Han et al.

European Journal of Horticultural Science (2025) 90:1, 0006

https://doi.org/10.1079/ejhs.2025.0006

RESEARCH

Calcium significantly improves the fruit

quality of red-flesh ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit
Zhen-Cheng Han1, Yi Yang2, Hou-Xi Chen1, Chong Luo3, and Wei-Jie Li1*

Abstract
Red-flesh kiwifruit is very interesting to customers; however, several defaults affect its commercial cultivation, including small
fruit size, cavities, environmental sensitivity of the skin and short shelf life, among others. In this study, we aimed to explore
the effects of calcium on the fruit quality of Actinidia chinensis cv. Hongyang, a popular red-flesh cultivar, these inclueded
different forms of calcium and methodologies ( application time and frequency of the exogenous application). Additionally, a
reverse control group treated with calcium antagonist chlorpromazine (CPZ) was established. The systematic studies indicated
that applying the chelated calcium (EDTA-Ca) solution twice on the surface of the fruit significantly improved fruit weight and
extended the storage period of 'Hongyang'. The fruit weight increased to 112.62 g, and the storage period at room temperature
was extended to 12 days. It also significantly increased fruit dry matter (up to 20.67%), soluble sugar content (11.08 mg/g) and
calcium content (170.95 μg/g); the increase in dry matter and soluble solid content improved the fruit’s taste. A comprehensive
evaluation of all the related functional values and principal component analysis revealed that the highest comprehensive score
(5.09) of fruit quality of 'Hongyang' fruit was achieved after two applications of EDTA-Ca solution by fruit surface immersion.
In contrast, foliar application of calcium showed no significant improvement of fruit calcium content. Overall, a comprehensive
analysis showed that EDTA-Ca achieved a better comprehensive result than Ca(NO3)2. Fruit dipping yielded the best results,
foliar spraying was better than root treated, and two applications were better than only one time of application. This research
provides theoretical support for the rational application of exogenous calcium in 'Hongyang' kiwifruit. It significantly improves
‘Hongyang’ fruit quality and production while extending its storage time.

Significance of the study

1. What is already known on this subject?
Previous research has established the importance of calcium in fruit development and quality, particularly in enhancing
firmness, reducing physiological disorders and extending shelf life. Various methods of calcium application, such as foliar
sprays and soil amendments, have been explored, but their relative effectiveness on specific fruit varieties, including
kiwifruit, has not been thoroughly compared.
2. What are the new findings?
This study reveals that calcium soaking on the fruit surface is more effective than foliar calcium spraying. Additionally,
chelated calcium outperforms inorganic calcium, with the combination of two soaking methods yielding the best results.
These methods significantly increase single fruit weight, storage duration, soluble sugar content, calcium content and dry
matter content in kiwifruit while also reducing the rate of fruit deformity.

Affiliations: 1Guizhou Botanical Garden, Guizhou Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China; 2College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang,
China; 3School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
*Corresponding Author: Wei-Jie Li. Email: [email protected]
Received: 6 December 2024. Accepted: 2 March 2025. Published: 08 April 2025.
Handling Editor: Shakira Shaik

© The Authors 2025. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, which
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Han et al. European Journal of Horticultural Science (2025) 90:1 https://doi.org/10.1079/ejhs.2025.0006 2

3. What are the expected impacts on horticulture?

The findings of this research offer valuable theoretical support for the efficient use of exogenous calcium in kiwifruit and
potentially other berry crops. By improving the quality of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit and extending its storage life, these practices
can enhance marketability and reduce postharvest losses, ultimately benefiting growers and the horticultural industry as a
whole.
Keywords: Actinidia chinensis, EDTA-Ca solution, fruit quality, fruit size, storage

Introduction on which types of exogenous calcium and how to apply them

to solve the problem and achieve the best result for ‘Hongyang’
Over the last 30 years, kiwifruit has been widely cultivated kiwifruit.
worldwide after extensive germplasm exploration in China since
the late 1970s (Cui, 1993). In recent years, with economic In this study, we explored different types of calcium and investiga-
development, people have paid more attention to food nutrition; ted their effect on red-flesh kiwifruit ‘Hongyang’, further developed
kiwifruit has become one of the most popular fruits due to more efficient methods of calcium supplementation and aimed to
its attractive colour, pleasant taste and high nutritional value provide an efficient way to improve red-flesh kiwifruit quality and
(Wu et al., 2012; Seal et al., 2013). The red-flesh kiwifruit has extend their shelf life, which is difficult to achieve through orchard
become very popular because of its sweet taste and the red cultural practice and management.
colour. However, red-flesh kiwifruit has a few characteristics to
be improved: the small size fruit, uneven spreading of red flesh
colour, skin sensitivity to the environment, core cavity formation Methods
at the stigma end, short shelf life, etc. (Wu et al., 2013); These
EXPERIMENTAL SITE PROFILE
challenges result in high costs for the commercial cultivation of
red-flesh kiwifruit (Seal et al., 2013; Wu, 2019). The experiment was carried out at an altitude of 1100 m
at the Guizhou Province Kiwifruit Industry Research Base
Calcium is one of the essential elements for plant growth (104°57′58.48″E, 26°24′55.04″N), Shuicheng District, Liupanshui
and development (Feng, 2021) and plays an important role in City, Guizhou Province, China. The average temperature during
physiological and biochemical processes (Duan et al., 2022). the experiment was 26.7°C, ranging from 34.6°C to 18.2°C,
Calcium deficiency can lead to a series of adverse effects on and the average ambient humidity was 33.8% RH. The average
plant growth (Wang, 2019) and fruit quality, resulting in a bitter atmospheric pressure is 1013.5 hPa; the site’s annual rainfall is
taste, soft flesh texture and short storage time. Several factors 800–1350 mm, with 1560 h of sunshine annually. The average
contribute to calcium deficiency in plants, including soil physical annual effective accumulated temperature was 4500℃, and the
and chemical properties, plant growth status, plant organs, climate average annual temperature was 17.8°C. The soil characteriza-
and human influence. However, physiological calcium deficiency tion included the total nitrogen content (2.32 g/kg), the basic
is quite popular. Despite the soil being rich in calcium, fruit trees hydrolytic nitrogen content (123.4 mg/kg), available phosphorus
often show some symptoms of calcium deficiency. This could be (60.5 mg/kg), the content of available potassium (242.7 mg/kg),
due to the unavailability of calcium in the soil or a plant physiolog- the content of exchangeable calcium (1304.5 mg/kg) and the
ical problem, as the long-distance transport of calcium in plants content of organic matter (52.6 g/kg).
primarily occurs in the xylem and is primarily driven by transpi-
ration. When soil calcium is available, plant growth and climate
MATERIALS
conditions, such as dry weather, could be the main cause of
calcium movement in plant saps. Calcium generally moves with A total of 171 seven-year-old grafted ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit vines of
the transpiration flow, while the fruit has a lower transpiration rate the same growth status were selected from the above research
and a weaker competition for calcium compared to leaves and base. The orchard was managed by standard orchard operation.
shoots. Consequently, it is difficult for calcium to be redistributed
to fruit and other new active parts of the plant, making them prone EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
to calcium deficiency (Montanaro et al. 2010). In the experiment, EDTA-Ca (Ca content 9.0–10.0%), calcium
Calcium supplementation becomes a strategy to enhance fruit nitrate [Ca(NO3)2] and CaM antagonist CPZ were used; all were
quality, reduce fruit cracking and extend shelf life (Gao et al., purchased from Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
2019). Calcium supplementation methods include application to To enhance the reference value, a reverse control group treated
fruit surfaces, leaf surfaces or roots through dipping, spraying or with CaM antagonist CPZ was established, in addition to water
irrigation. The calcium forms used can be divided into inorganic without any other additives, which was used as the control group
calcium, organic calcium and organic chelated calcium (Zhang (CK).
et al., 2022). Currently, some studies have explored the effects
of calcium on the fruit quality of green-flesh kiwifruit, such as The experimental scheme is shown in Table 1. Each treatment
‘Guichang’ (Mo et al., 2019), ‘Hayward’ (Sotiropoulos et al., included three vines, and each treatment was repeated three
2021), ‘Jinshi-1’ (Xu et al., 2020) and ‘Cuixiang’ (Liu et al., times.
2022). These studies showed that calcium could improve the The concentrations of EDTA-Ca, Ca(NO3)2 and CPZ solutions
fruit quality, hardness and storage performance in green-fleshed were 0.6 g/l. These three solutions were applied at the same time
kiwifruit (Hopkirk et al., 1990). All of the above research shows or following experimental design separately applied to the roots,
that calcium is important in kiwifruit and has started to receive fruit and leaves by irrigation to the roots, surface immersion for the
attention; however, there is still a lack of systematic research on fruit, or spraying on the leaves. For foliar spraying, the fruits were
the calcium used in red-flesh kiwifruit. No information is available wrapped with bags to prevent the solution from splashing onto the

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Table 1. Information of all the experimental treatments.

Abbreviation code Parts of the plant treated Chemical used and its concentration Number of applications

Control (CK) No any additive, only water

a1 Root 0.6 g/l EDTA-Ca solution 1

a2 Root 0.6 g/l EDTA-Ca solution 2

a3 Fruit surface 0.6 g/l EDTA-Ca solution 1

a4 Fruit surface 0.6 g/l EDTA-Ca solution 2

a5 Leaves 0.6 g/l EDTA-Ca solution 1

a6 Leaves 0.6 g/l EDTA-Ca solution 2

b1 Root 0.6 g/l Ca(NO3)2 solution 1

b2 Root 0.6 g/l Ca(NO3)2 solution 2

b3 Fruit surface 0.6 g/l Ca(NO3)2 solution 1

b4 Fruit surface 0.6 g/l Ca(NO3)2 solution 2

b5 Leaves 0.6 g/l Ca(NO3)2 solution 1

b6 Leaves 0.6 g/l Ca(NO3)2 solution 2

c1 Root 0.6 g/l CPZ solution 1

c2 Root 0.6 g/l CPZ solution 2

c3 Fruit surface 0.6 g/l CPZ solution 1

c4 Fruit surface 0.6 g/l CPZ solution 2

c5 Leaves 0.6 g/l CPZ solution 1

c6 Leaves 0.6 g/l CPZ solution 2

fruit surface during the spraying process. The application period Calculation of fruit cracking rate: The presence of a crack in
was at the stage of ‘Hongyang’ fruit expansion after the fruit set. the skin was observed. Any fruit with a crack was considered
The one-time application and the first application of the two-time a cracked fruit. Each treatment was repeated five times, with
calcium treatments were performed 40 days after flowering (DAF), 100 fruits counted for each repeat. The fruit cracking rate was
and the second application of the two-time calcium treatment was calculated as follows: fruit cracking rate = (number of fruit with
at 50 DAF. Except for the calcium treatment, all other manage- cracking / 100) × 100%.
ment practices in the orchard remained the same as standard
Calculation of fruit shape index: The transverse and longitudinal
conventional management.
dimensions of the fruit were measured using a vernier caliper. Each
treatment had 30 randomly selected fruits, with three repeats. The
fruit shape index was calculated using the following formula:
FRUIT EVALUATION AFTER POSTHARVEST
Longitudinal dimension
The ‘Hongyang’ fruit was harvested after reaching commercial Fruit shape index =
Transverse dimension
maturity on August 15, 2021 (when the dry matter content was
above 16% and the soluble solid content of the fruit reached Rate of commercial fruit: Fruits weighing above 90 g were
6.5%) in Liupanshui. considered commercial size, all of which were documented. The
commercial fruit rate was calculated as follows:
After the fruits were harvested, the total fruit production from
each vine across all treatments and controls was weighed and Commercial fruit rate = Number of fruits of their weight ≥90 g /
recorded. total number of fruits in the vines) × 100%

Each fruit was separately packaged, labelled and brought Calculation of the incidence of fruit cavity: The fruit was cut
back to the laboratory and stored at room temperature (20– longitudinally along the fruit core to observe whether there was a
25°C). All the fruit analyses were carried out in the lab. cavity from the end of the stigma (Wu, 2015). The presence of a
The analysis of fruit attributes included fruit evaluation (e.g. cavity was recorded as the occurrence of a fruit cavity. A total of
cracking rate, cavity incidence, etc.), measurement of each 100 fruits were examined per replicate to calculate the incidence
fruit’s weight and dimensions, calculation of fruit indices, of fruit cavities; each treatment had five replicates. The formula
determination of dry matter content and sorting out the was as follows: Incidence of fruit cavity = (number of fruits with
commercial fruit rate (Wu et al., 2013). cavity / 100) × 100%.

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Fruit dry matter content determination: Ten fruits were used and so on. Qji represents the first indicator’s membership function
from each treatment. Fruits were sliced into 4 mm thick slices value.
at their equator. Each slice was weighed and recorded as fresh
weight. The slice was then placed in an oven at 65°C for 24 h.
The dried slice was weighed and recorded as dry weight (Wu
Results
et al., 2013). The dry matter was calculated as follows: Dry matter EFFECTS OF CALCIUM ON FRUIT SHAPE,
content = (dry weight / fresh weight) × 100%. APPEARANCE, WEIGHT, VINE PRODUCTION
Calcium content analysis: One leaf was randomly picked from AND COMMERCIAL FRUIT RATE OF
each of the four directions (east, south, west and north) at the ‘HONGYANG’ KIWIFRUIT
same horizontal height in the canopy. The four leaves from
The results (Table 2) indicated that each treatment had different
each vine were used to determine the calcium content. The
degrees of influence on the fruit weight. Except for treatments
calcium content in the fruit and leaves of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit was
b4 and c3, all other fruit weights were greater than that of CK.
analysed with atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Gao, 2008).
The average fruit weight of treatment a4 was the highest and
Fruit Vc, soluble solid contents, acid, etc., analysis: The showed a significant difference from CK, reaching 112.62 g –
content of Vc was determined using liquid chromatography (Li, an increase of approximately 21.11 g. No significant differences
2000). The content of soluble solids was measured with a were found in freight weight between all the treatments with CK in
hand-held refractometer. The titratable acid content was tested all reverse control groups. When EDTA-Ca solution was applied
using the NaOH titration method (Yang et al., 2021). The content using the same method, the fruit weight was higher with two
of soluble sugar was determined using the anthrone colorimetric applications of calcium than with a single application. However,
method (Li et al., 2019). The soluble protein content was analysed from all the results, no significant differences were detected in
using Coomassie bright blue (Yang et al., 2021). fruit dimensions between all treatments and CK. The fruit shape
index of ‘Hongyang’ increased after using EDTA-Ca solution and
DATA ANALYSIS Ca(NO3)2 solution, indicating that the fruit became longer. The
highest fruit shape index was observed in treatment b2, reaching
Microsoft Excel 2010 was selected for all data analysis in this
1.25. The fruit shape index in all reverse control groups was lower
study. SPSS20.0 was employed for logistic growth model fitting,
than that of CK.
significance test and principal component analysis (PCA). Origin
2021 was applied for mapping. Before the principal compo- The application of an exogenous calcium solution increased the
nent analysis, the membership function method was adopted to yield of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit. The results showed that treatments
standardize the fruit quality of the principal component to eliminate a1, a5 and a6 had significant differences compared with CK.
the dimensional influence (Mu et al., 2019). The calculation Treatment a6 produced the highest yield; its production increased
formula is as follows: 16.07%, reaching 18.3 kg. In the reverse control groups, except
for c1, the yield of other treatments with CPZ solution decreased
Xij − Ximin
Uij = (1) in comparison to CK, but no significant difference was found. The
Ximax − Ximin lowest yield was observed in treatment c5 (14.05 kg), represent-
ing an 8.03% decrease. Except for foliar spraying, all the fruit
Xij − Ximin
Uij = 1 − (2) cracking rates of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit treated with exogenous
Ximax − Ximin
calcium significantly decreased. In the reverse control groups,
In the above formula, Uij is the value of i processed j index the fruit cracking rate with CPZ solution was significantly higher
membership function; Xij is the size of i processing j indicator; than that of CK. The root irrigation and foliar spraying with CPZ
Xjmin and Xjmax are the minmum and maximum values of the solution had no significant effect on fruit cracking. The lowest fruit
j indicator, respectively. When the index is negatively correla- cracking rate was found in treatment a4 (5.48%), and the highest
ted with the comprehensive fruit score, Eqn 2 is selected for was in treatment c4 (16.29%). The fruit cracking rate in treat-
standardization; when the index is positively correlated with ment with EDTA-Ca solution was found to be lower than that in
the comprehensive fruit score, Eqn 1 is selected (Zhao et al., treatment with Ca(NO3)2 solution when the number of applications
2021). The principal component comprehensive evaluation and methods of calcium application were the same. Significant
model refers to the method of Zheng et al. (2021), which can differences were observed between CK and treatments a2, a3,
be known from the following: a4, b3, b4, b5 and b6.

F1 j = 56.695 × ∑ PC1i × Q ji The cavity rate of fruit in treatment a4 was the lowest (11.27%).
CPZ-treated fruit had a significantly higher cavity than CK, with
F2J = 12.496 × ∑ PC2i × Q ji the highest cavity rate found in fruit from treatment c4 (18.65%).
Other reverse treatments showed no significant difference in
F3 j = 9.253 × ∑ PC3i × Q ji comparison to CK. After the application of exogenous calcium,
the commercial fruit yield improved in all treatments compared
F4 j = 6.908 × ∑ PC4i × Q ji with CK, except for b1. With the same calcium application
method, two applications of EDTA-Ca solution resulted in higher
F1J + F2 j + F3 j + F4 j rates of commercial fruit than one calcium application, with the
Fj = highest yield achieved in treatment a6 at 76.15%. In the reverse
85.325
control groups, the commercial fruit rate was lower with the twice
In the above formula, F1j represents the first principal component application of CPZ solution compared to a single application; the
score of the first treatment, F2j, F3j, F4j and so on. Fj represents lowest commercial fruit rate was found in treatment c4, at 53.62%.
the combined score of the first treatment. PC1i represents the All treatments affected the storage time of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit.
first principal component’s i indicator load value, PC2i, PC3i, PC4i The fruit in treatment a4 had the longest storage time of 12.33

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 Table 2. Effects of different types of calcium and different application methods with different times on fruit size, shape, weight, production and commercial fruit rate of ‘Hongyang’ (Actinidia chinensis).

Treatment Average fruit Transverse Longitudinal Fruit shape Average yield The fruit yield Fruit Fruit core Commercial Storage time
weight (g) dimension dimension (mm) index per vine (kg) increasing rate cracking rate cavity rate (%) fruit rate (%) (d)
(mm) in comparison (%)
to controls (%)

CK 91.51 ± 4.79dea 48.32 ± 1.99abc 49.82 ± 3.64cdefg 1.03 ± 0.03defgh 15.77 ± 0.85cdefg 0.00 13.54 ± 0.804b 15.39 ± 0.29b 63.77 ± 1.40ef 8.33 ± 0.58de

a1 96.99 ± 5.81cd 50.95 ± 5.48ab 54.16 ± 4.91bcdef 1.07 ± 0.13cdefgh 17.57 ± 0.71ab 11.42 9.52 ± 1.00def 13.97 ± 1.25bcd 66.71 ± 1.68d 9.00 ± 1.00cd

a2 99.44 ± 4.7bcd 43.87 ± 1.00c 48.52 ± 4.20efg 1.11 ± 0.10abcdef 17.2 ± 0.30abc 9.09 9.12 ± 0.70ef 13.27 ± 0.54cde 64.46 ± 2.36de 11.67 ± 1.53ab

a3 109.72 ± 5.82a 49.40 ± 5.44abc 59.93 ± 10.49ab 1.21 ± 0.11abc 16.83 ± 0.90abcde 6.77 6.85 ± 0.33gh 12.01 ± 0.31def 73.12 ± 1.16b 12.00 ± 1.00ab

a4 112.62 ± 5.52a 51.42 ± 2.66a 62.99 ± 3.83a 1.23 ± 0.02ab 17.2 ± 0.70abc 9.09 5.48 ± 0.67h 11.27 ± 1.49f 75.67 ± 1.58a 12.33 ± 0.58a

a5 106.03 ± 6.91ab 49.39 ± 4.98abc 55.05 ± 2.83bcde 1.12 ± 0.12abcde 17.4 ± 0.60ab 10.36 11.93 ± 1.13bc 13.51 ± 0.14bcd 70.73 ± 1.38bc 8.67 ± 1.53cde

a6 109.4 ± 2.75a 48.43 ± 3.5abc 57.90 ± 1.10ab 1.20 ± 0.11abc 18.3 ± 0.30a 16.07 11.17 ± 0.20cd 14.36 ± 1.13bc 76.15 ± 1.07a 7.33 ± 0.58defg

b1 100.13 ± 1.66bc 50.81 ± 0.86ab 54.28 ± 3.87bcdef 1.07 ± 0.09cdefgh 16.9 ± 0.90abcde 7.19 9.84 ± 0.75de 13.70 ± 0.58bcd 61.38 ± 1.16fg 8.00 ± 1.00def

b2 95.32 ± 2.04cd 44.74 ± 0.93bc 55.86 ± 1.44bcd 1.25 ± 0.03a 16.03 ± 0.55bcdef 1.69 10.01 ± 0.22de 13.80 ± 0.44bcd 63.94 ± 1.64ef 8.00 ± 1.00def

b3 96.65 ± 2.70cd 52.26 ± 2.91a 56.67 ± 1.02abc 1.09 ± 0.08bcdefg 16.97 ± 0.45abcd 7.61 7.82 ± 0.30fg 12.09 ± 1.57def 69.31 ± 0.71c 10.33 ± 1.53bc

b4 80.59 ± 1.68f 48.07 ± 2.49abc 55.11 ± 1.61bcde 1.15 ± 0.08abcd 16.63 ± 0.55bcde 5.50 6.49 ± 1.11gh 11.49 ± 1.29ef 70.82 ± 1.25bc 11.00 ± 1.00ab

b5 97.83 ± 4.27cd 48.81 ± 3.04abc 59.08 ± 3.02ab 1.21 ± 0.04abc 17.17 ± 0.65abc 8.88 13.78 ± 0.70b 13.24 ± 1.47cde 70.84 ± 1.23bc 7.67 ± 0.58def

b6 100.31 ± 4.85bc 49.93 ± 0.95abc 54.4 ± 3.52bcdef 1.09 ± 0.09bcdefg 16.9 ± 0.90abcde 7.19 12.46 ± 1.04bc 12.67 ± 1.19cdef 66.61 ± 1.26d 8.00 ± 1.00def

c1 98.01 ± 2.02cd 51.54 ± 3.35a 47.94 ± 1.55fg 0.93 ± 0.05h 16.27 ± 0.65bcdef 3.17 13.35 ± 2.17b 15.30 ± 1.78b 63.66 ± 1.63ef 7.00 ± 1.00efg
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c2 96.02 ± 3.91cd 50.3 ± 6.01ab 46.79 ± 3.89g 0.93 ± 0.05h 15.5 ± 0.50defg −1.69 12.68 ± 2.04bc 15.49 ± 0.20b 60.52 ± 0.68g 7.33 ± 0.58defg

c3 86.85 ± 4.32ef 51.17 ± 1.70a 49.15 ± 0.29defg 0.96 ± 0.03gh 14.8 ± 1.30fg −6.13 15.98 ± 1.49a 17.57 ± 0.66a 57.32 ± 2.30h 6.33 ± 0.58fg

c4 92.54 ± 3.30cde 48.21 ± 1.47abc 47.72 ± 1.39fg 0.99 ± 0.01efgh 15.4 ± 1.20efg −2.33 16.29 ± 0.98a 18.65 ± 1.33a 53.62 ± 1.55i 5.67 ± 0.58g

c5 95.71 ± 2.26cd 48.60 ± 0.69abc 47.34 ± 1.02fg 0.97 ± 0.01fgh 14.5 ± 0.50g −8.03 12.41 ± 1.02bc 14.60 ± 1.14bc 56.92 ± 0.30h 7.67 ± 0.58def

c6 94.01 ± 3.58cde 51.35 ± 2.01a 48.32 ± 1.01efg 0.94 ± 0.05h 15.63 ± 1.3defg −0.85 13.01 ± 1.51bc 14.39 ± 0.72bc 56.49 ± 1.56h 8.00 ± 1.00def

a
The letter difference in the same column shows a significant difference detected at P < 0.05.
5

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days, which was significantly longer than that of CK. When the the calcium absorbed by the leaves was rarely transferred to the
frequency and method of calcium application were the same, fruit fruit. a4 had the highest calcium content, up to 170.95 μg/g. CPZ
storage time with treatment of EDTA-Ca was longer than that with solution applied to the fruit surface decreased the calcium content
Ca(NO3)2 solution. The storage time in all reverse control groups of the fruit; significantly lower levels were observed in the fruit of
was shorter than that of CK, and significant differences were c3 and c4 in comparison to CK.
observed between CK and treatments c3 and c4. The shortest
storage time was found in the fruit of treatment c4, only for 5.67 THE CALCIUM CONTENT IN THE
days.
LEAVES AFTER CALCIUM APPLICATION TO
‘HONGYANG’ KIWIFRUIT
EFFECT OF CALCIUM ON INNER FRUIT Except for b3, the calcium content in the leaves of ‘Hongyang’
QUALITY OF ‘HONGYANG’ KIWIFRUIT kiwifruit treated with calcium was higher than that of CK (Fig. 1),
Table 3 shows that the dry matter content of the fruit treated with and there were significant differences found in treatments a2, a5,
calcium solution was higher than that of CK, except for treatment a6, b5 and b6 in comparison to CK. These results showed that
a2. Significant differences were observed in dry matter content all leaves treated either with EDTA-Ca or Ca(NO3)2 one or two
between the fruit of CK and the fruit of treatments a3, a4, b4 times significantly improved their calcium contents, except for two
and b6. The highest dry matter content was found in the fruit applications of EDTA-Ca on roots. The calcium content of leaves
of treatment a4 (two applications of EDTA-Ca for fruit dipping), treated with EDTA-Ca solution was higher than that of those treated
with 20.67%. When comparing calcium application methods and with Ca(NO3)2 solution when the same method and the number
frequencies, the dry matter content of fruit treated with EDTA- of applications were employed. Under the same concentration of
Ca solution was higher than that of fruit treated with Ca(NO3)2 calcium with the same type of exogenous calcium, the calcium
solution, except for a2 and a6. Conversely, except for c2, the dry content in the leaves of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit with two calcium
matter content of fruit treated with CPZ solution was lower than applications was higher than that with only one application; the
that of CK; however, no significant difference was detected. highest calcium content was observed in a6, with 170.44 μg/g. In the
reverse control groups, when the application method was the same,
There was no significant difference observed in soluble protein
the calcium content of leaves in the two applications of CPZ solution
content in fruit between all the treatments with CK. The titrata-
was lower than that of the one-time application. The calcium content
ble acid content of all treatments was lower than that of CK,
of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit leaves in treatments c5 and c6 showed lower
except for a2, c2, c3, c4, c5 and c6. The lowest titratable acid
calcium content than CK.
content was recorded in b2, with 1.10%. There was no signifi-
cant difference detected in Vc content between the fruit of all
treatments with CK, and the highest Vc content was found in the PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS AND
fruit of a5, up to 115.35 mg/100 g. COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF FRUIT
After the application of exogenous calcium, the soluble sugar QUALITY OF ‘HONGYANG’ KIWIFRUIT
content of fruit was higher than CK, with only slight decreases Since a single index cannot effectively reflect the fruit quality of
noted in a1 and b4. The highest soluble sugar content was found ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit, this experiment employed multiple indices for
in a4 fruit, with 11.08%. A significant difference was observed comprehensive evaluation using PCA. In this study, 13 indices
between CK and a4 and a5. Conversely, all fruit treated with CPZ of kiwifruit fruit quality traits were analysed, including calcium
solution showed lower soluble sugar content in comparison to content, soluble sugar, Vc, soluble solids, dry matter, titratable
the fruit of CK, and the lowest content was observed in c6, with acid, single fruit weight, fruit shape index, fruit cracking rate, fruit
6.96%. storage time, yield, commercial fruit rate and fruit cavity rate.
Except for the b2 treatment, the soluble solid content of the The KMO value was 0.73, and the P-value of Bartlett’s spheric-
fruit treated with calcium solution was higher than that of CK; a ity test was 0, indicating that the data were suitable for fac-
significant difference was observed in a3, a5 and a6 in compari- tor analysis. The four extracted principal components, with the
son to CK. The highest soluble solid content was in the fruit of variance contribution rate of each principal component, repre-
a6 with 16.63%. In the reverse control groups, except for c4, the sented how much the corresponding component described the
soluble solid content of other treated fruit was lower than that of original information. As shown in Table 4, the variance contribu-
CK; no significant difference was observed. tion rates of the first four principal components were 56.695%,
12.469%, 9.253% and 6.908%, respectively. The cumulative
The ratio of solid to acid in the fruit of all calcium treatments was
variance contribution rate was 85.325%, which indicated that
significantly higher than that of CK, and the ratio of solid to acid
these four principal components reflected most of the informa-
in the fruit of b3 showed the highest, which was 13.06. Apart
tion on fruit quality traits. The main contribution sources of PC1
from c1 and c4, the solid-to-acid ratio of the fruit treated with
were calcium content in fruit, fruit shape index, fruit cracking rate,
CPZ solution was lower than that of CK; no significant difference
storage time, yield, commercial fruit rate and fruit cavity rate.
was found in comparison to CK. The application of Ca(NO3)2
solution by either root irrigation or fruit surface immersion was Through the above models, the comprehensive score of fruit
found to have a higher calcium content in their fruit compared to quality of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit can be calculated (Table 5).
CK. The calcium content in the fruit of two applications for both The comprehensive score of the treatments compared with
methods was higher than that of a single application. Significant the control (CK), from high to low, is a4 > a3 > a5 > a6 >
differences were observed in the calcium content of the fruit in b3 > b5 > b4 > a1 > b6 > b2 > a2 > b1 > CK > c1 >
comparison to CK after the application of EDTA-Ca solution and c2 > c6 > c5 > c4 > c3. The comprehensive score of fruit
Ca(NO3)2 solution on either the fruit surface or root irrigation. No in the application of EDTA-Ca solution and Ca(NO3)2 solution
significant difference was noted in the calcium content of the fruit was higher than that of CK, and the comprehensive score in
after the foliar application of calcium solution. This suggests that all the reverse treatments was lower than that of CK. The

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 Table 3. Effects of different types of calcium, different application methods, and different frequencies on the inner fruit quality of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit.

Treatment Dry matter content Protein (mg/g) Titratable acid (%) Vitamin C (mg/100 g) Soluble sugar Soluble solid Ratio of soluble Calcium content
(%) content (mg/g) content (%) solid content to (μg/g)
titratable acid

CK 17.82 ± 1.48abcdea 3.10 ± 0.18a 1.65 ± 0.07a 112.38 ± 10.09ab 8.39 ± 0.07cdefgh 14.00 ± 0.26cdef 9.27 ± 0.83cde 141.15 ± 2.12h

a1 19.36 ± 1.47abc 3.13 ± 0.31a 1.30 ± 0.10defg 107.99 ± 2.32a 8.34 ± 0.44defgh 15.80 ± 0.53abc 12.2 ± 1.34abc 148.44 ± 1.06ef

a2 16.64 ± 1.50cde 3.50 ± 1.30a 1.57 ± 0.10abc 108.78 ± 6.94ab 8.93 ± 0.85cde 14.67 ± 0.51abcdef 9.35 ± 0.31cde 152.38 ± 1.84de

a3 19.66 ± 1.13abc 3.68 ± 0.45a 1.44 ± 0.12bcd 111.34 ± 3.31ab 9.46 ± 0.02bc 16.30 ± 1.14ab 11.37 ± 1.76abcd 165.60 ± 1.90ab

a4 20.67 ± 0.91a 3.09 ± 0.51a 1.35 ± 0.04de 108.12 ± 4.03ab 11.08 ± 0.43a 15.47 ± 1.27abcd 11.52 ± 1.13abcd 170.95 ± 1.12a

a5 19.94 ± 0.42ab 2.93 ± 0.69a 1.28 ± 0.09defg 115.35 ± 5.78ab 10.07 ± 0.02b 16.57 ± 0.60a 13.03 ± 1.44a 142.56 ± 8.12fgh

a6 18.78 ± 1.08abcd 3.33 ± 0.15a 1.45 ± 0.09bcd 114.25 ± 7.24ab 8.73 ± 0.02cdef 16.63 ± 0.61a 11.53 ± 0.37abcd 142.11 ± 5.81fgh

b1 18.20 ± 0.56abcd 3.19 ± 0.33a 1.22 ± 0.11efg 111.13 ± 3.78ab 9.19 ± 0.20bcde 14.9 ± 1.83abcdef 12.29 ± 2.05ab 142.87 ± 3.52fgh

b2 18.94 ± 0.60abcd 3.48 ± 0.34a 1.10 ± 0.13g 119.44 ± 5.00a 8.77 ± 0.24cde 12.8 ± 2.69f 11.8 ± 3.44abcd 144.39 ± 4.12fgh

b3 17.82 ± 1.89abcde 3.18 ± 0.37a 1.12 ± 0.17fg 110.39 ± 7.41ab 9.50 ± 0.08bc 14.30 ± 1.25bcdef 13.06 ± 2.78a 156.04 ± 1.60cd

b4 20.10 ± 1.07a 3.49 ± 0.15a 1.32 ± 0.17def 113.94 ± 10.73ab 6.25 ± 0.39j 16.07 ± 0.61abc 12.33 ± 2.1ab 160.96 ± 2.81bc

b5 19.71 ± 3.61abc 3.16 ± 0.25a 1.30 ± 0.14defg 106.78 ± 4.74a 8.54 ± 0.05cdefg 15.20 ± 1.15abcde 11.85 ± 1.78abcd 140.97 ± 6.22h

b6 20.02 ± 2.02ab 3.08 ± 0.54a 1.25 ± 0.01defg 106.16 ± 8.05a 9.42 ± 0.08bcd 15.90 ± 1.83abc 12.7 ± 0.45ab 138.15 ± 3.64h

c1 16.99 ± 1.00bcde 3.29 ± 0.78a 1.39 ± 0.21cde 107.19 ± 5.11a 7.00 ± 1.24ij 13.53 ± 0.32def 9.91 ± 1.5bcde 141.56 ± 1.06gh

c2 18.34 ± 1.15abcd 3.20 ± 0.26a 1.58 ± 0.03abc 113.96 ± 3.72ab 8.14 ± 0.10efgh 13.03 ± 0.99ef 8.21 ± 0.64e 139.87 ± 2.47h
Han et al. European Journal of Horticultural Science (2025) 90:1 https://doi.org/10.1079/ejhs.2025.0006

c3 16.79 ± 1.23cde 3.20 ± 0.42a 1.61 ± 0.04abc 104.78 ± 2.03a 7.68 ± 0.47fghi 13.47 ± 1.35def 8.39 ± 0.67e 132.11 ± 3.11i

c4 16.06 ± 0.73de 3.66 ± 0.29a 1.61 ± 0.05ab 112.29 ± 3.24ab 7.56 ± 1.18ghi 14.83 ± 0.12abcdef 9.21 ± 0.36de 131.27 ± 2.94i

c5 15.16 ± 2.38e 3.18 ± 0.44a 1.57 ± 0.01abc 109.06 ± 1.16ab 7.39 ± 0.81hi 12.83 ± 0.35f 8.17 ± 0.19e 143.64 ± 3.71fgh

c6 16.99 ± 2.00bcde 3.26 ± 0.26a 1.61 ± 0.02ab 108.77 ± 3.16ab 6.96 ± 1.07ij 13.07 ± 0.67ef 8.1 ± 0.45e 148.15 ± 1.54efg
a
The letter difference in the same column shows a significant difference detected at P < 0.05.
7

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Fig. 1. Effect of different types of calcium and different application methods with different application frequencies on Ca content in leaves of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit.

Note: different lowercase letters in the figure represent significant differences detected at P < 0.05.

top four treatments in the overall ranking were all samples ratio, vine yield and commercial fruit percentage, respectively.
treated with EDTA-Ca solution. The comprehensive ranking of Following the method of Ding et al. (2017), the correlation
a4 was the highest, reaching 5.09. The comprehensive degree between fruit calcium content and leaf calcium content
ranking of c3 was the lowest and lower than that of CK. and each index was categorised. The results of the correlation
analysis are listed in Table 6. Fruit calcium content was positively
Altogether, these integrated score values showed that
and weakly correlated with soluble sugar, average fruit weight,
two-time EDTA-Ca fruit dipping (a4) was the best, followed
longitudinal dimension, fruit shape index, dry matter content
by one-time EDTA-Ca fruit dipping (a3), then EDTA-Ca foliar
and vine yield of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit. The P-value test showed
spraying (a5, a6). After that, fruit dipping in Ca(NO3)2 (b3)
significant correlations between fruit calcium content with three
was followed by foliar spraying with Ca(NO3)2 (b5). This
characteristics, namely soluble sugar, average fruit weight and
indicates that EDTA-Ca resulted in a better comprehensive
vine yield, while the correlations between fruit calcium content and
result than Ca(NO3)2; fruit dipping achieved the best results;
other indicators were extremely significant. There was a moderate
foliar spraying was better than root treatment; and two
negative correlation between fruit cavity rate and calcium content;
applications were more effective than one.
the P-value test was extremely significant. A moderate positive
CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF FRUIT QUALITY correlation was found between commercial fruit rate and fruit
calcium content; the P-value test was extremely significant. A
AND CALCIUM CONTENT IN FRUIT AND LEAF strong positive correlation existed between fruit storage time and
OF ‘HONGYANG’ KIWIFRUIT calcium content, as a very significant P-value test was observed.
The quality indices of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit have been interrela- Conversely, a strong negative correlation was observed between
ted based on all the characteristic analyses. The correlation fruit cracking rate and calcium content, as a very significant
analysis measured the degree of relationship among these P-value test was detected. Leaf calcium content was positively
variables, clarifying how different quality indices interact. Fruit and weakly correlated with fruit soluble sugar, fruit weight, fruit
calcium content and leaf calcium content were correlated with shape index, soluble solid matter, dry matter, solid acid ratio,
soluble sugar, soluble protein, titratable acid, VC, fruit weight, vine yield and commercial fruit rate. The P-value test indicated
fruit dimensions, fruit shape index, soluble solids, dry matter, significant correlations between fruit soluble sugar, fruit shape
crack fruit percentage, fruit core cavity, storage time, solid acid index, dry matter, solid acid ratio and leaf calcium content. The

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Han et al. European Journal of Horticultural Science (2025) 90:1 https://doi.org/10.1079/ejhs.2025.0006 9

Table 4. Eigenvalues, variance contribution and cumulative contribution rates of four principal components for fruit quality after different types of calcium, different
application methods and different application frequencies used in ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit.

Character related to fruit quality index PC1 PC2 PC3 PC4

Ca content in fruit 0.763 −0.598 −0.112 0.08

Soluble sugar 0.683 0.322 −0.256 0.477

Titratable acid 0.61 0.165 0.424 −0.099

Average fruit weight 0.614 0.384 −0.406 0.475

Fruit shape index 0.838 0.158 0.256 0.045

Soluble solids 0.702 0.385 −0.121 −0.38

Dry matter 0.861 0.172 0.062 -0.22

Fruit cracking rate 0.844 −0.471 0.088 0.07

Storage time 0.785 −0.543 −0.163 0.064

Vine yield 0.815 0.366 −0.044 −0.203

Commercial fruit rate 0.915 0.15 −0.01 −0.138

Fruit core cavity rate 0.882 −0.317 0.033 −0.097

Vitamin C 0.171 0.096 0.811 0.394

Eigenvalues 7.37 1.621 1.203 0.898

Variance contribution 56.695 12.469 9.253 6.908

Cumulative contribution rates 56.695 69.164 78.417 85.325

KMO value 0.73

P-value for Bartlett’s sphericity test 0

correlations between other indicators and leaf calcium content In this study, the application of EDTA-Ca and Ca(NO3)2 resulted
were highly significant. in an increase in fruit weight for ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit. The highest
increase in fruit weight was 23.07%, significantly heavier than the
CK. This was observed when EDTA-Ca solution was applied via
fruit surface dipping. This indicates that the external application of
Discussion a calcium source is an effective way to increase the fruit weight of
‘Hongyang’ kiwifruits. Yang et al. (2018) reported that spraying
APPLICATION OF EDTA-Ca AND Ca(NO3)2 Ca(NO3)2 and amino acid calcium increased the soluble solid
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE FRUIT QUALITY OF content, total sugar content, solid acid ratio, leaf calcium content
‘HONGYANG’ KIWIFRUIT and fruit calcium content in ‘Guifei Rose’ grapes but reduced the
The kiwifruit industry has become important for the mountain titratable acid content in the fruit. This is not completely consis-
area’s economic development in western China, as kiwifruit tent with the results of this study. Our study showed that the
cultivation is one of the most practical ways to earn income for application of Ca(NO3)2 and EDTA-Ca increased the fruit shape
some of the mountain-area farmers (Li and Zhang, 2011; Wu, index, soluble sugar, soluble solid content, solid-acid ratio and
2019; Zhong et al., 2021). However, the industry faces several dry matter of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit and reduced the fruit cracking
challenges, especially environmental effects like the currently rate, fruit core cavity rate and titratable acid content. These results
fast-changing climate and poor soil response to the environmen- significantly improved fruit quality and increased the commercial
tal change. Another effect is the lack of standard management fruit rate of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit.
to correspond to the local climate, environment and soil to During the research, the application of EDTA-Ca showed a more
meet commercial kiwifruit planting requirements. One of these significant effect in improving fruit quality than the application
challenges is the lack of fruit quality control due to the absence of Ca(NO3)2. This could be related to their chemical composi-
of a serious, standardized production protocol, which has resulted tion, as Ca(NO3)2 is an inorganic calcium, which plants absorb
in a low commercial fruit rate and poor shelf life, especially for and utilize less efficiently compared to chelated calcium (EDTA-
the popular red-flesh kiwifruit ‘Hongyang’. In this research, we Ca). A high concentration of Ca(NO3)2 can directly or indirectly
found that calcium can solve some of the problems. Calcium is an damage fruit and leaves; all of these could interrupt the absorp-
essential nutrient for plants (Qimei et al., 2021), and some studies tion and transformation of other nutrients in plants; all of these
have shown that exogenous calcium treatment can increase fruit result in nutrient unbalances and may even bring adverse effects.
weight in crops like green-flesh kiwifruit (Mo et al., 2019), apple However, EDTA-Ca is chelated and generally does not immedi-
(Liu et al., 2021) and grape (Yu et al., 2018). ately dissociate into Ca2+ after absorption by plants. Instead, it

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Table 5. Scores of principal components and comprehensive ranking related to ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit quality with different types of calcium treatments and different
methods with different times.

Treatment F1 F2 F3 F4 F Comprehensive ranking

CK 3.44 0.16 0.17 0.23 2.35 13

a1 5.19 0.22 0.17 −0.02 3.50 8

a2 5.13 −0.17 −0.05 0.27 3.40 11

a3 6.90 -0.12 0.00 0.32 4.59 2

a4 7.66 −0.14 −0.13 0.44 5.09 1

a5 5.74 0.72 0.28 0.25 3.97 3

a6 5.73 0.84 0.22 0.15 3.97 4

b1 4.78 0.34 0.30 0.23 3.28 12

b2 4.91 0.22 0.85 0.40 3.42 10

b3 5.80 −0.10 0.31 0.22 3.89 5

b4 5.81 −0.52 0.64 −0.29 3.83 6

b5 5.10 0.60 0.23 −0.04 3.50 7

b6 5.08 0.59 0.11 0.02 3.48 9

c1 3.27 0.23 0.12 0.07 2.23 14

c2 3.13 0.16 0.22 0.32 2.15 15

c3 1.92 0.30 0.05 0.07 1.33 19

c4 1.92 0.57 0.23 0.20 1.40 18

c5 2.76 −0.14 0.12 0.31 1.85 17

c6 2.94 −0.17 0.08 0.18 1.95 16

gradually dissociates and provides a continuous supply of Ca2+ enhance resistance during the rainy season. This approach could be
in a chelated form, thus avoiding the stimulation and damage efficient to improve plant nutrient absorption.
caused by excessively high Ca2+ concentrations on the surface of
In this research, it was also found that calcium application to the fruit
leaves and fruit and ensuring the full absorption and utilization of
surface significantly extended the ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit storage time
Ca2+ (Li, 2021).
in comparison to calcium applicationto leaves. This could be due to
calcium delaying the fruit’s respiration process. However, spraying
the calcium solution on the leaves neither increased the calcium
DIRECTLY CALCIUM-TREATED FRUIT content of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit nor decreased the fruit splitting rate.
SURFACE SIGNIFICANTLY ACHIEVED THE This could be due to calcium transport mainly relying on xylem
BEST FRUIT QUALITY FOR ‘HONGYANG’ transpiration and being difficult to reach the fruit because calcium is
KIWIFRUIT hard to move; all these resulted in difficulty in transferring calcium
In this study, the effects of different calcium application methods sprayed on the leaf surface to the fruit (Li et al., 2019). Although
on the quality of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit were investigated by applying applying calcium to the leaves did not increase the calcium content
exogenous calcium to different organs of kiwifruit at different times. of the fruit, the quality of the fruit was improved. It is speculated
The results showed that when the same type of exogenous calcium that after absorbing Ca2+, the leaves may improve their photosyn-
was applied to the fruit surface, storage time, commercial fruit thetic efficiency and increase the synthesis and accumulation of
rate, dry matter content, fruit calcium content and solid-acid ratio photosynthetic products. The calcium content in fruits is often
were significantly improved. Moreover, two applications of calcium weakly or strongly positively correlated with fruit quality, indicating
yielded better results than one, as the fruit cavity rate and fruit that applying calcium to fruits is more effective than applying it to
cracking rate were reduced. When foliar application was conduc- leaves. In this research, fruit dipping achieved the best results; foliar
ted with the same type of exogenous calcium, the soluble solids spraying was better than root treatment. This could be because root
content, dry matter content, and single fruit weight of 'Hongyang' treatment with calcium takes time for the calcium to take effect. This
kiwifruit treated with two applications of calcium were higher than will leave further observation.
those treated with one application. This finding was consistent with Taking all together, spraying calcium on the leaves, immersing
Zhang (2009), who reported that reducing the amount of fertilizer fruit in a calcium solution and irrigating calcium to the roots
application while increasing the frequency of fertilizer application significantly improved the fruit quality of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit.
could improve fertilizer efficiency, strengthen tree vigour, and Among them, calcium directly treated on the fruit achieved the

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 Table 6. Correlation analysis between fruit quality and calcium content in fruit and leaves of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit after the application of calcium with different types of calcium, different methods and different frequencies.

Item analysis Calcium content in fruit Calcium content in leaves

Pearson correlation P-value Relationship status Pearson correlation P-value Relationship status
coefficient coefficient

Soluble sugar 0.301 0.02 Weak correlation 0.334 0.01 Weak correlation

Protein 0.067 0.62 Unrelated −0.078 0.56 Unrelated

Titratable acid -0.224 0.09 Unrelated −0.194 0.15 Unrelated

VC 0.051 0.71 Unrelated 0.084 0.54 Unrelated

Single fruit weight 0.307 0.02 Weak correlation 0.435 0.00 Weak correlation

transverse dimension −0.023 0.87 Unrelated −0.103 0.45 Unrelated

Longitudinal dimension 0.481 0.00 Weak correlation 0.278 0.04 Unrelated

Fruit shape index 0.459 0.00 Weak correlation 0.329 0.01 Weak correlation

Soluble solids 0.229 0.09 Unrelated 0.496 0.00 Weak correlation

Dry matter 0.399 0.00 Weak correlation 0.360 0.01 Weak correlation

Fruit cracking rate −0.855 0.00 Strong correlation 0.081 0.55 Unrelated

Fruit core cavity rate −0.698 0.00 Moderate Correlation −0.137 0.31 Unrelated
Han et al. European Journal of Horticultural Science (2025) 90:1 https://doi.org/10.1079/ejhs.2025.0006

Storage time 0.815 0.00 Strong correlation −0.072 0.59 Unrelated

Solid-acid ratio 0.256 0.05 Unrelated 0.362 0.01 Weak correlation

Vine yield 0.339 0.01 Weak correlation 0.480 0.00 Weak correlation

Commercial fruit yield 0.577 0.00 Moderate Correlation 0.443 0.00 Weak correlation
11

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best results, as it increased the single fruit weight, dry matter DATA AVAILABILITY
content, protein, soluble sugar content, fruit calcium content, No related data.
improved the commercial fruit rate, extended storage time and
reduced fruit cracking rate and cavity rate. Moreover, the best
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