Effect of Kaolin Clay on Post-Bloom Thinning Efficacy, Cropping, and Fruit Quality in ‘Gala Vill’ Apple ( Malus × domestica ) Cultivation

Sebastian Przybyłko (), Jacek Marszał, Wojciech Kowalczyk and Ewa Szpadzik
Additional contact information
Sebastian Przybyłko: Department of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW-WULS), Nowoursynowska 159 C Str., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Jacek Marszał: Department of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW-WULS), Nowoursynowska 159 C Str., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Wojciech Kowalczyk: Department of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW-WULS), Nowoursynowska 159 C Str., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Ewa Szpadzik: Department of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW-WULS), Nowoursynowska 159 C Str., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Effective thinning methods that balance yield, fruit quality, and ripening dynamics are essential to ensure efficient and sustainable apple production. This study examined the effects of various thinning treatments on ‘Gala Vill’ apples ( Malus × domestica Borkh.) to assess their impacts on fruit set, yield, and quality parameters. The experiment was conducted in 2020 at the experimental orchard of WULS located in Wilanów, Warsaw, Poland. The treatments included chemical thinning using different doses of metamitron (Brevis 150 SG) alone and in combination with kaolin clay at two concentrations (50 and 100 kg∙ha −1 ), and, as alternatives to the chemical method, using kaolin clay alone (50, 100, and 200 kg∙ha −1 ) and artificial shading. The results highlight the effectiveness of thinning treatments in modulating key agronomic traits. Artificial shading significantly reduced the number of fruitlets, demonstrating its utility as a non-chemical thinning option. Metamitron application effectively reduced the number of fruitlets in a dose-dependent manner. Combining metamitron with kaolin clay did not enhance the thinning effect compared with metamitron alone. However, kaolin clay applied independently, particularly at higher concentrations, was associated with improved fruit setting and yield. For instance, kaolin clay at 200 kg∙ha −1 (KC200) resulted in the highest fruit set (85.2) and yield (10.1 kg·tree −1 ), suggesting its adverse effect on thinning to promote fruit retention under certain conditions.

Keywords: apple; thinning methods; kaolin clay; metamitron; artificial shading; fruit retention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/4/440/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/4/440/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:4:p:440-:d:1595115

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().