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METHYL XANTHINE AS A POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE TO GIBBERELLIC ACID IN ENHANCING FRUIT SET AND QUALITY IN CLEMENTINE CITRUS TREES IN SPAIN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2011

ANA QUIÑONES ,
BELÉN MARTÍNEZ-ALCÁNTARA ,
SARA SAN-FRANCISCO ,
JOSÉ MARÍA GARCÍA-MINA  and
FRANCISCO LEGAZ
ANA QUIÑONES*
Affiliation:
Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Carretera Moncada a Náquera, C.P. 46113, Moncada, Valencia, Spain
BELÉN MARTÍNEZ-ALCÁNTARA
Affiliation:
Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Carretera Moncada a Náquera, C.P. 46113, Moncada, Valencia, Spain
SARA SAN-FRANCISCO
Affiliation:
Department of Research and Development, Inabonos–Roullier Group, Polígono Arazuri–Orcoyen, C/C n° 34, 31160 Orcoyen, Spain
JOSÉ MARÍA GARCÍA-MINA
Affiliation:
Department of Research and Development, Inabonos–Roullier Group, Polígono Arazuri–Orcoyen, C/C n° 34, 31160 Orcoyen, Spain
FRANCISCO LEGAZ
Affiliation:
Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Carretera Moncada a Náquera, C.P. 46113, Moncada, Valencia, Spain
*
‡Corresponding author. [email protected]
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Summary

Citrus clementine cv. ‘Nules’ is a seedless mandarin with excellent quality for consumption as fresh fruit; however, its poor fruit set leads to an excess of small-sized fruits. Currently, the only available practice to increase fruit set is the use of the growth regulator gibberellic acid (GA3) as a foliar spray. A trial was conducted to compare an environmentally friendly new bioregulator (MX), containing methyl-xanthine, to GA3 in terms of increasing fruit set and yield of clementine cv. Nules mandarin trees. Fruit yield was significantly increased in treated trees from 17.4 to 25.7% for GA3 and MX treatments, respectively, compared to untreated control trees, without any significant differences between the growth regulators. At the tested doses, MX performed similarly to GA3 in terms of fruit quality and nutrient content, while colour index was not affected significantly by this new bioregulator. A single foliar application of MX was enough to increase fruit set. Spray application of MX on clementine mandarins at the end of the flowering period, when all petals have fallen showed a similar response to GA3 treatments.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 47 , Issue 1 , January 2011 , pp. 159 - 171
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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