COMPARISONS OF FRUIT-SET AND QUALITY BETW EEN SEEDED AND PARTHENOCARPIC KAKI FRUITS CV FUYU IN RELATION TO THE LOCATION OF THE FRUITING SHOOT

Fruit set, growth, and quality of seeded and parthenocarpic fruit of k aki cv. Fuyu were investigated. The objectives were: a) to compare the effect of pollination of flowers, borne on apical (terminal) and two lateral shoots, on non-pollinated (prevented pollination) flowers on a djacent shoots, and b) to determine the feasibility of producing a see dless 'Fuyu' crop under ordinary orchard conditions. 1. The set of par thenocarpic fruit from a basal (lower) lateral shoot was slightly lowe r and their size significantly smaller than was that of seeded fruit o n adjacent shoots through the fruit growth Stage II. 2. The parthenoca rpic fruit from the apical and two lateral shoots was significantly la rger than the seeded fruit on basal lateral shoot which originated fro m one-yr-old wood on which apical and upper lateral shoot flowers were also pollinated. 3. These results suggest that a competition exists f or assimilates between seeded and parthenocarpic fruit on different sh oots arising from the same one-yr-old wood. The intensity of this comp etition among the fruit probably begins at the latter half of the frui t growth Stage I. 4. The set and weight of parthenocarpic fruit on a m ain branch were excellent at harvest and equivalent to the seeded frui t on the same tree. 5. Under ordinary orchard conditions, if all flowe rs on a tree were prevented from pollinating, fruit set was better and their weight and soluble solids contents were as good as those of see ded fruit derived from flowers on a separate hand-pollinated tree. The parthe nocarpic fruit was slightly flatter than the seeded ones. We c oncluded that it might be possible to produce seedless 'Fuyu' fruit of excellent quality under ordinary orchard conditions, if all flowers o f a tree were prevented from pollinating.