Articles
Seaweed extract spray alleviated postharvest stress but unaffected fruiting in ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry
Article number
1408_40
Pages
283 – 292
Language
English
Abstract
Seaweed extract contains essential mineral nutrients, amino acids, saccharides and phytohormones that can be beneficial to crop growth and resilience under abiotic stresses.
Effects are subject to growth stages, cultivars and environmental conditions.
This study investigated the canopy spray effects of Ascophyllum nodosum-based seaweed extract on photosynthesis, floral bud quality, fruit set, yield and fruit quality of ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry (Prunus avium ‘Lapins’) on Krymsk 5 rootstock in 2020-2022, in Summerland, British Columbia, Canada.
At the rate of 0.5% dilution, two sprays were applied to runoff after cherry harvest in 2020, and one spray at green tip and one at petal fall in 2021. Positive effects were observed on chlorophyll a fluorescence ratio Fv’/Fm’ after harvest in 2020, and on fresh bud mass and bud starch content during dormancy, but not on percent fruit set, yield or fruit quality after the heat waves in 2021. Sprays were repeated for three times in August 2021, and one time at green tip and at petal fall in 2022 respectively.
The treatments reduced plant senescence reflectance index (PSRI) in August 2021, but had no significant effect on fruit set, yield or fruit quality attributes in 2022. Furthermore, in the in vitro pollen germination study, seaweed extract supplement led to higher pollen germination rate and longer pollen tubes than the control sucrose solution; the seaweed extracts showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect, as lower germination ratio and shorter pollen tube length in 0.5% solution than in 0.2% solution.
This study suggests that the seaweed extract spray can alleviate stresses in ‘Lapins’; the significance of spring spray to fruit set requires longer-term and multi-site investigation, with optimized concentrations and timings to avoid adverse impacts on pollen viability during anthesis.
Effects are subject to growth stages, cultivars and environmental conditions.
This study investigated the canopy spray effects of Ascophyllum nodosum-based seaweed extract on photosynthesis, floral bud quality, fruit set, yield and fruit quality of ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry (Prunus avium ‘Lapins’) on Krymsk 5 rootstock in 2020-2022, in Summerland, British Columbia, Canada.
At the rate of 0.5% dilution, two sprays were applied to runoff after cherry harvest in 2020, and one spray at green tip and one at petal fall in 2021. Positive effects were observed on chlorophyll a fluorescence ratio Fv’/Fm’ after harvest in 2020, and on fresh bud mass and bud starch content during dormancy, but not on percent fruit set, yield or fruit quality after the heat waves in 2021. Sprays were repeated for three times in August 2021, and one time at green tip and at petal fall in 2022 respectively.
The treatments reduced plant senescence reflectance index (PSRI) in August 2021, but had no significant effect on fruit set, yield or fruit quality attributes in 2022. Furthermore, in the in vitro pollen germination study, seaweed extract supplement led to higher pollen germination rate and longer pollen tubes than the control sucrose solution; the seaweed extracts showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect, as lower germination ratio and shorter pollen tube length in 0.5% solution than in 0.2% solution.
This study suggests that the seaweed extract spray can alleviate stresses in ‘Lapins’; the significance of spring spray to fruit set requires longer-term and multi-site investigation, with optimized concentrations and timings to avoid adverse impacts on pollen viability during anthesis.
Publication
Authors
H. Xu, D. Ediger, M. Sharifi
Keywords
anthesis, bud starch content, chlorophyll fluorescence, fruit quality, fruit set, leaf senescence, pollen viability, Prunus avium
Groups involved
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