Determination of fruit growth in ‘Nero’ and ‘Viking’ aronia cultivars

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine fruit growth and development in ‘Nero’ and ‘Viking’ aronia cultivars having five-year-old plants. In the study, fruit dimensions (mm), fruit weight, soluble solids content, pH value and titratable acidity were determined in the period of fruit growth. In the beginning of fruit development period, a slow development was detected in fruit dimensions and weight. Between July and August, very rapid increase was observed, and then fruit development slowed down again. This study indicated that both cultivars grew in a single sigmoid curve from the fruit set to harvest. Furthermore, we found that during growing and development periods, average fruit weight, soluble solids content, and pH value of the fruit juice was increased while titratable acidity was decreased.