Abstract
The response of pear fruit and leaf parameters to shade imposed during development was studied. Whole branches of mature trees of Pyrus communis L. cv. Bartlett growing in the High Valley area of Argentina were covered with a shade cloth (80 % reduction in irradiance) from 6 to 18 weeks after full bloom (WAFB) during the 1995-96 growing season. Fruit diameter was measured at two-weekly intervals; flesh firmness, soluble solids concentration, and leaf area were determined 18 WAFB. Prolonged shading significantly reduced fruiting spur specific leaf mass and consequently resulted in 20.79 % less final fruit fresh mass. However, flesh firmness was 8.07 % lower under full irradiance.
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Garriz, P., Alvarez, H. & Alvarez, A. Influence of altered irradiance on fruits and leaves of mature pear trees. Biologia Plantarum 39, 229–234 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1000344920479
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1000344920479