EFFECT OF PRE-BLOOM FOLIAR APPLICATION OF PLANT BIOREGULATORS ON GROWTH, FRUITING AND QUALITY OF APPLE UNDER WARMER AGROCLIMATIC CONDITIONS

The effects of pre-bloom foliar GA₃, BA and NAA applications at green-tip stage of bud development to 15-20 years old Starking Delicious/M7 apple trees under warmer agroclimatic conditions were assessed.
Applications of GA₃ (10-40 ppm) and GA₃ (10 ppm) + BA (5 ppm) resulted in significantly higher increase in vegetative growth over control, whereas applications of NAA (5-20 ppm) curtailed it.
Though NAA applications lead to highest flower intensity and yield efficiency, the maximum increment in fruit-set (up to 62.84%) and fruit yield per hectare (up to 66.62%) over control was observed under the combined application of GA₃ (10 ppm) + BA (5 ppm) + NAA (5 ppm). Fruit physical characteristics were best under the application of 10 ppm GA₃ + 5 ppm NAA, but considering the overall improvement in quality parameters of fruits and increase in production, the combined pre-bloom foliar applications of GA₃ (10 ppm) + BA (5 ppm) + NAA (5 ppm) were observed to be most efficient in marginal apple growing areas of Himachal Pradesh under temperature stress conditions.

VII International Symposium on Temperate Zone Fruits in the Tropics and Subtropics

G. Sharma, S.A. Ananda

apple, NAA, BA, GA₃, prebloom, bioregulator

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.662.52