Yield and Fruit Quality Characterization of Eight Old Sicilian Apple Cultivars

Abstract

In this trial, we examined the quality of eight old Sicilian apple cultivars (‘Cannamelo’, ‘Cardinale’, ‘Gelata Cola’, ‘Gelata’, ‘Granatino’, ‘San Giuseppe’, ‘Virticchiaro’, ‘Zitella’) and a commercial one (‘Annurca’ traditional clone) through bio-agronomic performances and chemical-physical analyses. We also analyzed flowering time, ripening time, pomological characteristics, and generated a specific descriptor list that indicates a great variability among the cultivars. The data obtained showed interesting characteristics in ‘Granatino’, ‘Virticchiaro’, and ‘Zitella’, such as total soluble solid, fruit size, peel cover color, yield efficiency, and crop load.