A Long-Time Assessment of Yield and Harvest Quality Attributes Among Five Strains of 'Fuji' Apples

摘要

'Fuji' apple (Mains x domestica Borkh) is a popular cultivar due to its superior flavour, texture, and storability; however, poor fruit colour of this cultivar is a major problem worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of five 'Fuji' strains on yield (in 7 years) and fruit harvest-time quality attributes (in 6 years) under climate conditions of Intermountain West region of the United States. The strains were: 'Beni Shogun Fuji', 'Naga Fu 12 Fuji', 'Sun Fuji', `T.A.C. 114 Fuji', and 'Torres Fuji' on M.9 T337 rootstock. 'Sun Fuji' often had lower fruit weight than other strains. Strains differed widely with respect to their fruit peel colour. In general, fruits of 'Sun Fuji' and `T.A.C. 114 Fuji' always had less but 'Beni Shogun Fuji' had more red colour than other strains. 'Torres Fuji' also tended to have slightly higher colour than some strains. Fruit of 'Beni Shogun Fuji' had higher starch degradation pattern than other strains because this strain matured earlier. 'Beni Shogun' also had higher sunburn and surface cracks but lower watercore than all other strains. Considering all yield and quality attributes at harvest, 'Beni Shogun Fuji' was a great choice for an early strain