INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS TRAINING SYSTEMS ON YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY OF LOW-CHILL PEACHES

Five methods of tree training for ‘Flordaprince’ and ‘Earligrande’ peaches [(Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] were studied to find training technique(s) for improving fruit quality and size under the arid conditions of southwest Arizona. The training systems were: open center, parallel V, perpendicular V and two systems named parallel Pars and perpendicular Pars. ‘Flordaprince’ trees with open-center training produced higher yield than other training systems, while yield of ‘Earligrande’ trees with open center was the same as parallel and perpendicular Pars and perpendicular V trainings. ‘Flordaprince’ trees with Pars and V techniques produced fruit with better color and larger size than open-center training systems. ‘Earligrande’ fruit from trees with open-center training, parallel V, perpendicular V and perpendicular Pars were similar in size. Trees in all training systems grew about 3.5 m high only 3 years after planting. In V-shape and Pars trainings, removal of suckers before harvest (“summer pruning”) was much easier and provided better light penetration than did the open-center training.