The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Gibberellic Acid in mitigate the phenomenon of parthenocarpy and improve the fruit set in the date palm cultivar Assiane at Figuig Oasis in Morocco. For this, four different concentrations of Gibberellic Acid (GA3) viz., 5, 50, 100, and 200 ppm were applied on unpollinated inflorescences in two phases. The first dose of GA3 is applied at the time of spadices burst while the second one is applied after the seven days of the first one. The results obtained from the study showed that the application of gibberellic acid on unpollinated female inflorescences had a significant effect on the removal of parthenocarpy which resulting in the higher normal-looking fruits with normal seed and by promoting the maturity of parthenocarpic fruits. In the case of rate of thinning, the application of GA3 @ 5-100 ppm enhanced the flower drop, while the application at higher concentration i.e. 200 ppm promotes the retention and development of flowers. Further, the analysis of the ripe fruits sugars content by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) suggests that the application of GA3 did not have any significant effect on the sugar content and these treatments are not significantly different from the fruits of pollinated flowers.
Effect of pollination time, the hour of daytime, pollen storage temperature and duration on pollen viability, germinability, and fruit set of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv "Deglet Nour"
