Y-shaped and fruiting wall peach orchard training system in subtropical Brazil

• Published in: Bragantia Vol. 78; no. 2; pp. 229 - 235
• Main Authors: Sobierajski, Graciela da Rocha, Silva, Taiane Santos, Hernandes, José Luiz, Pedro Júnior, Mário José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Instituto Agronômico de Campinas 01.06.2019
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; Tropic Beauty; soluble solids; titratable acidity; yield; Okinawa
• ISSN: 0006-8705; 1678-4499; 1678-4499
• DOI: 10.1590/1678-4499.20180188

ASBTRACT Peach as commercial crop in Brazil is usually grown in open vase training system. However, in the 1970s large orchards changed to the Y-shaped system and higher density of plants. This system is the most used in São Paulo state because it allows orchard densification. However, the longevity of the trees is reduced from 15 to 8 years being the excessive exposure of internal branches to solar radiation the main reason for the reduction. Aiming to offer new alternatives of training system for peach, an experiment was carried out to evaluate the fruiting wall in comparison to Y-shaped, using the cultivar Tropic Beauty budded onto cultivar Okinawa. Ten plants by treatment were used as repetition and microclimatic equipment was installed inside the plant to measure temperature and solar radiation. Values of soluble solids (°Brix) were 9.64 to fruiting wall and 9.59 to Y-shaped, not statistically different. However most of fruit physicochemical characteristics were favorable to the fruiting wall system: fruit weight (g) – 97.56 and 90.44; pulp yield (g) – 92.42 and 85.70; pulp firmness (Kg∙cm–2) – 4.27 and 3.50; titratable acidity (g citric ac.∙100 ml–1) – 0.76 and 0.71; and ratio – 12.79 and 13.58, respectively to fruiting wall and Y-shaped. Solar radiation transmission and maximum daily temperature values for the Y-shaped were higher when compared to fruiting wall at harvest. The obtained data show that the fruiting wall training system could be an alternative to Brazilian’s growers for producing superior fruit quality without yield reduction.