Letícia AF: New self-compatible plum cultivar resulting of a mutation of Laetitia

Abstract: Letícia AF is a mutation of the plum cultivar Laetitia that confers self-compatibility. This work compared the Letícia AF mutant cultivar with the standard Laetitia regarding fruit set, self-compatibility, yield, and fruit quality traits during four growing seasons. The study was carried out in two plum orchards with the cultivar Letícia AF (orchard 1) and Laetitia plus pollinizers trees (orchard 2) and in an experimental unit with Letícia AF and Laetitia planted side by side. A self-compatibility test was performed on covered branches to prevent pollinating insects from reaching the flowers. Fruit set occurs in covered branches of Letícia AF, whereas it was rare in Laetitia. In commercial orchards, Leticia AF plums yield was higher than that of Laetitia over the years. The results suggest that the oscillation in productivity across the years, mainly due to unfavorable conditions for insect pollination, may be lower in the plum Leticia AF orchard. On the other hand, the requirement for fruit thinning may be greater in Leticia AF. No significant differences were found between the mutant and the standard cultivar regarding fruit quality at harvest and after 30 days of cold storage, indicating the mutation did not alter the fruit characteristics.