HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE, cilt.39, sa.4, ss.158-163, 2012 (SCI-Expanded)
OZKAN Y., YILDIZ K., KUCUKER E., CEKIC, C. OZGEN M., AKCA Y., 2012. Early performance of cv. Jonagold apple on M. 9 in five tree training systems. Hort. Sci. (Prague), 39: 158-163. The effects of five training systems on tree growth, fruit yield and some fruit characteristics were assessed in Jonagold apple cv. grafted on M. 9 rootstock. The trees were trained in one of five ways: slender spindle (SS; 4,761 trees/ha), vertical axis (VA; 2,857 trees/ha), hytec (HT; 1,904 tree/ha) and two different tree densities of super spindle (L-Super S with 5,000 trees/ha; H-Super S with 10,000 trees/ha). Trunk cross-sectional area (TCA) was higher in HT and VA than SS, L-Super S and H-Super S in the 4th year. While HT had the highest cumulative yield/tree, the lowest cumulative yield was observed in H-Super S. Although HT had the highest yield/tree, it ranked the last in cumulative yield efficiency (CYE) due to high TCA. The highest (CYE) was measured in trees trained as L-Super S. When cumulative yields (CY)/ha were evaluated, the yield advantage of high density planting was clearly evident for the first three cropping years. H-Super S systems (10,000 trees/ha) had the highest CY/ha and achieved a yield of 91.24 t/ha in year 4. HT (1,904 trees/ha) had the lowest CY/ha (33.46 t). Training systems had no consistent effect on average fruit diameter, weight, firmness, soluble solid and titratable acidity.