Properties of fruiting twigs of apricot cultivars

Abstract

Morphological properties of fruiting twigs: length, number of flower and vegetative buds and their ratio were studied in 24 apricot cultivars during three - year period. Fruiting twigs of apricot were classified into three groups: one-year old shoots, premature shoots and spurs. The average length of one-year old shoots ranged from 33.7 to 62.5 cm; of premature shoots from 8.3 to 22.9 cm; and of spurs from 1.4 to 3.4 cm. Rower / vegetative buds ratio was the highest in spurs (1.84 in average), then in premature shoots (1.56), and it was the lowest in one-year old shoots. Statistically significant differences between the cultivars, as well as, the studying years were found for all the investigated properties. The biggest variability was found in the number of flower buds, then in the length of twigs and the number of vegetative buds, whereas the thickness of twigs and the length of internodes had small coefficients of variation. Pruning is a compulsory pomotechnical practice in modern apricot growing. Cultivars with a higher number of flower buds (on the basis of 1 m long twigs and relative to vegetative buds) such as: Tyrinthos, Stark Early Orange, Nugget, Stella Harcot and NJ A-l require severe pruning. On the other hand, cultivars with less flower buds e.g. Hungarian Best, Late Dryanovska, Kecskemet Rose and Čačak's Flat can be pruned slightly.

U periodu od tri godine morfološke osobine rodnih grančica: dužina, broj cvetnih i vegetativnih pupoljaka i njihov odnos su proučavane kod 24 sorte kajsije. Grančice su svrstane u tri grupe: duge, prevremene i kratke. Za ispitivane osobine utvrđene su značajne razlike kako između sorti tako i po godinama proučavanja Najveću varijabilnost ispoljio je broj cvetnih pupoljaka, zatim dužina grančica i broj vegetativnih pupoljaka, dok su male koeficijente varijacije imale debljina grančica i dužina internodija. Sorte sa većim brojem cvetnih pupoljaka (po lm dužine) i u odnosu na vegetativne pupoljke zahtevaju jaču rezidbu, dok se kod sorti sa manje cvetnih pupoljaka može primeniti rezidba slabijeg intenziteta.