Cultivation location and agrometeorological conditions influence pre-harvest variables of Japanese plum fruit in the Colombian tropics

Abstract

ABSTRACT Climatic conditions influence fruit quality during the harvest period; this aspect is unknown in plums cultivated in tropical regions. This study aimed to determine the influence of cultivation climatic conditions on the quality of ‘Horvin’ plum fruit (from flowering to harvest) at different altitudes in the Nuevo Colón municipality (Colombia). Employing a systematic sampling approach with 20 trees per zone, one fruit was randomly selected from each tree at weekly intervals in both locations. Fruit variables, namely weight, soluble solids, titratable acidity, Hue angle, chroma, and fruit firmness, were evaluated from day 18 to 26 after the flower bud stage until harvest in low (2,195 m a.s.l.) and high zones (2,567 m a.s.l.). A direct relationship was verified between fruit weight and size at harvest and orchard location altitude. Factors such as solar radiation, precipitation, and temperature were identified as key in plum fruit quality characteristics. At a higher altitude, fruit weighed between 9 and 14 g, and the firmness of the epidermis consistently exhibited higher values in the high zone across all three harvests. Therefore, there was impact of climatic conditions, including precipitation, sunlight, and temperature, related to the cultivation location in the process of fruit development and maturation on certain fruit quality variables on the day of harvest.