Effect of cyanamide and girdling on yield, fruit size and quality of De Wet peach

Abstract

Trees of an early-ripening peach cultivar, De Wet, were given a dormancy-breaking spray of hydrogen cyanamide and later girdled, in an attempt to improve fruit size and earliness. Girdling promoted a significant increase in fruit size, total soluble solids (TSS) and number of fruit with split pips but had no significant effect on fruit firmness. Cyanamide significantly affected TSS only. Together these two treatments significantly increased fruit size, TSS and number of fruit with split pips.