Description:
<jats:p><p>Cherimoya (<em>Annona cherimola</em> Mill.) is a commercially import fruit crop in several countries of Latin America (Ecuador, Peru and Chile) and Europe (Spain). The fruit is highly valued for its good organoleptic characteristics and nutritional value. Currently, there is a worldwide trend to implement high planting densities in several fruit crops. However, there is little information available on cherimoya to implement new commercial orchards. This research evaluated three planting densities (625, 1250 and 2500 plants/ha) to determine their effect on the cherimoya fruit quality of the variety 'Cumbe'. The two lowest densities evaluated doubled the yield compared to the highest density, and also obtained the highest percentages of fruit in the best size categories (super extra and extra), and harvesting fruit weights &gt;400 g. Based on the results of this study, planting densities of 2500 plants/ha or higher are not recommended due to the affect on yield and quality of cherimoya fruit.</p></jats:p>