Influence of branch autonomy on fruit, scaffold, trunk and root growth during stage III of peach fruit development

We studied the influence of branch autonomy on the growth of reproductive and vegetative organs by establishing different patterns of fruit distribution within and between large branch units (scaffolds) in mature peach trees (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. 'Elegant Lady'). Different patterns of fruit distribution were established by defruiting either whole scaffolds (uneven fruit distribution between scaffolds; US) or several selected hangers (small fruiting branches) per tree (uneven fruit distribution between hangers; UH). The effects of these patterns were compared with the effects of an even fruit distribution treatment (EVEN) in which fruits were thinned to achieve maximum uniformity of fruit distribution within the canopy. The desired fruit loads were obtained by differentially thinning the remaining bearing parts. On a tree basis, the response of mean fruit mass to fruit load was strongly affected by fruit distribution. The steepest mean fruit mass to fruit load relationship was found in US trees, whereas the relationship in UH trees was intermediate between the US and EVEN trees. On a scaffold basis, differences in fruit size between EVEN and US trees with similar fruit loads, though statistically significant, were relatively small, indicating that scaffolds were almost totally autonomous with respect to dry matter partitioning to fruit during the final stage of peach fruit growth. Hangers also appeared to exhibit significant autonomy with respect to the distribution of dry matter during the final phase of fruit growth. Branch autonomy was evident in scaffold growth: defruited scaffolds in the US treatment grew more than fruited scaffolds, and fruit distribution treatments had little impact on scaffold cross-sectional area on a tree basis. On the other hand, as observed for fruit growth, branch autonomy did not appear to be complete because the fruited scaffolds grew more in US trees than in EVEN trees under heavy cropping conditions. However, the effect of fruit distribution occurred only over short distances, and was negligible on organs located farther away from the source of heterogeneity (fruits), such as the trunk and roots.