Influence of plant immunity inducers on the quality of apple fruit in Abkhazia

Abstract

The quality of fruit depends largely on the growing area of the crop, the intensity of disease development, damage by pests, as well as on the treatment of plants with compounds of various chemical natures. When introducing the immunity inducers Albit® (poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid), Immunocytophyte® (arachidonic acid ethyl ether) and Ecogel® (chitosan lactate) into apple tree protection systems, an urgent task is to study their influence on the quality of fruits. Research was conducted on apple trees (cultivars Idared and Golden Rangers) in the conditions of the Republic of Abkhazia (Gulripsh district). When treated with immunity inducers, the genotypic features of the cultivars were clearly revealed. For the susceptible Idared cultivar, it is more significant to use Ecogel®, which causes the active synthesis of soluble solids, pectin, soluble sugars, ascorbic acid, and as a result, an increase in the sugar-acid index. At the same time, a relatively resistant cultivar Golden Rangers has a similar effect when treated with Immunocytophyte®. Treatment with Albit® has the same effect on the synthesis of soluble organic acids in the fruits of the studied apple cultivars, reducing their amount. The results obtained indicate the need for a cultivar-specific approach in the application and selection of plant immunity inducers.