Influence of fruiting twig type to fruit and leaf traits in 'Oblacinska' sour cherry clones

Abstract

The 'Oblacinska' sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) is an autochthonous and heterogeneous cultivar showing high variability in traits related to the composition of fruiting twigs. The differences observed between fruits and leaves not only among different clones but between different fruiting branches show that there is variability for some physical parameters among the fruits and leaves of the same tree which later affects productivity level. So, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of the type of the fruiting branch (spurs and shoots) on fruit and leaf traits. Plant material used in this trial comprised of 13 'Oblacinska' sour cherry genotypes. The experiment was carried out in a four-year period. All studied traits were highly genotype and year dependent. The effect of the fruiting branch was found to be highly significant for stone weight and leaf size and leaf area, but not for fruit and chemical traits. Correlation analysis showed that studied traits are not correlated in the same way comparing spurs and shoot. The highest mismatch in the coefficient of correlation was found between chemical properties.