Fig production under an intensive pruning system in the moist central area of Argentina.

Abstract

The aim of this work was to evaluate fruit yield and harvest distribution, and to identify the main factors that affect the fruit yield of two parthenocarpic fig varieties trained under an intensive pruning system in the temperate-humid central area of Santa Fe, Argentina. Fig trees of the cultivars ‘Guarinta’ and ‘Brown Turkey’ were planted 4 × 2 m apart and trained in small open vases. Fruit yield per plant, number of nodes and fruits per shoots, shoot length, and number of unripened fruits per shoot were registered during 10 years after planting (2006–2016). Relationships between meteorological data and plant parameters were determined. Fruit yield varied between 4.43 and 12.1 t ha−1 according to the year and variety. Commercial fruit yield tended to diminish four years after planting. Annual duration of the harvesting period ranged from 8 to 21 weeks and showed a positive relationship with the annual fruit yield. The harvesting period was negatively affected by both tree age and weather variables, such as the number of rainy days and the accumulated precipitation from January to May. The last three years of experimentation were the rainiest, so it was not possible to clearly establish if the declination of fruit yield and the duration of the harvesting period with tree age were a consequence of climatic conditions, tree age, or both factors. The end of the harvest period was not due to the absence of fruits but to the lack of ripeness in all years.