Active use of water sprouts to set fruits in a Fuyu persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.)

Experiments were conducted to actively use water sprouts as fruit-bearing mother branch of a non-astringent 'Fuyu' persimmon. Fruit number increased with increasing length and diameter of water sprouts : it was 16.8 for a 80-cm water sprout compared with a 30-cm non-water sprout. Forty percent of the fruits dropped from a water sprout, so that about twice as many fruits could be harvested as a non-water sprout. The highest percent fruit-set was observed when water sprouts were bent to 45 degree, followed by 0, 30, 75 and 90 degree. Total fruit weight was 1,305 g when water sprouts were bent to 45 degree; it was 839 g for a non-water sprout. Bending the sprouts to a greater than 45 degree decreased fruit weight at harvest. Quality attributes were not affected by different shoots.