Phenological and pomological characterization of promising loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) cultivars suitable for the Mediterranean climate

This study was conducted during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons to determine the yield performances, phenological and pomological characteristics of ten 21-year-old loquat cultivars grown under Mediterranean conditions at Dörtyol, Hatay, Turkey. The flowering of the cultivars was observed in detail and the earliest flowering was found in ‘Akko XIII’ and the latest in ‘Ottaviani’ cultivars. Among the tested cultivars, the highest yield was found in ‘Champion’ (168 kg tree-1, 387.36 g cm-2) whereas the earliest and latest ripening cultivars were found as ‘Akko XIII’ and ‘Lapta M’, respectively. The highest values in terms of fruit weight, seed weight and seed number were obtained from ‘Baduna 5’ variety as 50.60 g, 9.59 g and 4.50 fruits, respectively. In terms of fruit flesh/seed ratio, ‘Hafif Çukurgöbek’ (5.33) had the highest value, while ‘Lapta M’ (3.29) had the lowest. The highest total soluble solids, pH and acidity values were measured in ‘Hafif Çukurgöbek’ (13.70%), ‘Lapta B2’ (3.85) and ‘Lapta M’ (1.15), respectively. The cultivars used in the study were compared using the Weighted-Rankit Method according to their important characteristics and the cultivar ‘Hafif Cukurgöbek’ got the highest score. However, the results showed that most of the cultivars used in the experiment, except ‘Lapta M’, could be grown economically in the Mediterranean climate.