Productive performance of japanese plum cultivars (Prunus salicina Lindl.) in Caldas, Minas Gerais State

Abstract

Japanese plum orchards formation using superior genetic cultivars well adapted to specific ecological conditions contributes largely to maximize yield and production of better quality fruits. The productive ability of the cultivar is associated to the plant genetic factors, to the soil supporting ability, to the interaction of biotic, climatic and edafic factors and cultural practices, while the fruit quality depends on the cultivar, on the site where it is grown, on the season, on the precipitations, on the range of temperature and on the on the cultural practices. The need to identify genetic materials of the japanese plum that are more productive led to the evaluation of productivity of 10 cultivars of 75 and 87 months of age, in the conditions of Caldas-MG. Considering the average number of fruits per plant, the average weight of the fruits, and the productive comportment of each cultivar, it was observed that the cultivars “Gema de ouro” and “Kelsey 31” were the most productive and the best indication for that region, while the cultivars “Harry pickstone” and “Roxa japonesa” showed a expressionless results.