THE EFFECT OF THINNING OF PEACH IN SOUTH-EASTERN ROMANIA

Rezumat

Peach cultivars tend to set up a large number of fruits on the tree and there is a risk that they will remain small, with sour taste and without commercial value (Cepoiu N. and Manolache, 2006). That is why manual fruit thinning is considered effective, even if it is expensive (Costa and Vizzotto, 2000). Thinning is an essential agronomic intervention in peach cultivation, as the final fruit quality largely relies on the success of this technique (Costa et al, 2022). The research observed manual thinning, done at different intensities and its influence on the productivity and fruit quality of ‘Filip’ and ‘Redhaven’ peach cultivars. The study was carried out at Research Station for Fruit Growing (RSFG Constanța), between 2021 and 2023. ‘Filip’ and ‘Redhaven’ peach cultivars were studied. The fruit trees are 12 years old, the planting distance being 4 m/3 m and the crown shape is improved vase. The experimental variants were: V1- 50 % thinned fruits; V2- no thinning (Control). The fruit on control trees were counted before and after thinning, in May of each year. The studied varieties have different biological potential regarding the blossoming intensity and the fruit yields, favorable or less favorable climatic conditions contributing to this, among other factors. From the presented data we can clearly see that the thinning of fruit does not influence much the production but has a big impact upon the physical qualities of the fruit, such as their weight.