Impact of Flower Thinning Using Ammonium Thiosulfate and Lime Sulfur On Yield and Fruit Quality of the Early-Ripening ‘Flariba’ Nectarine Cultivar
Applied Fruit Science, cilt.68, sa.4, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 68 Sayı: 4
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s10341-026-01976-0
- Dergi Adı: Applied Fruit Science
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Environment Index, Food Science & Technology Abstracts
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Chemical thinning, Fruit color, Fruit load, Fruit size, Thinning intensity
- Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study evaluated the effects of hand and chemical flower thinning on fruit set, yield, and fruit quality characteristics of the ‘Flariba’ nectarine cultivar under the ecological conditions of Tarsus/Mersin, Türkiye. Treatments included hand flower thinning (HFloT), hand fruit thinning (HFrT), and chemical applications of 2%, 3%, and 4% ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) and 3%, 4%, and 5% lime sulfur (LS). The effects of these treatments on fruit set rate, yield parameters, and fruit quality characteristics were assessed. The lowest fruit set rates were observed in HFloT (24.24%) and HFrT (29.65%). HFloT resulted in the lowest fruit load (2.41 fruits/cm2). The highest fruit weights were obtained in HFrT (105.57 g) and HFloT (105.18 g), followed by 5% LS (97.64 g) and 3% ATS (95.67 g), while the control trees had the lowest fruit weight (65.63 g). Both hand and chemical thinning improved fruit skin color compared to the control. In addition, HFrT, HFloT, and 4% ATS significantly increased the percentage of fruit meeting the OECD criteria for Class I and extra-class categories (97.17%, 83.00%, and 69.20%, respectively) compared to the control group (46.25%). As a result, hand and chemical thinning treatments enhanced fruit set regulation, yield, and fruit quality in ‘Flariba’ nectarines, with the 5% LS treatment being particularly effective in achieving moderate thinning, which could facilitate subsequent hand fruit thinning treatments. Nevertheless, the occurrence of slight shoot dieback suggests that potential phytotoxic effects should be considered when applying higher LS concentrations.