Growth and productivity characteristics of Japanese plum cultivars

Abstract

Growth and productivity characteristics including: initial and final fruit set, yield per tree, trunk cross-sectional area, yield efficiency and fruit weight were studied in ten cultivars of Japanese plums in the Belgrade area for the period of three years (2013-2015). Initial fruit set ranged from 5.6 to 44.4%, and the final fruit set from 2.6 to 23.36%. The high yield per tree (over 10 kg) was obtained in cultivars ‘Obilnaja’ and ‘Morettini 355’, whereas the low yield (under 5 kg) was obtained in cultivars ‘Strival’, ‘Black Amber’, ‘Early Angeleno’ and ‘Autumn Giant’. The lowest vigor was observed in the cultivar ‘Golden Plum’, and the highest in the cultivar ‘Strival’. The majority of cultivars had a very large fruit (over 50 g). The yield was strongly positively correlated with initial and final fruit set (r = 0.84**; r = 0.92**, respectively). Fruit weight was moderately negatively correlated with initial and final fruit set (r = -0.67*; r = -0.63*, respectively). [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR-31063]

Keywords

• Prunus salicina
• fruit set
• yield
• vigor
• yield efficiency
• fruit weight