Abstract
The aim of this work was to determine whether mechanical flower thinning can contribute to increasing fruit size and quality as well as preventing diseases in organic cherry production. Therefore, between 2010 and 2012, in an organically managed cherry orchard at the experimental farm of the University of Vienna, Austria, about 40% of the flowers were removed at the stage BBCH 65 with a portable electrical tool (Electroflor). In addition to the thinning effect, the impact on diseases (Monilinia spp.), yield, fruit size and quality was assessed. The thinning with Electroflor showed an increasing effect on the single fruit weight of 9.2% (mean of 3 years) combined with a lower yield per hectare of 21.1%. Also some significant changes in fruit quality characteristics including higher fruit firmness (8.7%) were found. Electroflor is an effective tool for flower thinning of cherries; its use in practice makes sense if a higher price for fruits with a larger fruit size and better quality can be achieved that compensates the yield losses by thinning.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Electroflor thinning increased single fruit weight by 9.2%
- Taxon
- sweet cherries
Prunus aviumt0 - Treatment
- thinning with Electroflore0
- Outcome
- single fruit weighte0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 9.2%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sweet cherries”
e0“The thinning with Electroflor showed an increasing effect on the single fruit weight of 9.2% (mean of 3 years) combined with a lower yield per hectare of 21.1%”
Claim · model-written summary
Electroflor thinning lowered yield per hectare by 21.1%
- Taxon
- sweet cherriesPrunus aviumt0
- Treatment
- thinning with Electroflore0
- Outcome
- yield per hectaree0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Value
- 21.1%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sweet cherries”
e0“The thinning with Electroflor showed an increasing effect on the single fruit weight of 9.2% (mean of 3 years) combined with a lower yield per hectare of 21.1%”
Claim · model-written summary
Electroflor thinning increased fruit firmness by 8.7%
- Taxon
- sweet cherriesPrunus aviumt0
- Treatment
- thinning with Electroflore0
- Outcome
- fruit firmnesse2
- Direction
- highere2
- Value
- 8.7%e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sweet cherries”
e0“The thinning with Electroflor showed an increasing effect on the single fruit weight of 9.2% (mean of 3 years) combined with a lower yield per hectare of 21.1%”
e2“Also some significant changes in fruit quality characteristics including higher fruit firmness (8.7%) were found”
Claim · model-written summary
Electroflor thinning is worthwhile in practice only if higher prices for larger, better-quality cherries offset the yield losses
Verbatim
t0“sweet cherries”
e3“Electroflor is an effective tool for flower thinning of cherries; its use in practice makes sense if a higher price for fruits with a larger fruit size and better quality can be achieved that compensates the yield losses by thinning”
The same questions in other papers
pruning · yield · Prunus avium (sweet cherry)Results differ
13 papers in the same direction as this paper · 7 in the opposite direction
- negative
- no effect
- negative
17 papers more in this group
See all 21 papers →pruning · quality: postharvest · Prunus avium (sweet cherry)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.