QUALITY OF CV. ‘GALA BROOKFIELD’ AND ‘FUJI KIKU 8’ APPLES GROWN UNDER AND OUTSIDE HAIL NET

Anti-hail nets for the production of apples has become a normally action for a new or update an old apple orchard. In 2007 and 2008, the development of quality and maturity parameters of cv. Gala Brookfield and ‘Fuji Kiku 8 apples grafted on M9 were studied in the Fruit growing centre Maribor-Gačnik as a factor of being grown under a blackhail net. The results showed that when grown under the black hail net fruit of both cultivars reach a higher mean mass, lower soluble solids content (0.6 to 1 ° Brix), and lower starch index, while no effect of the black hail net was detected on fruit flesh firmness and yield.