Impact of Flower Thinning Using Ammonium Thiosulfate and Lime Sulfur on Yield and Fruit Quality of ‘Flariba’ Nectarine Cultivar

Impact of Flower Thinning Using Ammonium Thiosulfate and Lime Sulfur on Yield and Fruit Quality of ‘Flariba’ Nectarine Cultivar | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Impact of Flower Thinning Using Ammonium Thiosulfate and Lime Sulfur on Yield and Fruit Quality of ‘Flariba’ Nectarine Cultivar Ersin Rencuzogullari, Oguzhan Caliskan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9079106/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study evaluated the effects of hand and chemical flower thinning on fruit set, yield, and fruit quality characteristics of the ‘Flariba’ nectarine cultivar under the ecological conditions of Tarsus/Mersin, Türkiye. Treatments included hand flower thinning (HFloT), hand fruit thinning (HFrT), and chemical applications of 2%, 3%, and 4% ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) and 3%, 4%, and 5% lime sulfur (LS). The effects of these treatments on fruit set rate, yield parameters, and fruit quality characteristics were assessed. The lowest fruit set rates were observed in HFloT (24.24%) and HFrT (29.65%). HFloT resulted in the lowest fruit load (2.41 fruits/cm²). The highest fruit weights were obtained in HFrT (105.57 g) and HFloT (105.18 g), followed by 5% LS (97.64 g) and 3% ATS (95.67 g), while the control trees had the lowest fruit weight (65.63 g). Both hand and chemical thinning improved fruit skin color compared to the control. In addition, HFrT, HFloT, and 4% ATS significantly increased the percentage of fruit in the first quality and extra class (97.17%, 83.00%, and 69.20%, respectively) compared to the control group (46.25%). As a result, hand and chemical thinning treatments enhanced fruit set regulation, yield, and fruit quality in ‘Flariba’ nectarines, with the 5% LS treatment being particularly effective in achieving moderate thinning, which could facilitate subsequent hand fruit thinning treatments. Chemical thinning fruit load thinning intensity fruit size fruit color Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Introduction Global peach-nectarine production has steadily increased in recent years. This growth is attributed to several factors, including increased consumer demand for fresh produce driven by a shift toward healthier diets, advancements in cultivation techniques, the breeding of high-yielding and disease-tolerant cultivars, and improvements in postharvest handling and packaging technologies (Byrne et al. 2012 ; Çalışkan et al. 2021 ). The expansion of cultivars and production capacity has made Türkiye a major player in the global peach and nectarine market, enhancing domestic supply stability and the country's competitiveness in international trade (Rencüzoğulları et al. 2023 ; Caliskan et al. 2023). In peaches- nectarines, which naturally have a high fruit set rate, fruit thinning is a widely used cultural practice to optimize yield and fruit quality properties. High fruit set in unthinned peach- nectarines leads to problems such as reduced fruit size, inadequate rind coloration, and ultimately reduced market value (Byers et al. 2010 ). Thinning, when performed at the appropriate time and intensity, directs the tree's nutrients to fewer fruits, increasing fruit size, color development, soluble solids, and aroma compounds (Southwick et al. 1996 ; Rencüzoğulları et al. 2025 ). In Türkiye and many other major peach nectarine growing regions worldwide, hand thinning is a common cultural practice. However, rising labor costs constitute a significant portion of production expenses, prompting research into chemical thinners to reduce labor needs and costs. As a result, studies on chemical thinning during flowering are becoming more common (Osborne and Robinson 2008 ; Ceccarelli et al. 2016 ; Fallahi 2020 ). Research focuses on applications that reduce fruit set by damaging pistils or inhibiting fertilization, particularly with substances such as ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) and lime sulfur (LS), while minimizing environmental impact (Robinson and Dominguez 2015 ; Rasouli et al. 2020 ). Rasouli et al. ( 2020 ) reported that ATS and LS applications in Alberta peach and Sun King nectarine cultivars increased fruit weight by up to 42% and fruit color by up to 37% compared to control plants. These studies demonstrated promising results for blossom thinning applications of ATS and LS. However, the optimum dose and application timing for thinning agents should be determined based on the cultivar and ecological conditions (Byers et al. 2010 ; Torres et al. 2021 ). Furthermore, Torres et al. ( 2021 ) reported that flower thinning has a distinct advantage over fruit thinning because it can be performed at early stages of fruit development, thereby reducing competition between developing fruitlets at the earliest stage. The Mediterranean coastline provides favorable climatic conditions for cultivating early-ripening cultivars and serves as a major hub for supplying early stone fruit to the European market (Rencüzoğulları et al. 2016 ; Küden et al. 2019 ). Early-ripening cultivars grown in Mediterranean climates often exhibit very high fruit set, which can lead to excessive crop load, reduced fruit size, and lower market value if thinning practices are not properly managed. Mersin, located in the Mediterranean region of Türkiye, ranks first in national production with 300,195 tons, 40% of which is produced in the Tarsus district. In Mersin province, the peach-nectarine harvest begins in mid-April with greenhouse cultivation along the coastline, followed by early cultivars at the end of April and the first week of May, mid-early cultivars in June and July, and late cultivars at the end of August and the first half of September in plateau areas at an altitude of 1300–1400 m, resulting in a season lasting 5–6 months. This study evaluated the effects of ATS and LS applications during the flowering period on fruit set, yield, and fruit quality characteristics of the ‘Flariba’ nectarine. The research question was to determine which chemical thinning agents were more effective in the ‘Flariba’ cultivar. Although ATS and lime sulfur have been widely tested on peach-nectarine cultivars, their effectiveness varies considerably depending on the cultivar and climatic conditions, and information on early-ripening nectarine varieties grown under Mediterranean conditions remains limited. Material and methods Plant Material This study was conducted in a 5.5-hectare nectarine orchard in the Tarsus district of Mersin province, in the eastern Mediterranean region of Türkiye. The experimental site was located at 36°54'31"N latitude and 34°55'29"E longitude, at an altitude of 14 meters above sea level. The ‘Flariba’ cultivar, grafted onto Garnem rootstock, was used in the study. Samplings were planted in June 2011 with 3 m in-row and 5 m between-row spacing, and a four-branch vase pruning system was used. Irrigation and fertilization in the study area were carried out using a standard fertigation system from planting onward. Fertigation was applied every 10–15 days in February and March, depending on climatic conditions, and once a week in April and May. The fertilization program included 21% nitrogen ammonium sulfate (40 g tree⁻¹), 16.8.24 NPK (80 g tree⁻¹), 7.7.40 NPK (80 g tree⁻¹), 45.5% potassium nitrate (80 g tree⁻¹), and 6% iron (8 g tree⁻¹), applied according to the plants' phenological developmental stages (Caliskan et al. 2021). Micronutrient supplements were applied once a month, especially in April and May. A routine disease and pest control program was implemented in the orchard. The climatic conditions during the flower thinning period (February 2022) in the Tarsus/Mersin area of the Eastern Mediterranean region of Türkiye were presented in Fig. 1. Throughout the month, daily mean temperatures were around 10 °C, with minimum and maximum values averaging approximately 6 °C and 14 °C, respectively. Total monthly precipitation was about 100 mm, with most rainfall occurring between February 10–12 and February 23–25. Flower thinning treatments were applied on February 16, 2022, when daytime temperatures were mild (approximately 16 °C) and no rainfall was recorded. Weather conditions during and after the application period remained stable, and neither rainfall nor low temperatures adversely affected the efficacy of the flower thinning treatments. Plant and Fruit Quality Characteristics To evaluate the effects of thinning treatments, each treatment was arranged in five replications with one tree per replication. Phenological observations, yield and fruit quality analyses, and fruit set ratio determinations were conducted according to the methods described by Çalışkan et al. (2021) and Westwood (1995). The treatments included a control (no thinning), manual flower thinning (HFloT), manual fruit thinning (HFrT), and chemical thinning applications. Manual flower thinning was performed at approximately 80% bloom by leaving one flower every 10 to 15 cm along the shoots. Manual fruit thinning was performed 30 days after full bloom, leaving one fruit every 10–15 cm. For chemical treatments, ATS was applied at concentrations of 2%, 3%, and 4% at the 80% bloom stage using an atomizer until the entire tree was thoroughly wetted. Similarly, LS was applied at concentrations of 3%, 4%, and 5% at the 80% bloom stage. ATS was obtained from commercial products containing 15% nitrogen and 59% sulfur (Milagro, Italy), while LS was obtained from commercial products containing 380 g L⁻¹ calcium polysulfide (Suprakal, Türkiye). Nu-Film-17 (Miller, USA) was used as a spreader-adhesive in all chemical applications. The control group received only water spray. Hand fruit thinning was performed 30 days after full bloom. Each treatment was arranged in five replications with one tree per replication, and standard cultural practices were followed throughout the experimental period. Phenological observations included bud swelling, bud burst, first flowering (5%), full flowering (70%), end of flowering (95% petal fall), harvest date, harvest time, and the number of days from full flowering to harvest. The fruit set rate was calculated by counting the four main branches marked during the bud swelling period (Westwood 1995). For the ‘Flariba’ cultivar, the harvest date was defined as the period when the TSS was at least 8–9% (Kader and Mitchell 1989) and the fruit flesh firmness was 4–5 kg-force (Güneyli and Onursal 2014). Yield traits included yield per tree (kg/tree), yield per trunk cross-sectional area (kg/cm²), number of fruits per tree (fruits/tree), and fruit load (fruits/cm²). At harvest, the diameters of all fruits per tree were measured and classified according to the standards of the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE 2007) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD 2010): less than 51 mm discard, 51–55 mm class D (I and II quality), 56–60 mm class C (extra quality), 61–66 mm class B, and 67–72 mm class A. The percentage distribution of fruits within each class was then calculated. Fruit quality assessments were conducted in three replicates, each consisting of 10 fruits. The evaluated parameters included fruit weight (g), width (mm), length (mm), height (mm), flesh firmness (kg-force), flesh-to-seed ratio, total soluble solids (TSS, %), pH, and titratable acidity (TA, % malic acid equivalent). For TA determination, 5 ml of juice was diluted to 100 ml with distilled water and titrated with 0.1 N NaOH until a pH of 8.10 was reached. Skin and flesh color were quantified as L*, a*, b*, chroma (C), and hue angle (h°) using a Minolta CR-300 colorimeter. Fruit skin color was measured at two points on opposite cheeks in the equatorial region, while flesh color was determined from two readings taken from longitudinally sectioned fruit halves. Statistical Analysis The statistical analysis used a randomized complete block design. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed with the SAS software package (2005), and mean separation was conducted using Tukey's HSD test (p < 0.05). Percentage data were arcsine transformed before analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was also performed using JMP Pro 16 software to examine the relationships among the measured characteristics. Results and Discussion Plant and fruit quality characteristics The results of the phenological observation of the ‘Flariba’ nectarine cultivar were presented in Table 1. The first flowering of ‘Flariba’ was recorded on February 11. Full flowering occurred on February 15, and the end of flowering was observed on February 18. The fruits were harvested on May 4, and the harvest period lasted 9 days. The time from full flowering to harvest was 87 days. The fruit set of the ‘Flariba’ cultivar was significantly affected by the thinning treatments (Fig. 2). The highest fruit set rate was in the control group (91.82%), while the lowest rates were observed in the HFloT (24.24%) and HFrT (29.65%) treatments. These results showed that thinning ‘Flariba’ to one flower every 10–15 cm significantly reduced fruit set. Therefore, scheduling applications with moderate flower thinning may achieve the desired fruit spacing and ultimately improve yield and fruit quality. Similarly, Yoon et al. (2011) reported that the flower thinning method used in peach-nectarines can significantly reduce fruit set, highlighting the importance of selecting the appropriate method for each cultivar. Turk et al. (2014) showed that fruit set in the ‘Redhaven’ cultivar decreased from 33% in the control to 27% when 1% ATS was applied. The effects of ATS and LS applications in this study differed from those reported by other researchers, which could be due to different responses of the cultivar to the diluent concentration used and its resistance to the thinning agents. Lichou et al. (1997) reported that the sensitivity of peaches to thinning agents is an important factor in the application of chemical thinning agents. Byers et al. (2010) found that moderate flower thinning was considered successful for flower thinners such as ATS and LS, but the results of this study indicated that detailed studies should be conducted on the dosage, application timing, and frequency of ATS and LS application in ‘Flariba’. The thinning treatments had statistically significant effects on the yield components of the ‘Flariba’ cultivar (Fig. 3). As expected, the control treatment produced the highest number of fruits per tree (1,278) and a high fruit load (4.84 fruits/cm²), but this excess number of fruits did not result in a proportionally higher yield efficiency, as reflected in the yield per trunk cross-sectional area. The highest yield efficiency was observed in the 3% ATS treatment (3.23 kg/cm²), followed closely by the 2% ATS treatment (2.96 kg/cm²). These results showed that chemical thinning agents, particularly ATS at these levels, were ineffective in balancing fruit number and yield capacity. HFloT and HFrT significantly reduced the number of fruits per tree (657 and 759 fruits/tree, respectively) compared to the control (1,278 fruits/tree), which was associated with a lower yield. HFloT had the lowest values for yield efficiency (1.78 kg/cm²) and fruit load (2.41 fruits/cm²). Among the chemical treatments, increasing LS levels produced a moderate thinning effect, reducing yield from 71.75 kg/tree in the control group to 63.05 kg/tree. However, with fewer fruits and a lower fruit load, fruit distribution improved, and the potential for better fruit quality compared to the control plants was evident. Furthermore, higher LS concentrations (4% and 5%) compared to 3% LS tended to lower yields, suggesting that LS application requires careful optimization to prevent excessive thinning. These results indicated that chemical thinners such as ATS and LS can effectively regulate ‘Flariba’ fruit load without significantly reducing fruit set. In particular, increasing LS treatments showed promise in achieving an optimal balance in yield. Similarly, Osborne and Robinson (2008) and Rasouli et al. (2020) reported that ATS and LS applied during flowering were effective in reducing fruit set, resulting in larger fruit size and improved quality due to a reduced fruit load. These results suggested that the effectiveness of thinning treatments in peaches varied depending on the thinner used, application timing, frequency of application, and cultivar. The main benefit of these thinners was the reduction of labor costs associated with hand thinning and increased yield efficiency by optimizing fruit load. However, the response of ‘Flariba’ was highly concentration-dependent, emphasizing the need for cultivar-specific calibration of chemical thinner application. The effect of flower thinning treatments on the physical and chemical contents of ‘Flariba’ fruit was statistically significant, except for TSS (Table 2). The highest values for fruit weight, width, length, and height in ‘Flariba’ were recorded in the HFrT application (105.57 g, 59.23 mm, 57.83 mm, and 58.05 mm, respectively). ATS and LS applications also increased fruit weight and diameter compared to the control, with particularly high values observed in 3% ATS (95.67 g, 56.93 mm) and 5% LS (97.64 g, 57.80 mm). The highest fruit firmness was recorded in the 3% LS treatment (5.76 kg-force), while the other treatments ranged from 3.41 to 4.60 kg-force. This may indicate that sulfur-based thinners influence the development of fruit texture. Similar results were reported in peaches, where LS applications not only reduced fruit set but also increased firmness at harvest due to reduced fruit load and improved calcium distribution in the fruit (Southwick et al. 1996). TSS did not differ significantly between treatments and ranged from 7.87% to 8.53%. Titratable acidity (A) ranged from 1.12% to 1.56%, with the highest values in 2% ATS and HFloT. The calculated TSS/A ratio was highest in HFrT (7.59) and lowest in 2% ATS (5.30). These results showed that the thinning treatments significantly affected fruit size but had only a limited effect on soluble solids content. However, the differences in acidity and TSS/A ratio indicated that the treatment type also influenced the fruit's flavor balance. These data were consistent with the findings of Njoroge and Reighard (2008) and Turk et al. (2014), who reported that thinning primarily affects fruit size rather than soluble solids concentration. Acidity varied among treatments, with ATS and HFloT showing higher acidity. Consequently, the TSS/A ratio, a key indicator of fruit flavor balance, reached its highest value when fruit thinning was performed by hand (7.59), indicating an improved perception of sweetness relative to acidity. This result was consistent with reports on nectarines, where fruit thinning increases the sugar-to-acid ratio and improves flavor quality (Wu et al. 2005). Fruit thinning affects fruit size and internal quality by reducing fruit load and increasing the availability of assimilates per fruit. In this study, both hand thinning methods significantly increased fruit weight and diameter compared to the control, confirming results in peach-nectarines where hand thinning consistently improves fruit growth (Costa et al. 2023). The increase in fruit size, especially after applying 3% ATS and 5% LS, indicates that chemical thinning may provide significant benefits in reducing labor costs associated with hand thinning. Similarly, Chang et al. (2018) reported that growers face challenges in achieving the desired fruit size due to the short fruit development period in early-maturing cultivars. Therefore, thinning is essential to achieve appropriate fruit size in these cultivars. The effects of thinning treatments on the color parameters of the fruit skin in the ‘Flariba’ cultivar were presented in Table 3. The highest lightness value (L*) was recorded in the HFrT treatment (48.34), while the lowest values were observed in the ATS (42.05 to 43.15) and HFloT (42.13) treatments. Redness values (a*) did not differ significantly among treatments, ranging from 30.68 (2% ATS) to 32.63 (5% LS). For yellowness (b*), HFrT had the highest value (28.55), while 2% ATS had the lowest (20.99). Chroma (C), which indicates color saturation (with lower values indicating more intense color), was highest for HFrT (44.14) and lowest for 2% ATS (37.75). Hue angle (h°) values ranged from 32.58 to 40.69, with the highest in HFrT (40.69) and the lowest in 5% LS (32.58). These results indicated that fruit color development was affected by the thinning treatments. The lowest color intensity (high C and h° values) was observed with hand fruit thinning, while some chemical thinning treatments (especially HFloT, 2% ATS, and 5% LS) tended to darken the fruit skin. Fruit color is a key quality attribute influencing consumer preference and is significantly affected by fruit load and canopy light exposure. In this study, fruit from trees treated with 2% ATS and 5% LS had lower L*, b*, C, and h° values than control fruit, indicating a darker fruit color. This was consistent with reports that thinning peach-nectarines improves light penetration into the canopy and increases the accumulation of carotenoids and anthocyanins in the fruit skin (Byers et al. 2010; Costa et al. 2023). The different treatments significantly affected the distribution of fruit sizes (Fig. 4). The control group had a higher percentage of smaller fruits (<51 mm) and a lower percentage of larger fruits (67–72 mm). In contrast, treatments such as HFloT and HFrT resulted in a notable increase in the percentage of medium to large fruits (56–60 mm), with HFrT achieving the highest percentage of the largest fruits (67–72 mm) at 6.91%. ATS and LS treatments also increased the proportion of medium-sized fruit (51–60 mm), although their effect on the largest fruit category was less pronounced than that of HFrT. These results demonstrated that chemical thinning treatments significantly influence fruit size distribution. The control group, which received no thinning treatments, produced predominantly smaller fruit, consistent with previous observations that trees without thinning tend to produce smaller fruit (Myers et al. 2002). The HFloT and HFrT treatments shifted the fruit size distribution toward larger categories, with HFrT producing the highest proportion of the largest fruit (67–72 mm). The data supported earlier studies showing that effective thinning reduces competition among developing fruits, promoting fruit enlargement (Sutton et al. 2020). The ATS and LS treatments increased the proportion of medium-sized fruit (51–60 mm), although their effect on the largest fruit category was less pronounced compared to HFrT. These results are consistent with reports that chemical thinners such as ATS improve fruit size distribution, though they may vary in their ability to optimize the proportion of the largest fruit (Osborne and Robinson 2008; Fallahi 2020). Overall, these results showed that chemical thinning applications can be adjusted during flowering to facilitate hand fruit thinning and achieve the desired fruit size distribution. In our study, we evaluated leaf deformation and drying to investigate the phytotoxic effects of thinning applications. Our results showed that 2% and 3% ATS and 3% LS had no phytotoxic effects on the leaves of the cultivar. However, the 4% ATS and 5% LS applications resulted in a small number of shoot diebacks that spring.(unpublished data). Coneva and Cline (2006) reported that applying 30 ml/L ATS at the 80% flowering stage in the ‘Harrow Diamond’ peach cultivar caused significant phytotoxic effects on leaves, while applying 40 ml/L LS caused only minor leaf deformation. Turk et al. (2014) reported that a 2% ATS application delayed leaf growth in the ‘Redhaven’ peach cultivar. These results showed that ATS and LS applications to peach-nectarines can cause varying degrees of toxic effects on leaves and shoots, depending on the cultivar and application concentration. PCA Results PCA analyses were conducted to assess the effects of flower thinning treatments on fruit yield and quality traits (Fig. 5). The first two principal components explained 41.6% and 27.7% of the total variance, respectively, accounting for 69.3% overall. HFloT and HFrT treatments were located in the positive region of the first principal component and were associated with increases in FW, FDi, TSS, and a* traits, as well as higher fruit quality classes of 56–60 mm and 61–66 mm. The control group was located in the negative region of the first principal component, with FN, FS, FL traits, and discarded fruit (<51 mm) grouped with the control plants. L*, b*, and h traits were significant in the positive region of the second principal component and were grouped with the 3% and 4% LS treatments. In contrast, the A trait was distinctly grouped in the negative region and was associated with the 2% ATS and 5% LS treatments. PCA results indicated that HFloT, HFrT, and 5% LS treatments increased fruit size, fruit quality classes, and fruit color redness, while they decreased yield traits compared to the control. Conclusion The results of this study showed that both hand and chemical thinning treatments significantly affected fruit set, yield, and quality characteristics of the ‘Flariba’ nectarine cultivar. Hand thinning of flowers and fruits produced the lowest fruit set rates but resulted in the highest individual fruit weights and improved skin coloration compared to the control. Among chemical thinners, 5% LS and 3% ATS significantly increased fruit weight and quality parameters compared to untreated trees. In addition, the proportion of fruit in the first quality and extra classes was significantly higher in trees thinned by hand and those treated with 4% ATS than in the control. These results showed that flower thinning can be effectively integrated into fruit production planning to optimize yield and fruit quality. In particular, applying 5% LS provides a moderate level of flower thinning, which can facilitate more practical and efficient subsequent hand thinning of fruit. Declarations Author contributions E.R Formal analysis and data collection. O.C. conceived of the presented idea and performed the data curation, writing-review and editing. Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests References Byers, RE, Costa G, Vizzotto G (2010) Flower and fruit thinning of peach and other Prunus . Hortic Rev 28: 351–392 Byrne DH, Raseira MCB, Bassi B, Piagnani MC, Gasic K, Reighard GL, Moreno MA, Perez S (2012) Peach. In Badenes ML and Byrne D (eds). Fruit breeding. Springer Science Business Media, Philadelphia, p. 505–565 Çalışkan O, Bayazıt S, Gündüz K, Kılıç D, Göktaş S (2021) Earliness, yield, and fruit quality characteristics in low chill peach-nectarines: A comparison of protected and open area cultivation. Turk J Agric For 45:191–202. https://doi.org/10.3906/tar-2005-30 Caliskan O, Kilic D, Bayazit S (2024) Fruit yield and quality performance of low chilling nectarine cultivars under Mediterranean climate. J Agric Sci Technol 26: 637–653. https://doi.org/10.22034/JAST.26.3.637 Ceccarelli A, Vidoni S, Rocchi L, Taioli M, Costa G (2016) Are ABA and ACC suitable thinning agents for peach and nectarine? Acta Hortic 1138:69–74. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1138.9 Chang Y, Sarkhosh A, Brecht J, Andersen P (2018) Thinning Florida peaches for larger fruit. UF/IFAS Extension, pp.1–6. Coneva ED, Cline JA (2006) Blossom thinners reduce crop load and increase fruit size and quality of peaches. HortScience 41: 1253–1258. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.41.5.1253 Costa G, Botton A, Crisosto CH (2023). Fruit thinning. Manganaris, G.A., Costa, G., Crissosto, C.H. (Eds). Peach. CABI, pp. 138–147 Fallahi E (2020) Calcium polysulfides-thiosulfate, ammonium thiosulfate, and NC-99 blossom thinners impact the fruit set of apples, peaches, and plums. Agri Res & Tech: Open Access J 25:14–20. https://doi.org/10.19080/ARTOAJ.2020.25.556289 Küden AB, Çömlekçioğlu S, Sarıer A, Tanrıver E (2019) Şeftali ve nektarin yetiştiriciliği. AB Küden (Ed.). Sert Çekirdekli Meyve yetiştiriciliği (s. 60-89), Tarım Gündem Dergisi. Lichou J, Jay M, Gonsolin L (1997) Armothin (R): A new chemical agent efficient for peach blossom thinning. Acta Hortic 451:683–689. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.451.82 Myers SC, Savelle AT, Tustin DS, Byers RE (2002) Partial flower thinning increases shoot growth, fruit size, and subsequent flower formation of peach. HortScience 37:647–650. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.37.4.647 Njoroge SMC, Reighard GL (2008) Thinning time during stage I and fruit spacing influences fruit size of ‘Contender’ peach. Sci Hortic 115:352–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2007.10.019 OECD (2010, April). Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). International Standards for Fruit and Vegetables: Peaches and Nectarines. Trade and Agriculture, pp.80, France Osborne JL, Robinson T (2008) Chemical peach thinning: Understanding the relationship between fruit load and fruit value. New York Fruit Quarterly 16:19–23. Rasouli M, Khademi O, Asadi W (2020) The impact of new blossom thinners and hand-thinned on fruit quality and quantity in peach cv. Alberta and nectarine cv. Sun King. Int J Fruit Sci 20:1238–1254. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538362.2020.1717404 Rencüzoğulları E, Dikbaş O, Çalışkan O (2016) Örtüaltında yetiştirilen Flariba nektarin ( Prunus persica var. nectarina Maxim) çeşidinin fenolojik ve meyve kalite özellikleri. Bahçe 45:1054–1058. Rencüzoğulları E, Kılıç D, Çalışkan O (2023) The Effects of slender spindle and V pruning systems on fruit quality properties in greenhouse grown ‘Flariba’ nectarine ( Prunus persica var. nectarina Maxim). Meyve Bilimi 10:55–59. https://doi.org/10.51532/meyve.1183276 Rencüzoğulları E, Kılıç D, Çalışkan O (2025) The effects of flower thinning treatments on fruit set, yield and quality properties in ‘Gartella’ nectarine cultivar. MKU J Agri Sci 30:321–333. https://doi.org/10.37908/mkutbd.1639237 Robinson TL, Dominguez LI (2015) Effect of timing of caustic bloom thinning sprays during bloom on fruit set, yield and fruit size of peach. Acta Hortic 1084:471–477. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1084.65 SAS Institute (2005) SAS Online Doc, Version 9.1.3. SAS Inst.,Cary, NC, USA. Southwick SM, Weis KG, Yeager JT (1996) Bloom thinning ‘Loadel’ cling peach with a surfactant. J Amer Soc Hort Sci 121:334–338. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.121.2.334 Sutton M, Doyle J, Chavez D, Malladi A (2020) Optimizing fruit-thinning strategies in peach ( Prunus persica ) production. Horticulturae 6:41. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae6030041 Torres E, Giné-Bordonaba J, Asín L (2021) Thinning flat peaches with ethephon and its effect on endogenous ethylene production and fruit quality. Sci Hortic 278:109872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2020.109872 TSE (2007, Ocak). Türk Standartları Enstitüsü (TSE), TS42 Şeftali Tebliği. https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2007/06/20070604-3.htm Turk BA, Fajt N, Stopar M (2014) Tergitol as a possible thinning agent for peach cv. Redhaven. Hortic Sci (Prague) 41:49–54. https://doi.org/10.17221/22/2014-HORTSCI Westwood MN (1995) Temperate Zone Pomology. Timber Pres, Oregon. Wu BH, Quilot B, Génard M, Kervella J, Li SH (2005) Changes in sugar and organic acid concentrations during fruit maturation in peaches, P. davidiana and hybrids as analyzed by principal component analysis. Scientia Hortic 103: 429–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2004.08.003 Yoon TM, Robinson TL, Osborne JL (2011) Blossom thinning of 'Redhaven' and 'Babygold 5' peaches with different chemicals. Acta Hortic 903:833–839. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.903.116 Tables Table 1 Phenological observations of the ‘Flariba’ cultivar Cultivar First Flowering Full Flowering End of flowering Harvest Date Harvest duration Time from Full Flowering to Harvest Flariba 11 Feb 15 Feb 18 Feb 04 May 9 days 87 days Table 2 Effects of thinning treatments on fruit properties in ‘Flariba’ Treatments Fruit weight (g) Fruit diameter (mm) Firmness (kg-force) TSS (%) A (%) TSS/A Control 65.63 d 49.50 e 3.71 b 7.37 1.22 bc 6.04 b HfloT 105.18 a 58.41 a 4.60 ab 8.53 1.50 a 5.69 bc HFrT 105.57 a 59.23 a 3.60 b 8.50 1.12 c 7.59 a 2% ATS 87.70 c 55.13 cd 3.45 b 8.27 1.56 a 5.30 c 3% ATS 95.67 b 56.93 abc 3.73 b 8.10 1.44 ab 5.63 b 4% ATS 86.24 c 53.53 d 3.78 b 7.90 1.20 bc 6.58 a 3% LS 87.09 c 54.75 cd 5.76 a 7.87 1.34 abc 5.87 b 4% LS 88.18 c 55.43 bcd 3.61 b 8.17 1.37 abc 5.96 b 5% LS 97.64 b 57.80 ab 3.41 b 8.13 1.42 ab 5.72 b c HSD (5) 3.37 2.51 1.22 NS 0.27 1.11 Letters in each column indicate statistical significance at the 5% level. Table 3 Effects of thinning treatments on fruit peel color characteristics in ‘Flariba’ Treatments L a* b* C h° Control 46.45 ab 30.77 28.55 abc 41.49 abc 40.63 ab HfloT 42.13 b 32.31 21.77 bc 39.36 bc 32.92 c HFrT 48.34 a 32.33 28.55 a 44.14 a 40.69 a 2% ATS 42.05 b 30.68 20.99 c 37.75 c 33.28 abc 3% ATS 43.15 b 31.18 22.82 bc 39.80 bc 33.28 abc 4% ATS 41.93 b 32.52 22.77 bc 40.98 abc 33.00 bc 3% LS 45.16 ab 32.21 25.65 abc 41.84 abc 39.59 abc 4% LS 46.31 ab 32.37 26.84 ab 42.93 ab 39.08 abc 5% LS 42.46 b 32.63 21.32 bc 39.90 bc 32.58 c HSD (%5) 5.00 NS 5.14 4.22 7.67 Letters in each column indicate statistical significance at the 5% level. NS: Non-significant Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 10 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 10 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 10 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9079106","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":606931796,"identity":"47ce4451-6874-4166-a5b9-808bd8efc7c5","order_by":0,"name":"Ersin Rencuzogullari","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Hatay Mustafa Kemal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ersin","middleName":"","lastName":"Rencuzogullari","suffix":""},{"id":606931797,"identity":"2270a7c7-9d53-4eb6-8eca-6da593810b7b","order_by":1,"name":"Oguzhan Caliskan","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA30lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACxgMJDAkMDOwNzGBeAzF6IFp4DsC0MBOhhQGkRSKBSC387IcfHHjwJ03eXPJ1sjEPg43shgP8xz7g0yLZk2ZwILEtx3Dn7NzNyTwMacYbDjAzz8CnxeAGA1BLQwXjhtu5mw/zMBxOBGnB6zCDG+wfDiT8qbDfcPMsSMt/YrTwGBxIYMtJ3HCDF+SwA4S1SPbkFAD9kpa84UzuZsM5BsnGMw8zG+PVws9+fOPDH3+SbTccP7tZ4k2FnWzf8cbHeLWguxOIiYjJUTAKRsEoGAUEAAAMJU6nMhsryAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Hatay Mustafa Kemal University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Oguzhan","middleName":"","lastName":"Caliskan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-10 04:53:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9079106/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9079106/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104981988,"identity":"c902fd39-6cdf-40a6-827b-d3be429cb6c8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:27:53","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":105736,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDaily temperature and precipitation data during the flower thinning period in February 2022, Tarsus, Türkiye\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9079106/v1/a7bc44ff1e644ca4f02f00ef.png"},{"id":104981987,"identity":"fc465806-4617-4099-baf1-8f042cc8bc51","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:27:53","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":55187,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of thinning treatments on fruit set rates in ‘Flariba’\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9079106/v1/da3cc843f9aae0fce7cd0402.png"},{"id":105035156,"identity":"4b3160a9-7ed1-4fe0-b23b-85f5dbf622d7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-20 07:25:35","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":152424,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of flower thinning treatments on yield components in ‘Flariba’\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9079106/v1/a72b7200f7c0da5c349940a7.png"},{"id":104981989,"identity":"85fc5d45-0976-4ebf-9969-42fd937b7773","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:27:53","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":396578,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of flower thinning treatments on fruit quality classes in ‘Flariba’\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9079106/v1/8fd16fc455053d758b43f834.png"},{"id":104981992,"identity":"21edf856-8b0f-4f6a-9fc7-8323f02d2f35","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:27:53","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":329737,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePCA results for yield and fruit quality traits of flower thinning treatments in ‘Flariba’\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9079106/v1/5b19969de1181cd42426849b.png"},{"id":105036776,"identity":"201826f6-0a13-434a-a197-b9ecda13c945","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-20 07:35:53","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1581035,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9079106/v1/cd807e1b-b777-4968-b394-5aab76a00ed5.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Impact of Flower Thinning Using Ammonium Thiosulfate and Lime Sulfur on Yield and Fruit Quality of ‘Flariba’ Nectarine Cultivar","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eGlobal peach-nectarine production has steadily increased in recent years. This growth is attributed to several factors, including increased consumer demand for fresh produce driven by a shift toward healthier diets, advancements in cultivation techniques, the breeding of high-yielding and disease-tolerant cultivars, and improvements in postharvest handling and packaging technologies (Byrne et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; \u0026Ccedil;alışkan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). The expansion of cultivars and production capacity has made T\u0026uuml;rkiye a major player in the global peach and nectarine market, enhancing domestic supply stability and the country's competitiveness in international trade (Renc\u0026uuml;zoğulları et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Caliskan et al. 2023).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn peaches- nectarines, which naturally have a high fruit set rate, fruit thinning is a widely used cultural practice to optimize yield and fruit quality properties. High fruit set in unthinned peach- nectarines leads to problems such as reduced fruit size, inadequate rind coloration, and ultimately reduced market value (Byers et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Thinning, when performed at the appropriate time and intensity, directs the tree's nutrients to fewer fruits, increasing fruit size, color development, soluble solids, and aroma compounds (Southwick et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e; Renc\u0026uuml;zoğulları et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn T\u0026uuml;rkiye and many other major peach nectarine growing regions worldwide, hand thinning is a common cultural practice. However, rising labor costs constitute a significant portion of production expenses, prompting research into chemical thinners to reduce labor needs and costs. As a result, studies on chemical thinning during flowering are becoming more common (Osborne and Robinson \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Ceccarelli et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Fallahi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Research focuses on applications that reduce fruit set by damaging pistils or inhibiting fertilization, particularly with substances such as ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) and lime sulfur (LS), while minimizing environmental impact (Robinson and Dominguez \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Rasouli et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Rasouli et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) reported that ATS and LS applications in Alberta peach and Sun King nectarine cultivars increased fruit weight by up to 42% and fruit color by up to 37% compared to control plants. These studies demonstrated promising results for blossom thinning applications of ATS and LS. However, the optimum dose and application timing for thinning agents should be determined based on the cultivar and ecological conditions (Byers et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; Torres et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Furthermore, Torres et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) reported that flower thinning has a distinct advantage over fruit thinning because it can be performed at early stages of fruit development, thereby reducing competition between developing fruitlets at the earliest stage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Mediterranean coastline provides favorable climatic conditions for cultivating early-ripening cultivars and serves as a major hub for supplying early stone fruit to the European market (Renc\u0026uuml;zoğulları et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; K\u0026uuml;den et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Early-ripening cultivars grown in Mediterranean climates often exhibit very high fruit set, which can lead to excessive crop load, reduced fruit size, and lower market value if thinning practices are not properly managed. Mersin, located in the Mediterranean region of T\u0026uuml;rkiye, ranks first in national production with 300,195 tons, 40% of which is produced in the Tarsus district. In Mersin province, the peach-nectarine harvest begins in mid-April with greenhouse cultivation along the coastline, followed by early cultivars at the end of April and the first week of May, mid-early cultivars in June and July, and late cultivars at the end of August and the first half of September in plateau areas at an altitude of 1300\u0026ndash;1400 m, resulting in a season lasting 5\u0026ndash;6 months. This study evaluated the effects of ATS and LS applications during the flowering period on fruit set, yield, and fruit quality characteristics of the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; nectarine. The research question was to determine which chemical thinning agents were more effective in the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; cultivar. Although ATS and lime sulfur have been widely tested on peach-nectarine cultivars, their effectiveness varies considerably depending on the cultivar and climatic conditions, and information on early-ripening nectarine varieties grown under Mediterranean conditions remains limited.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material and methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant Material\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was conducted in a 5.5-hectare nectarine orchard in the Tarsus district of Mersin province, in the eastern Mediterranean region of T\u0026uuml;rkiye. The experimental site was located at 36\u0026deg;54\u0026apos;31\u0026quot;N latitude and 34\u0026deg;55\u0026apos;29\u0026quot;E longitude, at an altitude of 14 meters above sea level. The \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; cultivar, grafted onto Garnem rootstock, was used in the study. Samplings were planted in June 2011 with 3 m in-row and 5 m between-row spacing, and a four-branch vase pruning system was used.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIrrigation and fertilization in the study area were carried out using a standard fertigation system from planting onward. Fertigation was applied every 10\u0026ndash;15 days in February and March, depending on climatic conditions, and once a week in April and May. The fertilization program included 21% nitrogen ammonium sulfate (40 g tree⁻\u0026sup1;), 16.8.24 NPK (80 g tree⁻\u0026sup1;), 7.7.40 NPK (80 g tree⁻\u0026sup1;), 45.5% potassium nitrate (80 g tree⁻\u0026sup1;), and 6% iron (8 g tree⁻\u0026sup1;), applied according to the plants\u0026apos; phenological developmental stages (Caliskan et al. 2021). Micronutrient supplements were applied once a month, especially in April and May. A routine disease and pest control program was implemented in the orchard.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe climatic conditions during the flower thinning period (February 2022) in the Tarsus/Mersin area of the Eastern Mediterranean region of T\u0026uuml;rkiye were presented in Fig. 1. Throughout the month, daily mean temperatures were around 10 \u0026deg;C, with minimum and maximum values averaging approximately 6 \u0026deg;C and 14 \u0026deg;C, respectively. Total monthly precipitation was about 100 mm, with most rainfall occurring between February 10\u0026ndash;12 and February 23\u0026ndash;25. Flower thinning treatments were applied on February 16, 2022, when daytime temperatures were mild (approximately 16 \u0026deg;C) and no rainfall was recorded. Weather conditions during and after the application period remained stable, and neither rainfall nor low temperatures adversely affected the efficacy of the flower thinning treatments.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant and Fruit Quality Characteristics\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo evaluate the effects of thinning treatments, each treatment was arranged in five replications with one tree per replication. Phenological observations, yield and fruit quality analyses, and fruit set ratio determinations were conducted according to the methods described by \u0026Ccedil;alışkan et al. (2021) and Westwood (1995).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe treatments included a control (no thinning), manual flower thinning (HFloT), manual fruit thinning (HFrT), and chemical thinning applications. Manual flower thinning was performed at approximately 80% bloom by leaving one flower every 10 to 15 cm along the shoots. Manual fruit thinning was performed 30 days after full bloom, leaving one fruit every 10\u0026ndash;15 cm. For chemical treatments, ATS was applied at concentrations of 2%, 3%, and 4% at the 80% bloom stage using an atomizer until the entire tree was thoroughly wetted. Similarly, LS was applied at concentrations of 3%, 4%, and 5% at the 80% bloom stage. ATS was obtained from commercial products containing 15% nitrogen and 59% sulfur (Milagro, Italy), while LS was obtained from commercial products containing 380 g L⁻\u0026sup1; calcium polysulfide (Suprakal, T\u0026uuml;rkiye). Nu-Film-17 (Miller, USA) was used as a spreader-adhesive in all chemical applications. The control group received only water spray. Hand fruit thinning was performed 30 days after full bloom. Each treatment was arranged in five replications with one tree per replication, and standard cultural practices were followed throughout the experimental period.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhenological observations included bud swelling, bud burst, first flowering (5%), full flowering (70%), end of flowering (95% petal fall), harvest date, harvest time, and the number of days from full flowering to harvest. The fruit set rate was calculated by counting the four main branches marked during the bud swelling period (Westwood 1995).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; cultivar, the harvest date was defined as the period when the TSS was at least 8\u0026ndash;9% (Kader and Mitchell 1989) and the fruit flesh firmness was 4\u0026ndash;5 kg-force (G\u0026uuml;neyli and Onursal 2014). Yield traits included yield per tree (kg/tree), yield per trunk cross-sectional area (kg/cm\u0026sup2;), number of fruits per tree (fruits/tree), and fruit load (fruits/cm\u0026sup2;). At harvest, the diameters of all fruits per tree were measured and classified according to the standards of the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE 2007) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD 2010): less than 51 mm discard, 51\u0026ndash;55 mm class D (I and II quality), 56\u0026ndash;60 mm class C (extra quality), 61\u0026ndash;66 mm class B, and 67\u0026ndash;72 mm class A. The percentage distribution of fruits within each class was then calculated.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFruit quality assessments were conducted in three replicates, each consisting of 10 fruits. The evaluated parameters included fruit weight (g), width (mm), length (mm), height (mm), flesh firmness (kg-force), flesh-to-seed ratio, total soluble solids (TSS, %), pH, and titratable acidity (TA, % malic acid equivalent). For TA determination, 5 ml of juice was diluted to 100 ml with distilled water and titrated with 0.1 N NaOH until a pH of 8.10 was reached. Skin and flesh color were quantified as L*, a*, b*, chroma (C), and hue angle (h\u0026deg;) using a Minolta CR-300 colorimeter. Fruit skin color was measured at two points on opposite cheeks in the equatorial region, while flesh color was determined from two readings taken from longitudinally sectioned fruit halves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStatistical Analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe statistical analysis used a randomized complete block design. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed with the SAS software package (2005), and mean separation was conducted using Tukey\u0026apos;s HSD test (p \u0026lt; 0.05). Percentage data were arcsine transformed before analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was also performed using JMP Pro 16 software to examine the relationships among the measured characteristics.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant and fruit quality characteristics\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results of the phenological observation of the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; nectarine cultivar were presented in Table 1. The first flowering of \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; was recorded on February 11. Full flowering occurred on February 15, and the end of flowering was observed on February 18. The fruits were harvested on May 4, and the harvest period lasted 9 days. The time from full flowering to harvest was 87 days.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fruit set of the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; cultivar was significantly affected by the thinning treatments (Fig. 2). The highest fruit set rate was in the control group (91.82%), while the lowest rates were observed in the HFloT (24.24%) and HFrT (29.65%) treatments. These results showed that thinning \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; to one flower every 10\u0026ndash;15 cm significantly reduced fruit set. Therefore, scheduling applications with moderate flower thinning may achieve the desired fruit spacing and ultimately improve yield and fruit quality. Similarly, Yoon et al. (2011) reported that the flower thinning method used in peach-nectarines can significantly reduce fruit set, highlighting the importance of selecting the appropriate method for each cultivar. Turk et al. (2014) showed that fruit set in the \u0026lsquo;Redhaven\u0026rsquo; cultivar decreased from 33% in the control to 27% when 1% ATS was applied. The effects of ATS and LS applications in this study differed from those reported by other researchers, which could be due to different responses of the cultivar to the diluent concentration used and its resistance to the thinning \u0026nbsp;agents. Lichou et al. (1997) reported that the sensitivity of peaches to thinning agents is an important factor in the application of chemical thinning agents. Byers et al. (2010) found that moderate flower thinning was considered successful for flower thinners such as ATS and LS, but the results of this study indicated that detailed studies should be conducted on the dosage, application timing, and frequency of ATS and LS application in \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe thinning treatments had statistically significant effects on the yield components of the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; cultivar (Fig. 3). As expected, the control treatment produced the highest number of fruits per tree (1,278) and a high fruit load (4.84 fruits/cm\u0026sup2;), but this excess number of fruits did not result in a proportionally higher yield efficiency, as reflected in the yield per trunk cross-sectional area. The highest yield efficiency was observed in the 3% ATS treatment (3.23 kg/cm\u0026sup2;), followed closely by the 2% ATS treatment (2.96 kg/cm\u0026sup2;). These results showed that chemical thinning agents, particularly ATS at these levels, were ineffective in balancing fruit number and yield capacity. HFloT and HFrT significantly reduced the number of fruits per tree (657 and 759 fruits/tree, respectively) compared to the control (1,278 fruits/tree), which was associated with a lower yield. HFloT had the lowest values for yield efficiency (1.78 kg/cm\u0026sup2;) and fruit load (2.41 fruits/cm\u0026sup2;). Among the chemical treatments, increasing LS levels produced a moderate thinning effect, reducing yield from 71.75 kg/tree in the control group to 63.05 kg/tree. However, with fewer fruits and a lower fruit load, fruit distribution improved, and the potential for better fruit quality compared to the control plants was evident. Furthermore, higher LS concentrations (4% and 5%) compared to 3% LS tended to lower yields, suggesting that LS application requires careful optimization to prevent excessive thinning. These results indicated that chemical thinners such as ATS and LS can effectively regulate \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; fruit load without significantly reducing fruit set. In particular, increasing LS treatments showed promise in achieving an optimal balance in yield. Similarly, Osborne and Robinson (2008) and Rasouli et al. (2020) reported that ATS and LS applied during flowering were effective in reducing fruit set, resulting in larger fruit size and improved quality due to a reduced fruit load. These results suggested that the effectiveness of thinning treatments in peaches varied depending on the thinner used, application timing, frequency of application, and cultivar. The main benefit of these thinners was the reduction of labor costs associated with hand thinning and increased yield efficiency by optimizing fruit load. However, the response of \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; was highly concentration-dependent, emphasizing the need for cultivar-specific calibration of chemical thinner application.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe effect of flower thinning treatments on the physical and chemical contents of \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; fruit was statistically significant, except for TSS (Table 2). The highest values for fruit weight, width, length, and height in \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; were recorded in the HFrT application (105.57 g, 59.23 mm, 57.83 mm, and 58.05 mm, respectively). ATS and LS applications also increased fruit weight and diameter compared to the control, with particularly high values observed in 3% ATS (95.67 g, 56.93 mm) and 5% LS (97.64 g, 57.80 mm). The highest fruit firmness was recorded in the 3% LS treatment (5.76 kg-force), while the other treatments ranged from 3.41 to 4.60 kg-force. This may indicate that sulfur-based thinners influence the development of fruit texture. Similar results were reported in peaches, where LS applications not only reduced fruit set but also increased firmness at harvest due to reduced fruit load and improved calcium distribution in the fruit (Southwick et al. 1996).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"_Toc124842785\"\u003eTSS did not differ significantly between treatments and ranged from 7.87% to 8.53%. Titratable acidity (A) ranged from 1.12% to 1.56%, with the highest values in 2% ATS and HFloT. The calculated TSS/A ratio was highest in HFrT (7.59) and lowest in 2% ATS (5.30). These results showed that the thinning treatments significantly affected fruit size but had only a limited effect on soluble solids content. However, the differences in acidity and TSS/A ratio indicated that the treatment type also influenced the fruit\u0026apos;s flavor balance. These data were consistent with the findings of Njoroge and Reighard (2008) and Turk et al. (2014), who reported that thinning primarily affects fruit size rather than soluble solids concentration. Acidity varied among treatments, with ATS and HFloT showing higher acidity. Consequently, the TSS/A ratio, a key indicator of fruit flavor balance, reached its highest value when fruit thinning was performed by hand (7.59), indicating an improved perception of sweetness relative to acidity. This result was consistent with reports on nectarines, where fruit thinning increases the sugar-to-acid ratio and improves flavor quality (Wu et al. 2005). Fruit thinning affects fruit size and internal quality by reducing fruit load and increasing the availability of assimilates per fruit. In this study, both hand thinning methods significantly increased fruit weight and diameter compared to the control, confirming results in peach-nectarines where hand thinning consistently improves fruit growth (Costa et al. 2023). The increase in fruit size, especially after applying 3% ATS and 5% LS, indicates that chemical thinning may provide significant benefits in reducing labor costs associated with hand thinning. Similarly, Chang et al. (2018) reported that growers face challenges in achieving the desired fruit size due to the short fruit development period in early-maturing cultivars. Therefore, thinning is essential to achieve appropriate fruit size in these cultivars.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe effects of thinning treatments on the color parameters of the fruit skin in the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; cultivar were presented in Table 3. The highest lightness value (L*) was recorded in the HFrT treatment (48.34), while the lowest values were observed in the ATS (42.05 to 43.15) and HFloT (42.13) treatments. Redness values (a*) did not differ significantly among treatments, ranging from 30.68 (2% ATS) to 32.63 (5% LS). For yellowness (b*), HFrT had the highest value (28.55), while 2% ATS had the lowest (20.99). Chroma (C), which indicates color saturation (with lower values indicating more intense color), was highest for HFrT (44.14) and lowest for 2% ATS (37.75). Hue angle (h\u0026deg;) values ranged from 32.58 to 40.69, with the highest in HFrT (40.69) and the lowest in 5% LS (32.58). These results indicated that fruit color development was affected by the thinning treatments. The lowest color intensity (high C and h\u0026deg; values) was observed with hand fruit thinning, while some chemical thinning treatments (especially HFloT, 2% ATS, and 5% LS) tended to darken the fruit skin. Fruit color is a key quality attribute influencing consumer preference and is significantly affected by fruit load and canopy light exposure. In this study, fruit from trees treated with 2% ATS and 5% LS had lower L*, b*, C, and h\u0026deg; values than control fruit, indicating a darker fruit color. This was consistent with reports that thinning peach-nectarines improves light penetration into the canopy and increases the accumulation of carotenoids and anthocyanins in the fruit skin (Byers et al. 2010; Costa et al. 2023).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe different treatments significantly affected the distribution of fruit sizes (Fig. 4). The control group had a higher percentage of smaller fruits (\u0026lt;51 mm) and a lower percentage of larger fruits (67\u0026ndash;72 mm). In contrast, treatments such as HFloT and HFrT resulted in a notable increase in the percentage of medium to large fruits (56\u0026ndash;60 mm), with HFrT achieving the highest percentage of the largest fruits (67\u0026ndash;72 mm) at 6.91%. ATS and LS treatments also increased the proportion of medium-sized fruit (51\u0026ndash;60 mm), although their effect on the largest fruit category was less pronounced than that of HFrT. These results demonstrated that chemical thinning treatments significantly influence fruit size distribution. The control group, which received no thinning treatments, produced predominantly smaller fruit, consistent with previous observations that trees without thinning tend to produce smaller fruit (Myers et al. 2002). The HFloT and HFrT treatments shifted the fruit size distribution toward larger categories, with HFrT producing the highest proportion of the largest fruit (67\u0026ndash;72 mm). The data supported earlier studies showing that effective thinning reduces competition among developing fruits, promoting fruit enlargement (Sutton et al. 2020). The ATS and LS treatments increased the proportion of medium-sized fruit (51\u0026ndash;60 mm), although their effect on the largest fruit category was less pronounced compared to HFrT. These results are consistent with reports that chemical thinners such as ATS improve fruit size distribution, though they may vary in their ability to optimize the proportion of the largest fruit (Osborne and Robinson 2008; Fallahi 2020). Overall, these results showed that chemical thinning applications can be adjusted during flowering to facilitate hand fruit thinning and achieve the desired fruit size distribution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn our study, we evaluated leaf deformation and drying to investigate the phytotoxic effects of thinning applications. Our results showed that 2% and 3% ATS and 3% LS had no phytotoxic effects on the leaves of the cultivar. However, the 4% ATS and 5% LS applications resulted in a small number of shoot diebacks that spring.(unpublished data). Coneva and Cline (2006) reported that applying 30 ml/L ATS at the 80% flowering stage in the \u0026lsquo;Harrow Diamond\u0026rsquo; peach cultivar caused significant phytotoxic effects on leaves, while applying 40 ml/L LS caused only minor leaf deformation. Turk et al. (2014) reported that a 2% ATS application delayed leaf growth in the \u0026lsquo;Redhaven\u0026rsquo; peach cultivar. These results showed that ATS and LS applications to peach-nectarines can cause varying degrees of toxic effects on leaves and shoots, depending on the cultivar and application concentration.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePCA Results\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePCA analyses were conducted to assess the effects of flower thinning treatments on fruit yield and quality traits (Fig. 5). The first two principal components explained 41.6% and 27.7% of the total variance, respectively, accounting for 69.3% overall. HFloT and HFrT treatments were located in the positive region of the first principal component and were associated with increases in FW, FDi, TSS, and a* traits, as well as higher fruit quality classes of 56\u0026ndash;60 mm and 61\u0026ndash;66 mm. The control group was located in the negative region of the first principal component, with FN, FS, FL traits, and discarded fruit (\u0026lt;51 mm) grouped with the control plants. L*, b*, and h traits were significant in the positive region of the second principal component and were grouped with the 3% and 4% LS treatments. In contrast, the A trait was distinctly grouped in the negative region and was associated with the 2% ATS and 5% LS treatments. PCA results indicated that HFloT, HFrT, and 5% LS treatments increased fruit size, fruit quality classes, and fruit color redness, while they decreased yield traits compared to the control.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe results of this study showed that both hand and chemical thinning treatments significantly affected fruit set, yield, and quality characteristics of the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; nectarine cultivar. Hand thinning of flowers and fruits produced the lowest fruit set rates but resulted in the highest individual fruit weights and improved skin coloration compared to the control. Among chemical thinners, 5% LS and 3% ATS significantly increased fruit weight and quality parameters compared to untreated trees. In addition, the proportion of fruit in the first quality and extra classes was significantly higher in trees thinned by hand and those treated with 4% ATS than in the control. These results showed that flower thinning can be effectively integrated into fruit production planning to optimize yield and fruit quality. In particular, applying 5% LS provides a moderate level of flower thinning, which can facilitate more practical and efficient subsequent hand thinning of fruit.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e E.R Formal analysis and data collection. O.C. conceived of the presented idea and performed the data curation, writing-review and editing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interest\u003c/strong\u003e The authors declare that they have no competing interests\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eByers, RE, Costa G, Vizzotto G (2010) Flower and fruit thinning of peach and other \u003cem\u003ePrunus\u003c/em\u003e. Hortic Rev 28: 351\u0026ndash;392\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eByrne DH, Raseira MCB, Bassi B, Piagnani MC, Gasic K, Reighard GL, Moreno MA, Perez S (2012) Peach. In Badenes ML and Byrne D (eds). Fruit breeding. Springer Science Business Media, Philadelphia, p. 505\u0026ndash;565\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u0026Ccedil;alışkan O, Bayazıt S, G\u0026uuml;nd\u0026uuml;z K, Kılı\u0026ccedil; D, G\u0026ouml;ktaş S (2021) Earliness, yield, and fruit quality characteristics in low chill peach-nectarines: A comparison of protected and open area cultivation. Turk J Agric For 45:191\u0026ndash;202. https://doi.org/10.3906/tar-2005-30\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCaliskan O, Kilic D, Bayazit S (2024) Fruit yield and quality performance of low chilling nectarine cultivars under Mediterranean climate. J Agric Sci Technol 26: 637\u0026ndash;653. https://doi.org/10.22034/JAST.26.3.637\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCeccarelli A, Vidoni S, Rocchi L, Taioli M, Costa G (2016) Are ABA and ACC suitable thinning agents for peach and nectarine? Acta Hortic 1138:69\u0026ndash;74. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1138.9\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChang Y, Sarkhosh A, Brecht J, Andersen P (2018) Thinning Florida peaches for larger fruit. UF/IFAS Extension, pp.1\u0026ndash;6.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConeva ED, Cline JA (2006) Blossom thinners reduce crop load and increase fruit size and quality of peaches. HortScience 41: 1253\u0026ndash;1258. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.41.5.1253\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCosta G, Botton A, Crisosto CH (2023). Fruit thinning. Manganaris, G.A., Costa, G., Crissosto, C.H. (Eds). Peach. CABI, pp. 138\u0026ndash;147\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFallahi E (2020) Calcium polysulfides-thiosulfate, ammonium thiosulfate, and NC-99 blossom thinners impact the fruit set of apples, peaches, and plums. Agri Res \u0026amp; Tech: Open Access J 25:14\u0026ndash;20. https://doi.org/10.19080/ARTOAJ.2020.25.556289\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eK\u0026uuml;den AB, \u0026Ccedil;\u0026ouml;mlek\u0026ccedil;ioğlu S, Sarıer A, Tanrıver E (2019) Şeftali ve nektarin yetiştiriciliği. AB K\u0026uuml;den (Ed.). Sert \u0026Ccedil;ekirdekli Meyve yetiştiriciliği (s. 60-89), Tarım G\u0026uuml;ndem Dergisi.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLichou J, Jay M, Gonsolin L (1997) Armothin (R): A new chemical agent efficient for peach blossom thinning. Acta Hortic 451:683\u0026ndash;689. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.451.82\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMyers SC, Savelle AT, Tustin DS, Byers RE (2002) Partial flower thinning increases shoot growth, fruit size, and subsequent flower formation of peach. HortScience 37:647\u0026ndash;650. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.37.4.647\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNjoroge SMC, Reighard GL (2008) Thinning time during stage I and fruit spacing influences fruit size of \u0026lsquo;Contender\u0026rsquo; peach. Sci Hortic 115:352\u0026ndash;359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2007.10.019\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOECD (2010, April). Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). International Standards for Fruit and Vegetables: Peaches and Nectarines. Trade and Agriculture, pp.80, France\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOsborne JL, Robinson T (2008) Chemical peach thinning: Understanding the relationship between fruit load and fruit value. New York Fruit Quarterly 16:19\u0026ndash;23.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRasouli M, Khademi O, Asadi W (2020) The impact of new blossom thinners and hand-thinned on fruit quality and quantity in peach cv. Alberta and nectarine cv. Sun King. Int J Fruit Sci 20:1238\u0026ndash;1254. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538362.2020.1717404\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRenc\u0026uuml;zoğulları E, Dikbaş O, \u0026Ccedil;alışkan O (2016) \u0026Ouml;rt\u0026uuml;altında yetiştirilen Flariba nektarin (\u003cem\u003ePrunus persica\u003c/em\u003e var. \u003cem\u003enectarina\u003c/em\u003e Maxim) \u0026ccedil;eşidinin fenolojik ve meyve kalite \u0026ouml;zellikleri. Bah\u0026ccedil;e 45:1054\u0026ndash;1058.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRenc\u0026uuml;zoğulları E, Kılı\u0026ccedil; D, \u0026Ccedil;alışkan O (2023) The Effects of slender spindle and V pruning systems on fruit quality properties in greenhouse grown \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; nectarine (\u003cem\u003ePrunus persica \u003c/em\u003evar.\u003cem\u003e nectarina \u003c/em\u003eMaxim). Meyve Bilimi 10:55\u0026ndash;59. https://doi.org/10.51532/meyve.1183276\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRenc\u0026uuml;zoğulları E, Kılı\u0026ccedil; D, \u0026Ccedil;alışkan O (2025) The effects of flower thinning treatments on fruit set, yield and quality properties in \u0026lsquo;Gartella\u0026rsquo; nectarine cultivar. MKU J Agri Sci 30:321\u0026ndash;333. https://doi.org/10.37908/mkutbd.1639237\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRobinson TL, Dominguez LI (2015) Effect of timing of caustic bloom thinning sprays during bloom on fruit set, yield and fruit size of peach. Acta Hortic 1084:471\u0026ndash;477. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1084.65\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSAS Institute (2005) SAS Online Doc, Version 9.1.3. SAS Inst.,Cary, NC, USA.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouthwick SM, Weis KG, Yeager JT (1996) Bloom thinning \u0026lsquo;Loadel\u0026rsquo; cling peach with a surfactant. J Amer Soc Hort Sci 121:334\u0026ndash;338. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.121.2.334\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSutton M, Doyle J, Chavez D, Malladi A (2020) Optimizing fruit-thinning strategies in peach (\u003cem\u003ePrunus persica\u003c/em\u003e) production. Horticulturae 6:41. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae6030041 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTorres E, Gin\u0026eacute;-Bordonaba J, As\u0026iacute;n L (2021) Thinning flat peaches with ethephon and its effect on endogenous ethylene production and fruit quality. Sci Hortic 278:109872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2020.109872\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTSE (2007, Ocak). T\u0026uuml;rk Standartları Enstit\u0026uuml;s\u0026uuml; (TSE), TS42 Şeftali Tebliği. https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2007/06/20070604-3.htm\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTurk BA, Fajt N, Stopar M (2014) Tergitol as a possible thinning agent for peach cv. Redhaven. Hortic Sci (Prague) 41:49\u0026ndash;54. https://doi.org/10.17221/22/2014-HORTSCI\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWestwood MN (1995) Temperate Zone Pomology. Timber Pres, Oregon.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWu BH, Quilot B, G\u0026eacute;nard M, Kervella J, Li SH (2005) Changes in sugar and organic acid concentrations during fruit maturation in peaches, P. davidiana and hybrids as analyzed by principal component analysis. Scientia Hortic 103: 429\u0026ndash;439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2004.08.003\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYoon TM, Robinson TL, Osborne JL (2011) Blossom thinning of \u0026apos;Redhaven\u0026apos; and \u0026apos;Babygold 5\u0026apos; peaches with different chemicals. Acta Hortic 903:833\u0026ndash;839. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.903.116\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1\u003c/strong\u003e Phenological observations of the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; cultivar\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"605\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCultivar\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst Flowering\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFull Flowering\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnd of flowering\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest Date\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest duration\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 151px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTime from Full Flowering to Harvest\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFlariba\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11 Feb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15 Feb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18 Feb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e04 May\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9 days\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 151px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e87 days\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2\u003c/strong\u003e Effects of thinning treatments on fruit properties in \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"572\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTreatments\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFruit weight (g)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFruit diameter (mm)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirmness\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(kg-force)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTSS (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTSS/A\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e65.63 d\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.50 e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.71 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.22 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.04 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHfloT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e105.18 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58.41 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.60 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.53\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.50 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.69 bc\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHFrT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e105.57 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59.23 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.60 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.12 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.59 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2% ATS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e87.70 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55.13 cd\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.45 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.56 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.30 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3% ATS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95.67 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56.93 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.73 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.44 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.63 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4% ATS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e86.24 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e53.53 d\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.78 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.90\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.20 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.58 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3% LS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e87.09 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e54.75 cd\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.76 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.87\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.34 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.87 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4% LS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e88.18 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55.43 bcd\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.61 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.37 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.96 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5% LS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e97.64 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e57.80 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.41 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.42 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.72 b c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHSD (5)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e3.37\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2.51\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.22\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNS\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.27\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.11\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLetters in each column indicate statistical significance at the 5% level.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"_Toc124842789\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3\u003c/strong\u003e Effects of thinning treatments on fruit peel color characteristics in \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"559\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTreatments\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eL\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ea*\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eb*\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eC\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eh\u0026deg;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.45 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.77\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.55 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41.49 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.63 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHfloT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.13 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.77 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39.36 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.92 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHFrT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e48.34 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.55 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.14 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.69 a\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2% ATS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.05 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.68\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.99 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37.75 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.28 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3% ATS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.15 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.82 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39.80 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.28 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4% ATS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41.93 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.52\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.77 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.98 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.00 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3% LS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45.16 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e25.65 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41.84 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39.59 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4% LS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.31 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26.84 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.93 ab\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39.08 abc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5% LS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.46 b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.63\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.32 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39.90 bc\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.58 c\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHSD (%5)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5.00\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNS\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5.14\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e4.22\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 88px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e7.67\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLetters in each column indicate statistical significance at the 5% level.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNS: Non-significant\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":false,"email":"","identity":"applied-fruit-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Applied Fruit Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"VoR Journals","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Chemical thinning, fruit load, thinning intensity, fruit size, fruit color","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9079106/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9079106/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study evaluated the effects of hand and chemical flower thinning on fruit set, yield, and fruit quality characteristics of the \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; nectarine cultivar under the ecological conditions of Tarsus/Mersin, T\u0026uuml;rkiye. Treatments included hand flower thinning (HFloT), hand fruit thinning (HFrT), and chemical applications of 2%, 3%, and 4% ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) and 3%, 4%, and 5% lime sulfur (LS). The effects of these treatments on fruit set rate, yield parameters, and fruit quality characteristics were assessed. The lowest fruit set rates were observed in HFloT (24.24%) and HFrT (29.65%). HFloT resulted in the lowest fruit load (2.41 fruits/cm\u0026sup2;). The highest fruit weights were obtained in HFrT (105.57 g) and HFloT (105.18 g), followed by 5% LS (97.64 g) and 3% ATS (95.67 g), while the control trees had the lowest fruit weight (65.63 g). Both hand and chemical thinning improved fruit skin color compared to the control. In addition, HFrT, HFloT, and 4% ATS significantly increased the percentage of fruit in the first quality and extra class (97.17%, 83.00%, and 69.20%, respectively) compared to the control group (46.25%). As a result, hand and chemical thinning treatments enhanced fruit set regulation, yield, and fruit quality in \u0026lsquo;Flariba\u0026rsquo; nectarines, with the 5% LS treatment being particularly effective in achieving moderate thinning, which could facilitate subsequent hand fruit thinning treatments.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Impact of Flower Thinning Using Ammonium Thiosulfate and Lime Sulfur on Yield and Fruit Quality of ‘Flariba’ Nectarine Cultivar","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-19 13:27:48","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9079106/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"316932323922972964226381497892041056846","date":"2026-03-27T10:51:32+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-27T09:06:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"192385039281945033903393456498554936455","date":"2026-03-16T12:52:36+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-16T07:47:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-10T13:48:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-10T13:47:51+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Applied Fruit Science","date":"2026-03-10T04:38:52+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":false,"email":"","identity":"applied-fruit-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Applied Fruit Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"VoR Journals","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f870c0f1-b10e-4d46-8cc5-6dadfbb1d1d3","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 19th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-19T13:27:48+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-19 13:27:48","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9079106","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9079106","identity":"rs-9079106","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}