Flowering, fruiting and physiology of apple tree under different irrigation levels in the Brazilian semiarid region

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different irrigation levels on flowering, fruit set, carbohydrate and protein content and gas exchange, of apple varietiesin the Brazilian semiarid region. The experimental design was a randomized block with split plots with five replications and four plot irrigation levels (60, 80, 100, and 120% of the reference evapotranspiration (ETo)) and the subplots with two cultivars (Juliet and Princess). As a result, it was found that the number of flowers (NFL), fruits (NFR), shoot percentage (SP) and fruit set (FS) were higher in cv. Juliet. The number of buds (NB) and the fertility index (FI) were higher in cv. Princess. With regard to metabolites, reducing sugar content (RS) had no significant effect among cultivars. The non-reducing sugar content (NRS), total soluble sugar (TSS) and total soluble proteins (TSP) were higher in cv. Princess. As for irrigation depths, TSP, sprouting, flowering and fruit set increased along with the amount of water applied, while the RS, NRS and TSS contents had the opposite behavior. Keywords: water regime, Malus domestica, reproductive organs, metabolites ResumoO objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de diferentes lâminas de irrigação na floração, frutificação efetiva, teores de carboidratos e proteínas e nas trocas gasosas de duas cultivares de macieira no semiárido brasileiro. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso, com parcelas subdivididas, com cinco repetições, sendo as parcelas quatro lâminas de irrigação (60; 80; 100; e 120 % da evapotranspiração de referência (ETo) e as subparcelas duas cultivares (Julieta e Princesa). Como resultado verificou-se que o número de flores (NFL), de frutos (NFR), a porcentagem de brotações (PB) e a frutificação efetiva (FR) foram superiores na cv. Julieta, enquanto o número de gemas (NG) e o índice de fertilidade (IF) foram superiores na cv. Princesa. Quanto aos metabólitos, o teor de açúcar redutor (AR) não apresentou efeito significativo entre as cultivares, sendo o teor de açúcar não reduto (ANR), açúcar solúvel total (AST) e o total de proteínas solúveis (TPS) superior na cv. Princesa. Quanto às lâminas de irrigação, o TPS, a brotação, a floração e a frutificação efetiva aumentaram juntamente com a quantidade de água aplicada, enquanto que o teor de AR, ANR, AST, apresentaram comportamento oposto Palavras-chave: Regime hídrico, Malus domestica, órgãos reprodutivos, metabólitos

June 2022

“…These opposite effects in few cases of the number in days of the phenological phases in relation to the average air temperature, it was verified in the present study that they are related to the accumulation of CH during dormancy, influencing the accumulation of DD necessary for the apple tree to advance its phenological stages (Table 1 and Table 2). Despite several apple cultivars exhibits higher requirements of chilling hours for breaking dormancy, the cultivar Eva does not make this a problem due to its less requirement (Eilert et al, 2017), around 100 and 450 HF (Hauagge and Tsuneta, 1999), exhibiting a particular characteristic, showing prominence among other apple tree cultivars in subtropical conditions, resisting higher temperatures than in the Southern States, where the apple tree was traditionally cultivated (Chagas et al, 2012;Oliveira et al, 2017).…”

“…The apple tree has a significant socio-economic relevance across the world. In Brazil, around 98% of national production is located in Southern States (Oliveira et al, 2017). This specie has two key phenological phases during its cycle: The dormancy and the reproductive phases.…”

Physiological and biochemical responses of apple trees to irrigation water depth in a semiarid region of Brazil

“…Among temperate climate crops, apples have achieved good yield in the semiarid regions of Brazil due to their adaptability to the edaphoclimatic conditions; examples include the cultivars 'Princesa' and 'Julieta' Oliveira;Cavalcantem, 2012). Several studies have demonstrated the feasibility of apple production in Brazilian semiarid regions (De Oliveira et al, 2017;Oliveira et al, 2017).…”