Yield, earliness and fruit quality of pepino clones and their hybrids in the autumn–winter cycle

The success of the pepino ( Solanum muricatum Aiton) as a new crop for intensive horticultural areas relies on shortening the growing cycle and on securing a high standard of fruit quality. Irrigation with saline water and ethephon sprayings could be useful in achieving these goals. Two consecutive pepino crops consisting of two hybrids and their four parents were grown in the autumn–winter cycle. Plants were irrigated with water having electrical conductivities of 3 or 8 dS m −1 and full sized fruits were sprayed with ethephon at 0 or 500 mg l −1 . Salinity reduced yield and fruit size, although this effect was less important in the hybrids, which showed heterosis for yield characters. Overall, yields and fruit size of hybrids irrigated with saline water were greater than in the parents irrigated with non‐saline water. Ethephon had no effect on yield characters. Salinity and ethephon improved earliness. In most clones combination of salinity and ethephon shortened the growing cycle by 1 month. Salinity improved fruit quality as it increased the soluble solids content (SSC) and dry matter (DM) in all clones, and titratable acidity (TA) in some cases. Ethephon sprayings had no marked effects on quality characters, except for parental clone 9‐1 in which ethephon treated fruits had a lower SSC and TA. Organoleptic tests conducted on the best flavoured clones (0‐8 and 6‐10) showed that salinity improved fruit aroma and flavour although not texture, while ethephon had no effects. Results show that irrigation with saline water and ethephon sprayings improve earliness and fruit quality without dramatic yield depressions, especially in the hybrid clones. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry