Fruit Set and Yield of Apricot Cultivars under Subtropical Climate Conditions of Hatay, Turkey

Abstract

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is a species particularly prone to erratic fruit set, and its flower bud drop has been repeatedly reported in different cultivars and growing conditions. A number of potential causes have been explored, but a clear main cause remains elusive. In this study, fruit set was determined for 11 apricot cultivars (‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’, ‘Feriana’, ‘Beliana’, ‘Priana’, ‘Bebeco’ , ‘Early Kishinewski’, ‘Precoce de Colomer’, ‘Canino’, ‘Silistre Rona’, ‘Rouge de Sernhac’ and ‘Tokaloglu’) grown on the coast of the Mediterranean region of Turkey from 2006 to 2008. Trees budded on apricot seedlings and planted 6×6 m in 1997. On four branches of each tree randomly selected from all four directions, blossom number, percentage of initial and final fruit set, and yield per tree were determined during the experimental period. Fruit set differed significantly depending on year and cultivar. Based on three-year averages, percentage of fruit set was highest on ‘Tokaloglu’ (14%), followed by ‘Beliana’ (8.8%) and ‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’ (8.2%). The lowest fruit set (2.3%) was in ‘Early Kishinewski’ and ‘Canino’. High yields per tree were found in Tokaloglu’ (29.1 kg), ‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’ (29.0 kg), ‘Rouge de Sernhac’ (27.9 kg), and ‘Beliana’ (23.0 kg). ‘Tokaloglu’, ‘Beliana’, ‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’, and ‘Rouge de Sernhac’ cultivars showed good performance for both fruit set and yield per tree under subtropical climate conditions. However, findings of this study also suggested that fruit set and fruit drops in apricots should be assessed together with total yield amounts by years. The influence of the cultivar on fruit yield was more determinant than the seasonal effect. Keywords: Dormancy, Flowering, Productivity, Prunus armeniaca L