THINNING INTENSITY AFFECTS THE YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY OF APRICOT cv. TREVETT

Abstract

The effect of thinning on yield and fruit quality attributes of apricot cv. Trevett was investigated during 2007-08 at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan The experiment consisted of eight treatments i.e., 0 (Control), 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40% thinning laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications. Thinning significantly affected both the yield and quality attributes of apricot fruit. Thinning decreased fruit drop from 21 to 0.51% while fruit weight increased from 15.93 to 26.61 g but yield per branch decreased from 0.794 to 0.408 kg with 0 and 40% thinning, respectively. The TSS increased from 11.79 to 16%, Ascorbic acid content increased from 0.55 to 0.97%, reducing sugars from 8.07 to 10.40, non-reducing sugars from 0.96 to 1.31% and sugars/acid ratio from 3.045 to 6.303 with 40% thinning. The acidity of fruit pulp decreased from 2.650 to 1.650% resulting in pH decrease from 3.71 to 3.44 in control and 40% thinning, respectively. The increase in sugars due to thinning decreased the sugar acid ratio from minimum (3.04) in control to maximum (6.303) with 40% thinning.