Fruit firmness, soluble solid contents, titratable acidity and flesh/seed ratio of phenotypes varied from 203 to 523 g/mm, 12.46 to 24.40, 0.12 to 0.62 and 2.39 to 20.72% respectively. Based on the result of this evaluation, ten phenotypes were selected as superior phenotypes with high scores. The taste was very good and astringency was very low for these phenotypes. Phenological characteristics, such as first flowering, full flowering and end of flowering were observed firstly for Phenotype 35 (corresponding 17 to 20 March, 21 to 27 March and 01 to 06 April respectively) and lastly for Phenotype 31 (corresponding 05 to 10 April, 13 to 16 April and 20 to 23 April respectively). In the selected phenotypes, the flower number per cluster and fruit number per cluster ranged from 31.38 to 44.63 flowers and from 5.49 to 16.84 fruits respectively. Selected superior phenotypes should be used in future breeding programmes and should be propagated for cultivation Key words: Prunus laurocerasus L., selection, pomology, chemical characteristics.

Researches Concerning the Dimensioning of an Investment in Pomiculture in Order to Improve the Activity

In Romania, the perspectives of pomiculture are very high due to the special pedological and climate conditions of the Romanian hills which allow the fruits to accumulate specific flavors and a variety of minerals and vitamins. Romanian fruits have an intrinsic quality, meaning both aspect and taste. In years with good yields, profits obtained from pomiculture are very high, only a few years being sufficient in order to recover the costs with the setting up of the plantation and with the maintenance in the early years. However, at this time, the domestic or foreign investments in this domain are insignificant. This paper presents an analysis model of the investments’ dimension in pomiculture under the conditions of co-financing by FEADR. Analysis consists in choosing some economic indicators of performance by which we have established an optimal values interval for the investment.

Red apple juice: breeding, drink- and growing technology for the development of a new, innovative product.

A ‘Wijcik’-called, natural mutation of the 'McIntosh' kind of apple, with red pulp and light red juice, was discovered in the 50ies. Its fruits growing very close to the trunk characterize it. The crown of these columnar tree is about 3-4 meters long, with a diameter about 20-30 cm. The advantage of this kind of tree is that tree-cut is mostly unnecessary, tunnel-spraying equipment can be used and harvesting maybe fully mechanised. This new product, combined with the new kind of cultivation, requires for new technologies for growing and harvesting. While labour becomes the limiting factor of production, handwork is impractical and thus a new method for mechanical harvesting in columnar apple growing is needed. For this purpose, a mechanical grape harvester, adapted for these special apple trees by modifying the harvesting head, is used to prove the suitability of this technique in pomiculture. Furthermore, tunnel-spraying equipment is adapted for this purpose and tested as well, in order to enable drift and loss reduction in plant protection.

Development of fruit growing in the Republic of Moldova.

The fruit growing inheritance surface was reduced from 251 thousands ha in 1993 to 108, 4 thousands ha in 2008. Based on a complex research, performed for the first time under market economy conditions in the Republic of Moldova, a program of sustainable development of the pomiculture branch has been development, as it constitutes a competitive economic sector, based on advanced technologies complying with European standards. The abovementioned program provides for an increase in the shares of the crops demanded in the market (drupaceous, juglandaceous and baccate crops). This program has been included in the “Strategy of development of the agro-industrial sector in the time span 2006-2015”, approved through the Resolution of Government of the Republic of Moldova.

PLANTING STOCK QUALITY ACCORDING TO THE METHOD OF APPLE TREE CROWN FORMATION IN THE FRUIT NURSERY

One of the main factors of modern orchard foundation, including that of apple trees, is the superior quality of the planting material: superior genetically (clonal), phytosanitary healthy (virus free), physiologically well-developed (licensed). These superior qualities of the planting material contribute to an early entering of fruit trees on fructification and an increase of the plantation’s productivity with about 20-25 % than the ordinary one. At present in the superintensive apple tree orchard from the Republic of Moldova there are planted grafted apple trees on the rootstock M 9 having the form of rods without ramifications. The crown formation is made after the plantation of the apple trees in the orchard according to actual recommendations. From the experience of the countries with a developed pomology, the superintensive apple trees orchards are planted with trees produced during 2 years with a formed crown of “knip baum” type. The researches were made during the period of 2005-2007 in the fruit nursery of the firm “Fruit Nurseries” Ltd. As a rootstock was used the M 9 type and as a graft – the variety Idared, Golden Reinders and Jonagored. For grafting were used marcottes with a diameter of 10,0 mm and graft virus free branches imported from Holland. The bench-grafting was made in March. The plantation in the first field was made in the second part of April. The distance of plantation is 90x35cm. The aerial part was palisated on a bamboo support. In the second field, in spring the annual stems were shortened at a height of 50-60 cm from the grafting’s place. With the appearance of the sylleptic shoots, these shoots are removed and it is left only the terminal shoot. In order to stimulate the shoots ramification and growth in the crown zone, there were applied three methods: V1 – knip-baum with free growth (control variant); V2 – knip-baum with periodical remove of apical leaves at the axle; V3 – knip-baum with application of biological active substances. As a biologic active substance in order to stimulate the growth, it was used the preparation Ecostim with a concentration of 0,25 ml to 1 liter of water. The investigations were made in the field and laboratory conditions according to the required methods of doing experiments with fruit-growing plants. On the basis of the investigations made, it came out that the striking degree of the planted bench graftings in the first field of the fruit nursery constituted in average 93,0-99,3 %. What greatly influenced on the measures on annual growth the biological features of the soil, the plant height varying between the limits of 106 cm (Idared), and 122 cm (Jonagored); the leaf surface of the grafted apple trees under the study was 5,39-6,34 thousand m2/ha. In the second field the development best indicators of the apple trees of “knip baum” type were registered at the formation of the crown basis by periodical remove of apical leaves on the axle where the trees height is 153,7-181,1 cm, the trunk diameter is 15,2-1,0 mm, the number of branches in the crown zone is 6,4-12,7 pieces/tree with an average length of 34,2-55,4 cm, the leaf surface is 0,41- 0,67 m2/tree. The standard apple tree productivity for the varieties taken into the study is between the limits of 29, 11-31,19 thousand pieces/tree.

THE BEHAVIOR OF SOME NEW APPLE VARIETIES ON CROWN GRAFTING

In the situation when these plantations are in a good physiological condition and the alternative to break up and replant will acquire bigger investments, the crown grafting represents a faster possibility of orchard assortment change. Therefore, in 2005 it were crown grafted in the didactic-experimental field of the Pomiculture Desk from Bucharest 18 recent apple varieties from Slovakia. These varieties are: Red Elstar, Red Chief, Rene, Jonafree, Pinova, Produkta, Piros, Enterprise, Gala King, Bolero, Polka, Charlotte, Waltz, Goldstar, Golden Lasa, Golden Orange, Galaxy and Remo. In 2006, another two varieties (Jonagold Red Prince and Braeburn) were grafted too. The rootstock was represented by the crown of the 8 years old trees which belong to the Prima apple variety. The grafting method chose was cleft grafting and stub grafting. The scion was represented by 2-3 buds branch length, blunt wedge-shaped; the wounded areas were protected with grafting wax. It were made determinations concerning the grafting success percentage, the growing vigour of the shoots, the flower buds differentiation capacity and the productivity. The grafting success percentage was influenced by variety, quality of the scion branches and the rootstock thickness. It were registered good results, with a grafting success of 86 to 100%. The growing and ramifying of the shoots was also different depending on variety vigour. It was remarked a bigger difference between the columnar apple varieties (Bolero, Polka, Charlotte, Waltz) and the standard ones. Within the standard apple varieties, it were observed with a bigger vigour the varieties Jonafree and Pinova and with a lower vigour Breaburn, Golden Orange and Remo varieties. From the same point of view, within the columnar apple varieties, Bolero showed a bigger vigour than Polka and Charlotte. The ramifying capacity was well expressed at the varieties Enterprise, Golden Orange and Remo, and in opposite situation were noticed Rene, Red Chief and Gala King. From the second year of grafting, some varieties start to produce and in the third year, the flower bud differentiation and the productivity become notable, the crowns being capable to assure economically productions. The best varieties regarding the productivity were Gala King, Enterprise and Galaxy. In this way, we think that the crown grafting could be a real possibility to a quicker change of the assortment, to realise in short time comparative fields for a faster test of the new varieties, to preserve and protect old varieties or create pomological collections etc

Weather Problems in Pomiculture

Weather Problems in Pomiculture

American Pomology. Apples.

Previous articleNext article FreeReviewsAmerican Pomology. Apples.John A. WarderJohn A. Warder Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 1, Number 6Aug., 1867 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/270091 Views: 24Total views on this site PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.