Does 'King Dominance' differ among apple cultivars and sites?

Apple flower clusters at pink were limited to King (K) only, K+ lateral (L), L alone, L + L on a number of cultivars in NZ, OH, and ME with 'Jonagold' and 'Royal Gala' common to all sites. Across all sites 'Jonagold' fruit set was highest and similar when the flower cluster was thinned to either K or L alone. In ME, the same pattern existed for 'Royal Gala' however, in NZ and OH, set varied among flower positions. When two lateral flowers were left, fruit set of 'Royal Gala' was reduced at all sites compared to leaving the K alone. Fruit size at harvest of 'Royal Gala' was not influenced by position in the flower cluster at any site. However, fruit size of 'Jonagold' varied at each site due to position in the flower cluster. Position had no influence in OH, but in NZ, L and L w L were larger fruit than the K, while just the reverse occurred in ME. At all sites 'Royal Gala' had more viable seeds/fruit than 'Jonagold'. In OH, flower position had no effect on seeds/fruit. In ME, 'Jonagold' K fruit when combined with L had more seeds than all other positions except when two laterals were retained. The pattern for seed content for 'Jonagold' in NZ followed the pattern for fruit size, but the differences were not significant. 'Royal Gala' in NZ with the K alone had more viable seeds than when L was also present with the K. There was no interaction between chemical thinners and flower position on fruit set, fruit size or spur quality of 'Royal Gala'. Fruit set was highest for a single lateral flower per spur and lower for a lateral flower in the presence of another, either king or lateral. Fruit size of 'Royal Gala' was similar for fruits with one or two fruits per spur, regardless of flower position.