Floral and Vegetative Bud Development of ‘Sungold’ and ‘Sunlite’ Nectarine as influenced by Evaporative Cooling by Overhead Sprinkling during Rest1

Abstract

Evaporative cooling by overhead sprinkling during rest advanced bloom of ‘Sungold’ nectarine [ Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] about 11 days. The bloom advance was due to water applied to the canopy and not to increased water in the root zone. A rest prediction model for low chilling nectarines which accurately predicted rest completion for all unsprinkled treatments failed to predict the date of rest termination for sprinkled treatments, suggesting other factors are involved in addition to temperature.