Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the quality differences between the fruits located in the west, east, south and north directions within the tree canopy of apricot variety “Şalak” during 2021-2022. To this end, some physical properties such as fruit weight, stone weight, fruit width, length, and height, fruit flesh thickness, fruit firmness, and fruit L* a* b* colour values were examined. In addition, chemical properties were also evaluated, including soluble solids content (SSC), juice pH, titratable acidity, and ascorbic acid. Based on the biennial means, the effects of the main directions were statistically significant (p≤0.05) for all the fruit quality traits studied, except for fruit thickness, sphericity, stone weight, and b* value. The fruits were heavier and larger in the east and south directions, while the fruits with higher firmness scores were harvested in the north and west directions. The south side produced more matte fruits (L*) and the east side produced fruits with a higher level of red colour (a*) than the other sides. The SSC content of the fruits on the east and south sides was higher than on the other sides. The ascorbic acid content of the fruit was higher on the west and north sides than on the east and south sides. Based on the ripening index, the fruits on the east and south sides were found to be riper than the fruits on the north and west sides. As a result of this study, it is recommended that apricot growers, especially those producing in large orchards and harvesting for several days, first harvest the east and south sides of the canopy and then harvest the remaining other sides.