Influence of Pruning Intensity on Yield and Quality of Nectarine Peach

Abstract

A study was conducted to improve fruit yield and quality in nectarine through pruning. Six-year old plants of two cultivars, Silver King and Snow Queen, were given nine different pruning treatments, with three replications, in Complete Randomized Block Design. Results showed that on increasing pruning intensity, fruit yield decreased, while quality of the fruits improved. Best quality fruits in terms of fruit weight and pulp:stone ratio were obtained with 60% thinning-out + 3/4 heading-back, while, maximum fruit surface colour and total soluble solids (TSS) were recorded with 40% thinning-out + 3/4 heading-back. Highest acidity in fruits was recorded with 20% thinning-out + 1/4 heading-back. Among the two cultivars, 'Silver King' exhibited better fruit quality than 'Snow Queen'.

Keywords

• Nectarine
• Pruning
• Thinning-Out
• Heading-Back
• Yield
• Quality