Summerfruit NZ is supporting Claire Schofield from Plant & Food Research in her PhD studies with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture at the University of Tasmania. Claire’s research is focused on understanding the factors that influence calcium uptake in cherries, especially in protected cropping environments.
During the 2023-24 season, Claire completed two experiments to address key research questions about calcium uptake in cherry fruit.
The first experiment focused on the competition between vegetative and fruit sinks for calcium uptake, on a Tasmanian cherry orchard using different regimes of shoot removal to examine how vegetative and fruit sinks compete for calcium uptake.
The second experiment, conducted at the Clyde Plant & Food Research site, explored environmental influences on calcium uptake using potted three-year-old Lapins and Stella cherry trees on Colt rootstock, under different humidity and wind conditions.
From these experiments, Claire has noted that shoot removal significantly enhanced calcium uptake into fruit; however, it delayed harvest by a week and showed no improvement in fruit quality. Humidity influenced calcium uptake, with higher calcium applications improving leaf calcium levels but not necessarily increasing fruit calcium levels.
For more detail on Claire’s research and the findings from the experiments check the Portal under Research / Latest Research or click here.