Influence of Orientation and Position of Fruiting Laterals on Canopy Light Penetration, Yield, and Fruit Quality of ‘Granny Smith’ Apple

Abstract

Fruiting laterals were tagged within the inner and outer canopy zones of the basal, mid, and upper tiers of dormant, mature central-leader ‘Granny Smith’ apple ( Malus domestica Borkh.) trees and were classified into pendant (>120°), horizontal (30°-120°), and vertical (0°-30°) types. Transmission of photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) to spur sites on tagged laterals was measured in mid-season and fruits from these sites were harvested at commercial maturity for assessment of fresh weight, soluble solids concentration (SSC), starch pattern index, and background color. Pendant laterals produced fewer, smaller, and greener fruit per flowering spur than horizontal or vertical laterals. Fruit fresh weight and soluble solids concentration increased with increasing height in the canopy and were higher in the outer compared with the inner horizontal canopy position. Background color followed a trend opposite to that of fresh weight and soluble solids concentration, with fruit from the lower inner canopy regions being greenest. Both fresh weight and SSC showed highly positive correlations with the percentage transmission of PPF. Fruit set showed a positive correlation with PPF, although the relationship was weaker than that for fresh weight or SSC. PPF penetration was lower to pendant laterals than to horizontal and vertical laterals and declined from upper to lower and from outer to inner canopy positions. Pendant fruiting laterals received < 15% of PPF, irrespective of location within the canopy.