Efficacy of Chemical Thinning by Some Plant Growth Regulators on Regulating Alternate Bearing in Balady Mandarin Trees

Author : Tarek A. Mahmoud and Manal A. M. Abo-Eid

This experimental study was conducted on eight-year-old Balady mandarin trees (Citrus reticulata L.) budded on sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) with a planting distance of four by five meters. The study extended over four consecutive seasons (2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023) in a sandy loam soil under a drip irrigation system in a private orchard in the Nubaria area of Beheira Governorate, Egypt. The study included six treatments: acetic acid at 0.20% (AA 2000 ppm), 0.25% (AA 2500 ppm) and 0.30% (AA 3000 ppm); and naphthalene acetic acid at 0.03% (NAA 300 ppm) and 0.04% (NAA 400 ppm) in addition to the control treatment. These treatments were applied twice as foliar sprays during on-year: at full bloom stage (approximately 75% of the flowers are opened in the first week of April) and after the fruit setting stage (the fruit diameter is approximately 0.5 cm in the first week of May). The aim of this research work was to improve the quality of the fruits during the on-year by increasing productivity while increasing production in the off-year. The treatments that resulted in the best outcomes were acetic acid 0.30% (AA 3000 ppm) and naphthalene acetic acid 0.04% (NAA 400 ppm), with the same efficiency and without significant differences between the two treatments.

Keywords : Balady mandarin trees, chemical thinning, naphthalene acetic acid, and acetic acid.,

Received:2/20/2024 12:00:00 AM; Accepted: 3/20/2024 12:00:00 AM