Fruit Quality Characteristics of Some Apple Cultivar/Rootstock Combinations Grown Under Isparta (Türkiye) Conditions

This study was conducted in 2024 to determine the pomological and physicochemical characteristics of several apple cultivar/rootstock combinations grown under the ecological conditions of Isparta, Türkiye. The plant material consisted of the cultivars ‘Jeromine’ and ‘Scarlet’ grafted onto MM106 rootstock, and the cultivars ‘Erovan’, ‘Golden Delicious’, and ‘Granny Smith’ grafted onto M9 rootstock. Fruit weight, fruit width, fruit length, fruit flesh firmness, skin color parameters (L*, a*, and b*), total soluble solids (TSS), pH, and titratable acidity (TA) were evaluated. Significant statistical differences were observed among the cultivars for all investigated traits. Among the cultivars grafted onto MM106 rootstock, ‘Scarlet’ exhibited the highest fruit weight (200.82 g) and fruit flesh firmness (1.45 kg cm⁻²). In addition, similar a* values, indicating red skin coloration, were recorded in both ‘Jeromine’ (25.54) and ‘Scarlet’ (25.17). Among the cultivars grafted onto M9 rootstock, the highest fruit weight was determined in ‘Granny Smith’ (248.58 g), whereas the highest fruit flesh firmness was observed in ‘Erovan’ (2.00 kg cm⁻²). Furthermore, the highest TSS (15.12%) and TA (0.73%) values were also recorded in ‘Granny Smith’. The results demonstrated that cultivar/rootstock combinations had significant effects on the fruit quality attributes of apple under the ecological conditions of Isparta.