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2025 Vol.43, Issue 1 Preview Page

Research Article

Defoliation Timing of Fruit Cluster Leaves Influences Fruit Quality Attributes, Skin Coloration and Anthocyanin Contents in ‘Hongro’ Apples
Nay Myo Win1
,
Sangjin Yang1
,
Soon-Il Kwon1
,
Seonae Kim1
,
Youngsuk Lee1
,
Van Giap Do1
,
Jingi Yoo12
,
In-Kyu Kang3
,
Juhyeon Park13*
1Apple Research Center, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Daegu 43100, Korea
2Department of Horticulture & Life Science, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
3Department of Horticultural Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
*Corresponding Author
28 February 2025. pp. 70-83
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Abstract

Apple skin color is an important quality trait affecting marketability. The anthocyanin accumulation in ‘Hongro’ apple skins was analyzed by evaluating different defoliation timing treatments of fruit cluster leaves applied two, three, and four weeks before harvest (WBH). Non-defoliated plants served as controls. Defoliation did not affect the fruit weight, size, flesh firmness, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, or the starch pattern index at harvest. However, the fruit sunburn rate was higher for defoliation at 3 and 4 WBH compared to defoliation at 2 WBH and non-defoliation treatments. The red-colored area and a* value for both the sun-exposed and sun-shaded sides of apple skin were highest in the defoliation treatments at 3 and 4 WBH, intermediate at 2 WBH, and lowest in the non-defoliation treatment case. On the sun-exposed side, the L* value was lower after the defoliation treatments compared to the non-defoliation treatment, but the b* value was not affected by any of the defoliation treatments. On the sun-shaded side, the L* and b* values were lower under defoliation at 4 WBH compared to the other treatments. The anthocyanin content on the sun-exposed side was highest after defoliation at 4 WBH, followed by 3 and 2 WBH, and was lowest in the non-defoliation treatment. Similarly, the anthocyanin content on the sun-shaded side was highest in defoliated plants at 4 and 3 WBH, intermediate at 2 WBH, and lowest in the non-defoliated plants. Additionally, the expression levels of major anthocyanin biosynthetic genes (MdPAL, MdCHS, MdCHI, MdF3H, MdDFR, MdANS, MdUFGT, and MdMYB10) were upregulated in all defoliation treatments on both the sun-exposed and sun-shaded sides, particularly during early defoliation at 4 and 3 WBH. Therefore, this study showed that the defoliation timing influences the development of red skin coloration in ‘Hongro’ apples and that defoliation at 4 and 3 WBH achieves the optimum coloration for this cultivar.

Keywords
firmness
fruit size
relative gene expression
soluble solid content
sunburn
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Information
  • Publisher :KOREAN SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국원예학회
  • Journal Title :Horticultural Science and Technology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :원예과학기술지
  • Volume : 43
  • No :1
  • Pages :70-83
  • Received Date : 2024-05-07
  • Revised Date : 2024-07-03
  • Accepted Date : 2024-07-05
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20250010
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