Horticultural Studies (HortiS) 2017, Vol 34, Num, 2     (Pages: 99-112)

The effect of kaolin application on fruit quality in walnut cultivation

Neslihan KILIÇ 1 ,Nurgül Fetiye TÜREMİŞ 2

1 Osmaniye Korkut Ata Üniversitesi Kadirli Uygulamalı Bilimler Yüksekokulu Organik Tarım İşletmeciliği Bölümü, Osmaniye
2 Çukurova Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Bahçe Bitkileri Bölümü, Adana
DOI : 10.16882/derim.2017.287277 Viewed : 1745 - Downloaded : 1052 In this study, it is aimed to investigate the effects of kaolin application, which is a natural clay mineral, on fruit quality in walnut growing. The study was carried out in 2010 and 2011 growing years and Payne, Serr and Pedro walnut cultivars were used. Starting in June, kaolin treatment was repeated at 6% dose and 4% and 2% at three week intervals. Additionally, pomological analyses were carried out to determine the effect of kaolin application on fruit quality. Experiment results state that yield amount, shelled fruit weight of walnut, kernel weight of walnut, kernel rate and marketable fruit rate of fruits with kaolin were higher than control fruits. Comparing the process of cracking the fruits with kaolin to control group, it was found that the shell is the easiest to crack when kaolin was applied. As a result, it is to be expressed that kaolin application affects fruit`s overall quality positively in aforementioned cultivars of walnut, namely Payne, Pedro and Serr. Keywords : Walnut production; Kaolin; Fruit quality