Rootstock Affects the Fruit Quality of ‘Early Bigi’ Sweet Cherries
Valter Martins,
Vânia Silva,
Sandra Pereira,
Sílvia Afonso,
Ivo Oliveira,
Marlene Santos,
Carlos Ribeiro,
Alice Vilela,
Eunice Bacelar,
Ana Paula Silva,
Berta Gonçalves
Affiliations
Valter Martins
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Vânia Silva
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Sandra Pereira
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Sílvia Afonso
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Ivo Oliveira
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Marlene Santos
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Carlos Ribeiro
Department of Agronomy, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Alice Vilela
Chemistry Centre (CQ-VR), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Eunice Bacelar
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Ana Paula Silva
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Berta Gonçalves
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), INOV4AGRO, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
The cherry rootstock influences the performance of the scion cultivar. It has an effect on cherry fruit quality, tree growth, yield and yield efficiency and floral and foliar nutrition. In this work, the influence of Saint Lucie 64 and Maxma 60 rootstocks on the fruit quality traits of cv. Early Bigi was evaluated. For this, several parameters, namely fruit weight (FW) and size (FS), soluble solids content (SSC), pH, titratable acidity (TA), flesh firmness (FF), epidermis rupture force (ERF), color and sensory profile, were assessed. Results showed that the fruits from trees on Saint Lucie 64 presented higher FF and ERF values and, consequently, better texture. On the other hand, fruits from trees on Maxma 60 showed sweeter cherries (higher SSC). Moreover, these trees presented the darkest cherries (lower values of L*, a*, b*, C* and hue°) and the highest SSC. Therefore, although the trees on Saint Lucie 64 produced firmer cherries, it was those with the Maxma 60 rootstock that produced sweeter and darker fruits. In conclusion, both scion–rootstock combinations proved to be good options for the region of Resende.
