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Title: Yield, fruit quality traits and leaf nutrient concentration of sapodilla cv ‘Prolific’ grafted onto 16 rootstocks in Puerto Rico

Author
item Goenaga, Ricardo
item IRIZARRY, HEBER - Retired ARS Employee
item Jenkins, David
item Boykin, Deborah
item Marrero Soto, Angel

Submitted to: HortTechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/19/2017
Publication Date: 8/1/2017
Citation: Goenaga, R.J., Irizarry, H., Jenkins, D.A., Boykin, D.L., Marrero Soto, A.R. 2018. Yield, fruit quality traits and leaf nutrient concentration of sapodilla cv ‘Prolific’ grafted onto 16 rootstocks in Puerto Rico. HortTechnology. 27(4)563-571.

Interpretive Summary: The globalization of the economy, increased ethnic diversity and a greater demand for healthy and more diverse food products have opened a window of opportunity for the commercial production and marketing of tropical fruit. Sapodilla, a member of the Sapotaceae family, is a delicious tropical fruit which has received little research attention. A field study was conducted to determine the yield potential, fruit quality traits, leaf nutrient composition and scion/rootstock compatibility of cultivar ‘Prolific’ grafted onto 16 sapodilla rootstocks and evaluated during 7 years of production at the USDA-ARS Research Farm in Isabela, Puerto Rico. Rootstocks ‘Timothe’, ‘Vasallo-1’, ‘Larsen’, and ‘Aruz’ had the highest 7-year mean for number and yield of fruit averaging 4,479 fruit/ha and 1,245 kg.ha-1, respectively. The number of fruit per hectare and corresponding yield obtained in this study were very low probably the result of wind exposure and/or the presence of the fungus Pestalotia spp. causing floral necrosis. Scion/rootstock incompatibility was not the cause of the low yield performance of grafted trees. Average individual weight of fruit was 282 g and ranged from 264 g to 303 g. Averaged over rootstocks, leaf tissue nutrient concentration did not vary greatly over time. Moreover, tissue nutrient concentration was similar before and after fertilization events. This study provides for the first time information from a replicated experiment on fruit quality traits, leaf nutrient composition and scion/rootstock compatibility of cultivar ‘Prolific’ grafted onto various sapodilla rootstocks that should be useful to Extension Agents and growers.

Technical Abstract: Research on sapodilla has been very limited. A field study was conducted to determine the yield potential, fruit quality traits, leaf nutrient composition and scion/rootstock compatibility of cultivar ‘Prolific’ grafted onto 16 sapodilla rootstocks. For this purpose cultivars ‘Adelaide’, ‘Arcilago’, ‘Aruz’, ‘Blackwood’, ‘Blocksberg’, ‘Guilbe’, ‘Hanna’, ‘Jamaica-1’, ‘Larsen’, ‘Mendigo-1’, ‘Gallera’, ‘Morning Star’, ‘Russel’, ‘Prolific’, ‘Timothe’, and ‘Vasallo-1’ were used as rootstocks and evaluated during 7 years of production at the USDA-ARS Research Farm in Isabela, Puerto Rico. Year showed a significant effect on number of fruit per hectare, yield, individual fruit weight, fruit length and diameter, and total soluble solids. Rootstocks had a significant effect on number of fruit per hectare, yield and individual fruit weight but had no effect on other fruit traits. The year x rootstock interaction was not significant for any of the variables measured in the study. Rootstocks ‘Timothe’, ‘Vasallo-1’, ‘Larsen’, and ‘Aruz’ had the highest 7-year mean for number and yield of fruit averaging 4,479 fruit/ha and 1,245 kg.ha-1, respectively. ‘Timothe’ and ‘Vasallo-1’ significantly outyielded the ‘Prolific’ rootstock. The number of fruit per hectare and corresponding yield obtained in this study were very low probably the result of wind exposure and/or the presence of the fungus Pestalotia spp. causing floral necrosis. Scion/rootstock incompatibility was not the cause of the low yield performance of grafted trees. Average individual weight of fruit was 282 g and ranged from 264 g to 303 g. Averaged over rootstocks, leaf tissue nutrient concentration did not vary greatly over time. Moreover, tissue nutrient concentration was similar before and after fertilization events.