EXPERIENCE WITH THE APPLICATION OF HYDROGEN CYANAMIDE ON FRUIT TREES IN LATIN AMERICA

In many tropical and suptropical countries there is an increased development of non-traditional fruit crops, especially in temperate-climate fruit trees.
These species have varying chilling requirements to ensure thorough breaking of vegetative and generative buds.

Numerous tests have shown that a shortage of chilling hours can be compensated by use of chemical products like mineral oil, urea, dinitro, thiourea, hydrogen cyanamide, citoquininas, ethrel, etc.

Intensive research with hydrogen cyanamide (Erez and Lavee, Israel, in cooperation with SKW Trostberg) was undertaken after 1978 with exceptional results on bud burst of several temperate fruit species.
Since 1984 hydrogen cyanamide began to be used commercially to complete and synchronize bud breaking in table grapes in Chile and México.

During this development the objectives for the use of hydrogen cyanamide (DORMEX^R) have been extended to:

• Further bud breaking in areas where there is no chance of late frosts.

• Increase bud burst to highest percentages.

• Increase uniformed bud breaking to concentrate flowering and harvest.

• Hasten bud break of a cultivar to achieve improved cross pollination.

• Regulate bud breaking in tropical zones with continuous production, system 1:1:1 (>2 harvests per year).

Hydrogen cyanamide is used in Latin America on the following crops: vine and table grapes, apple, cherry, plum, fig, pear, raspberry, peach and kaki.

Local research has come up with with specific recommendations regarding dosage and time of application.
These factors vary with variety and climatic zone.
Combination of hydrogen cyanamide and other products like mineral oil have been tested.

International Symposium on Fruit Growing in Tropical Highlands

H. Behnke

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1992.310.10