Pomological characteristics of local sweet cherry cultivars grown in Amasya, Turkey

Abstract

In this study, four local varieties, namely 'Turkoglu', 'Abdullah', 'Hafiz Ahmet' and 'Beyaz Kiraz' grown in Amasya, Turkey, are investigated in terms of their pomology and phenology. The flowering period for all varieties studied is between 23 March to 16 April. The ripening periods are from 7 to 16 May for 'Turkoglu', from 27 May to 5 June for 'Hafiz Ahmet' and 'Abdullah', from 23 June to 1 July for 'Beyaz Kiraz'. In addition to various phenological characteristics, such as fruit weight, fruit dimension, fruit index (length/breadth), fruit stalk length, TSS (total soluble solids) and acid content, pit weight, flesh/pit ratio, leaf area, leaf dimensions, leaf index (length/breadth) petiole length, fruit firmness, fruit cracking index, fruit colour were determined for a three year study period. For 'Turkoglu','Hafiz Ahmet','Abdullah' and 'Beyaz Kiraz' varieties, the fruit weights were 2.40, 4.11, 4.14 and 4.48 g, respectively. TSS contents of them were 9.4, 13.5, 14.7 and 16.4 %, respectively; the cracking indices were 38.5, 17.3, 13.1 and 0 %, respectively; the flesh/pit ratios were 14.34, 8.95, 9.57 and 9.84, respectively.