Significance of flower and fruit thinning on fruit quality

The effects of mechanical or chemical flower and fruit thinning on fruit quality were primarily by altering crop load. However, there were also direct effects of thinning agents. Fruit size was directly related to thinning intensity. In addition to crop load, age of wood, flower bud quality, competition within clusters and canopy were important factors affecting the response to thinning. Short- and long-term thinning studies identified two groups of quality components: Group 1 characteristics include size, colour, skin performance, firmness and sugar and acid content of the fruit. Group 2 characteristics were represented by inorganic components, especially calcium and potassium which are implicated in the susceptibility of fruit to physiological disorders. While group 1 characteristics were improved by increasing thinning intensity, storability of the fruit was better at high than at low crop loads. Therefore, a compromise between all quality requirements must be found for a good economic return. Establishing the trends of thinning on the different quality parameters can help to select a thinning strategy for local or regional conditions typically being determined by growing and market conditions.