Frost Hardiness of some Turkish Apricot Cultivars during the Bloom Period

Abstract

The frost hardiness of five apricot ( Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars used for drying and/or the fresh market was investigated under controlled conditions and in the orchard. The hardiness of flower buds at three different development stages, such as first white, first bloom, and full bloom, was tested at –4 °C for 1 hour and 3 hours in the laboratory. The flower buds of `Kabaasi', `Sekerpare', and `Alyanak' were hardier. The field observations obtained from the apricot orchard where the late frost occurred at night on 3 to 4 Apr. 2004 supported this result, and the temperatures at frost date varied from –2 to –9 °C.