7 - 



RESEARCH FROM OTHER AREAS 



Wi 1 1 iam J . Lord 

 Department of Plant and Soil 



Sciences 



Influence of Nutrition and Management on Peach Quality : The influ- 

 ence of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K) , magnesi urn 

 (Mg), lime, pruning, irrigation and tillage upon peach quality were 

 studied by John Reeves and George Cummings, North Carolina State 

 University, Raleigh, and reported in Volume 95 (No. 3), of the 

 Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science . The in- 

 formation obtained should be of interest to peach growers in Mass- 

 achusetts . 



Fruit firmness : Several of the treatments resulted in significant 

 changes in flesh firmness. N at the rate of 0.66 lb. /tree in com- 

 parison to 0.33 lb. /tree decreased firmness of non-irrigated Red- 

 haven peaches . Fruits from trees receiving 0.66 or 1.32 lb. did 

 not differ appreciably, however, while irrigation virtually elim- 

 inated the influence of higher rates of N on firmness. 



Medium and high rates of K (0.66 lb. or 1.32 lbs. /tree in com- 

 parison to 0.20 lb.) increased flesh fii-mness of Elberta peaches 

 whereas 0.24 lb. or 0.48 lb. Mg/tree in comparison to 0.03 lb. Mg 

 decreased firmness. 



2 

 In the tillage experiment with the Loring variety the treat- 

 ments consisted of (a) soil plowed to normal depth; (b) soil plowed 

 to a depth of 23 inches; (c) normal plowing with 28-inch holes 

 bored to a depth of 4 feet at the planting site; (d) lime (0, 2000 

 or 4000 lb. of dol omi ti c/acre) ; and (e) P (0, 141, or 282 lbs. /acre) 

 With the exception of P, none of the treatments influenced firmness. 

 The high increment of P increased flesh firmness. 



Shel f-1 i f e : The data indicated that those treatments that increased 

 f i rmness also increased shelf-life. N decreased the shelf-life of 

 non-irrigated Redhaven peaches, but had no effect on those from 

 irrigated trees. Shelf-life of Elberta peaches was increased by K 

 and decreased by Mg . 



Fruit color : Severity of pruning (light, medium, or severe) ap- 

 peared to have greater effect on red color than did N with the 

 poorest color on the severely pruned trees. Irrigation also tended 

 to decrease fruit color. The authors postulated that high N, heavy 

 pruning or irrigation could increase the amount of foliage on the 

 trees, and that probably red color development was negatively as- 

 sociated with the amount of shading. Increased red color develop- 

 ment was associated with the medium or high rates of K while medium 

 or high Mg rates decreased red color. 



1 



The experiment was established in 1953. Data on quality obtained 

 ,in 1966. 

 'The experiment was established in 1962. Data on quality obtained 



in 1966. 



