Irrigation and Crop Load Management Lessen Rain-Induced Cherry Cracking.

Area of Science:

• Horticulture
• Plant Physiology
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) production is sensitive to water availability and crop load.
• Optimizing irrigation and crop load is crucial for fruit quality and yield.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the combined effects of deficit irrigation and crop load on sweet cherry physiological and agronomic responses.
• To determine the impact of these factors on fruit quality and cracking.

Main Methods:

• Field experiment in southeastern Spain with two irrigation treatments (110% and 70% ETc).
• Three crop load levels (100%, 66%, 33%) applied within each irrigation treatment.
• Measurements included water relations, gas exchange, stem water potential, fruit quality, and fruit cracking.

Main Results:

• Deficit irrigation significantly reduced soil water availability, gas exchange, and stem water potential.
• Lower crop load resulted in larger fruit size, regardless of irrigation.
• Deficit irrigation reduced fruit cracking, with 8.3% cracked cherries compared to 27.1% in control.
• Lower crop load correlated with increased fruit cracking, especially under control irrigation.

Conclusions:

• Deficit irrigation is effective in reducing pre-harvest fruit cracking in sweet cherries.
• Crop load management influences fruit size, color, and acidity.
• Balancing irrigation and crop load is key for optimizing sweet cherry production and quality.