The Effects of Different Training Systems on Tree Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality in ‘Granny Smith’ Apple Cultivar on M9 Rootstock

This study was carried out with „granny smith‟ apple cultivar grafted on m9 apple rootstock in horticultural deparment of agricultural faculty of gaziosmanpaşa university during 2008-2010. in the study, slender spindle, hytec, vertical axis training systems were applied on the trees were planted in 2007 october. the vegetative growth, yield and fruit quality performances such as generative shoot number (number/tree), rootstock thickness-diameter (mm), trunk thickness-diameter (mm), trunk cross sectionel area (mm²), canopy volume (m³), yield per tree (kg/tree), yield per decree (kg/decree), the yield efficiency (kg/cm²), averege fruit weight (g), fruit colour values, ph, fruit firmness (kg), sçkm, total soluble solid (%) of the trees constituted on wire-stake combination system were analysed during three years. in 3rd yield year, the highest values for some plant and fruit characteristics; in hytec (3x1.5) training system 66.0 number/tree total generative shoot number, 1158.8 mm² for trunk cross sectional area, 1.58 m3 for canopy volume, 8.21 kg for yield per tree, 0.71 kg/cm² for yield efficiency, in slender spindle (3x0.7) training system 2485.7 kg for yield per decree. the fruit quality parameters were not also affected by training systems.