Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Applied Fruit Science, cilt.68, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Fruit cracking in sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.), significantly compromise fruit quality and reduces commercial yield. This study assessed the effects of foliar sprays of 0.5% calcium chloride in combination with glycine betaine, chitosan, silicon, thyme oil, and extract from Ascophyllum nodosum on the cracking incidence, antioxidant capacity, fruit biochemical composition, in the sweet cherry cultivar ‘0900 Ziraat’. Among treatments, CaCl2 + glycine betaine was the most effective, reducing the cracking index to 1.6%, followed by CaCl2 + chitosan (2.4%) and CaCl2 + silicon (3.6%). Chitosan enhanced the amount of total glucose, fructose, malic and succinic acids, and vitamin C, while CaCl2 + glycine betaine and CaCl2 + Ascophyllum nodosum significantly increased antioxidant activity. According to Principal Component Analysis and correlation analysis, the majority of the metabolites under study had inverse relationships with the cracking index, demonstrating their protective role against cracking. Calcium chloride and natural biostimulants applied together shown definite synergistic effects, improving fruit quality and stress tolerance more than calcium alone. In order to prevent cracking and enhance the nutritional and antioxidant qualities of fruit, CaCl2 + glycine betaine and CaCl2 + chitosan are suggested as promising pre-harvest treatments. Foliar application targets fruit tissues precisely, is rapidly absorbed, and has no effect on soil microbiota, therefore, it is recommended over soil treatments. Future research should examine the effectiveness of treatments in various cultivars and environmental settings, as well as evaluations of consumer acceptability.