Selection of plum cultivars for subtropical regions

ABSTRACT: Plum growing is widespread in temperate zones. In Brazil, the exploitation of this fruit tree is extended from the colder regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul to the south of the state of Minas Gerais. However, cultivars exploited at subtropical regions are scarce due to competition. The present study aimed to select productive cultivars of plums adapted to Brazilian subtropical conditions. In this respect, the plum cultivars ‘Fla 87-7’, ‘Gema de Ouro’, ‘Grancoure’, ‘Harry Pickstone’, ‘Januária’, ‘Santa Rosa’ and ‘Satsuma’ were grafted on the ‘Okinawa’ rootstock ‘and evaluated by two cycles in the municipality of Lavras, MG, Brazil. The phenological development, physical and chemical properties of fruits, average number of fruits per plant, average fruit mass and estimated yield were evaluated for each cultivar. It is concluded that plum cultivars ‘Januária’ and ‘Grancoure’ are the most promising for subtropical regions, mainly due to the volume of produced fruits and the quality of fruits.

摘要：李子种植在温带地区分布广泛。在巴西，该果树的栽培利用范围从南里奥格兰德州（Rio Grande do Sul）的寒冷区域延伸至米纳斯吉拉斯州（Minas Gerais）南部。然而，受市场竞争影响，适用于亚热带地区的李子栽培品种较为匮乏。本研究旨在筛选适配巴西亚热带气候条件的高产李子栽培品种。为此，将‘Fla 87-7’、‘Gema de Ouro’、‘Grancoure’、‘Harry Pickstone’、‘Januária’、‘Santa Rosa’及‘Satsuma’共7个李子品种嫁接于‘冲绳（Okinawa）’砧木（rootstock），并在巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州拉夫拉斯市（Lavras）开展了两个周期的试验评价。针对每个品种，测定了其物候发育进程、果实理化特性、单株平均结果数、平均单果质量及预估产量。研究结果表明，‘Januária’与‘Grancoure’两个李子栽培品种最具亚热带地区推广潜力，这主要得益于其可观的果实总产量与优异的果实品质。