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Tree water relations: flow and fruit
Citation
Measham, PF and Wilson, SJ and Gracie, AJ and Bound, SA, Tree water relations: flow and fruit, Agricultural Water Management, 137 pp. 59-67. ISSN 0378-3774 (2014) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2014 Elsevier
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2014.02.005
Abstract
This study explores vascular influx of water in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit because water is a key component of fruit quality and has been implicated in cherry fruit cracking. Flow to fruit is influenced by changing water potential of the fruit, and of potential gradients between the fruit and the spur. Water potential was influenced by vapour pressure deficit. In all seasons of this study, the most negative fruit water potential occurred in mid-afternoon when the magnitude of fruit water potential (?F) was greater than leaf water potential (?L) and analysis showed that there was a significant difference in this potential gradient between days with and without rainfall. Frequency analysis of days monitored over seasons further showed a significant association between the incidence of natural or simulated rainfall and the direction of sap flow to the fruit. This implies that manipulation of the driving forces within sweet cherry trees could be a viable management strategy for the prevention of cracking in cherry fruit. Furthermore,it suggests a role for orchard irrigation, in avoiding development of water potential gradients of fruit that favour rapid vascular influx of water following rainfall.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | sap flow; fruit growth rate; water potential;water movement |
Research Division: | Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences |
Research Group: | Horticultural production |
Research Field: | Horticultural crop growth and development |
Objective Division: | Plant Production and Plant Primary Products |
Objective Group: | Horticultural crops |
Objective Field: | Stone fruit (excl. avocado) |
UTAS Author: | Measham, PF (Dr Penny Measham) |
UTAS Author: | Wilson, SJ (Dr Stephen Wilson) |
UTAS Author: | Gracie, AJ (Professor Alistair Gracie) |
UTAS Author: | Bound, SA (Dr Sally Bound) |
ID Code: | 90051 |
Year Published: | 2014 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 15 |
Deposited By: | Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture |
Deposited On: | 2014-03-25 |
Last Modified: | 2022-09-01 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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