scholarly journals The Use of Leaf Removal and Prohexadione-Ca to Modify `Camarosa' Strawberry Nursery Plant Morphology for Plasticulture Fruit Production

HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 820B-820
Author(s):  
Julia Reekie* ◽  
Peter Hicklenton ◽  
John Duval ◽  
Craig Chandler ◽  
Paul Struik

Our previous work on modifying strawberry plant morphology used either mowing to remove the leaf laminas and part of the petioles on `Camarosa', or a new reduced-risk gibberellin synthesis inhibitor, Prohexadione-Ca (ProCa), to restrict cell elongation in `Sweet Charlie'. These early studies showed promising results in acheiving desirable plant size and increasing fruit yield in annual hill plasticulture. Therefore, in the growing seasons of 2001 and 2002, we used `Camarosa' to explore the possibility of combining mowing and ProCa as a means of modifying strawberry transplant morphology in the nurseries, and studied its effect on fruit production in annual hill plasticulture. Plants were mowed and treated with 62.5 μL·L-1 of ProCa in a nursery field in Nova Scotia (45°26'N, 63°27'W). Treatments consisted of either mowing, the application of ProCa, or a combination of mowing and ProCa on one of two dates, 5 or 19 Sept. ProCa application early in the growing season had increased the production of daughter plants in the nursery. All plants were harvested in early October, and immediately transplanted in Dover, Fla. (28°00'N, 82°22'W). Fruits were collected twice weekly from late November to February or March. At time of harvest, both mowing and ProCa reduced plant height and total leaf area; plants which were treated with ProCa and mowed were the shortest. On average, treated plants had higher fruit yield as compared to untreated plants. In 2001, early fruit production in December was increased significantly in treated plants.

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew L. Thomas ◽  
Jackie L. Harris ◽  
Elijah A. Bergmeier ◽  
R. Keith Striegler

An evaluation of establishment techniques and rootstocks for ‘Chambourcin’ hybrid grape (Vitis sp.) was conducted 2009–12. Our objective was to evaluate four establishment methods and their interactions with grafted and ungrafted vines in terms of vine morphology and early fruit production under southwest Missouri conditions. The study was established in May 2009, as a factorial experiment comparing four establishment methods (open-trained without protection—two shoots, grow tube protected—two shoots, paperboard carton protected—two shoots, and fan-trained without protection—six shoots) across two vine types (own-rooted and grafted to ‘Couderc 3309’ hybrid grape rootstock). All vines in four of 12 field replications were destructively harvested near the conclusion of the first growing season, with leaf area and total vine dry matter determined. In years 3 and 4, yield, fruit composition, and vegetative growth were determined from the eight remaining replications. The fan training method increased leaf area and total vine dry matter compared with the other methods, but none of the establishment techniques affected fruit yield. Trunks that were tube protected had longer internodes, smaller diameter, and less dry matter, whereas both protection devices reduced glyphosate injury. Vine type (grafted and ungrafted) did not impact total leaf area or dry weight during the establishment year, but grafted vines had increased trunk and root shank dry weights compared with own-rooted vines. Grafted vines produced greater fruit yield in 2012. The fan training method required more labor to execute; although it was successful at increasing leaf area and root dry weight, it increased susceptibility to glyphosate injury and did not promote increased precocity or early fruit yield.


2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 665-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Y. Reekie ◽  
P. R. Hicklenton ◽  
J. R. Duval ◽  
C. K. Duval ◽  
P. C. Struik

Mowing and the application of a new gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitor, prohexadione-calcium (ProCa), were studied as methods to modify the bare-root transplant morphology of Camarosa strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne) in a Nova Scotia nursery. The effect these nursery practices had on fruit production in annual hill plasticulture was also determined. In one experiment Camarosa plants were sprayed with ProCa at an active ingredient concentration of 62.5 mg L-1 on Aug. 22, Sep. 05, or Sep. 19, 2001 and 2002, corresponding, respectively, to growing degree days (10°C base) of 800, 894 and 965 in 2001 and 726, 821 and 908 in 2002. Application on Aug. 22 increased production of daughter plants, especially those of marketable size, by increasing the number of daughters per meter of runner and allocating more dry matter to marketable daughters. In a second experiment, field plots were mowed and/or treated with ProCa at an active ingredient concent ration of 62.5 mg L-1 on Sep. 05 or Sep. 19, 2001 and 2002. All plants were dug in early October, shipped to Dover, Florida, and transplanted into plasticulture for fruit production. At digging, plants that had been mowed or treated with ProCa on Sep. 05 were reduced in plant height and total leaf area compared with untreated plants. Plants that were treated both with ProCa and mowed were the shortest. Fruit yield was higher from treated than from untreated plants. In 2001, the treatments increased early fruit production. Key words: Fragaria × ananassa, mowing, gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitor, phenology, height control


2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bellemare ◽  
L. Rochefort ◽  
L. Lapointe

The effects of combining rhizome sectioning and in-depth mineral fertilization on cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.) growth and production in a natural peat bog were determined over four growing seasons. Observed enhancements of growth and fruit production included: increases in the density of ramets and leaves from the second year; increased flower density from the third year; and increased fruit density from the fourth year. No effect on fruit size was observed. These results demonstrate that it is possible to stimulate growth and productivity of cloudberry by cultural treatments applied to natural mires.Key words: Wild berry, Rubus chamaemorus, fruit yield, rhizome sectioning, mineral fertilization, cloudberry


HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 392E-392
Author(s):  
Juan C. Diaz-Perez ◽  
D. Bertrand ◽  
D. Giddings

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) can cause serious damage to tomato, pepper, lettuce, and other crops. The virus is transmitted by several species of thrips. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the time (t, days after transplanting) when TSWV symptoms first appeared on tomato plant size and fruit yield. Tomato (`Florida-47') plants were drip-irrigated and planted over black plastic mulch. The experiment was carried out in Tifton, Ga., during Spring 1999. High populations of thrips were detected since early stages of plant development, which resulted in a high incidence of TSWV. Plant fresh weight was significantly higher (r2 = 0.632, n = 216) the later in plant development TSWV symptoms first appeared (i.e., with increasing t values). Total fruit production of individual plant linearly increased with increasing t values (r2 = 0.664, n = 216). As with total fruit production, fruit marketable yield was also higher with increasing t values; however, marketable yield was significantly reduced even when plants were infected later in the season (t > 55 days after transplanting). Our results suggest that it is important to keep tomato plants free from TSWV as long as possible. This applies to both developing and developed plants.


2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-299
Author(s):  
Javier Carreño-Barrera ◽  
Luis Alberto Núñez-Avellaneda ◽  
Maria José Sanín ◽  
Artur Campos D. Maia

Solitary, dioecious, and mostly endemic to Andean cloud forests, wax palms (Ceroxylon Bonpl. ex DC. spp.) are currently under worrisome conservation status. The establishment of management plans for their dwindling populations rely on detailed biological data, including their reproductive ecology. As in the case of numerous other Neotropical palm taxa, small beetles are assumed to be selective pollinators of wax palms, but their identity and relevance in successful fruit yield were unknown. During three consecutive reproductive seasons we collected data on population phenology and reproductive and floral biology of three syntopic species of wax palms native to the Colombian Andes. We also determined the composition of the associated flower-visiting entomofauna, quantifying the extent of the role of individual species as effective pollinators through standardized value indexes that take into consideration abundance, constancy, and pollen transport efficiency. The studied populations of C. parvifrons (Engel) H. Wendl., C. ventricosum Burret, and C. vogelianum (Engel) H. Wendl. exhibit seasonal reproductive cycles with marked temporal patterns of flower and fruit production. The composition of the associated flower-visiting entomofauna, comprised by ca. 50 morphotypes, was constant across flowering seasons and differed only marginally among species. Nonetheless, a fraction of the insect species associated with pistillate inflorescences actually carried pollen, and calculated pollinator importance indexes demonstrated that one insect species alone, Mystrops rotundula Sharp, accounted for 94%–99% of the effective pollination services for all three species of wax palms. The sequential asynchronous flowering of C. parvifrons, C. ventricosum, and C. vogelianum provides an abundant and constant supply of pollen, pivotal for the maintenance of large populations of their shared pollinators, a cooperative strategy proven effective by high fruit yield rates (up to 79%). Reproductive success might be compromised for all species by the population decline of one of them, as it would tamper with the temporal orchestration of pollen offer.


Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 408
Author(s):  
Gizachew Zeleke ◽  
Tatek Dejene ◽  
Wubalem Tadesse ◽  
Pablo Martín-Pinto

In this study, we evaluated stand status, dendrometric variables, and fruit production of Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) trees growing in bushland and farmland-use types in dryland areas of Ethiopia. The vegetation survey was conducted using the point-centered quarter method. The fruit yield of 54 trees was also evaluated. Tree density and fruit production in ha were estimated. There was a significant difference in Tamarind tree density between the two land-use types (p = 0.01). The mean fruit yield of farmland trees was significantly higher than that of bushland trees. However, Tamarind has unsustainable structure on farmlands. Differences in the dendrometric characteristics of trees were also observed between the two land-use types. Predictive models were selected for Tamarind fruit yield estimations in both land-use types. Although the majority of farmland trees produced <5000 fruit year−1, the selection of Tamarind germplasm in its natural ranges could improve production. Thus, the development of management plans to establish stands that have a more balanced diameter structure and thereby ensure continuity of the population and fruit yields is required in this area, particularly in the farmlands. This baseline information could assist elsewhere in areas that are facing similar challenges for the species due to land-use change.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Rahman ◽  
Andrew Robson ◽  
Mila Bristow

Pre-harvest yield estimation of mango fruit is important for the optimization of inputs and other resources on the farm. Current industry practice of visual counting the fruit on a small number of trees for yield forecasting can be highly inaccurate due to the spatial variability, especially if the trees selected do not represent the entire crop. Therefore, this study evaluated the potential of high resolution WorldView-3 (WV3) satellite imagery to estimate yield of mango by integrating both geometric (tree crown area) and optical (spectral vegetation indices) data using artificial neural network (ANN) model. WV3 images were acquired in 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 growing seasons at the early fruit stage from three orchards in Acacia Hills region, Northern Territory, Australia. Stratified sampling technique (SST) was applied to select 18 trees from each orchard and subsequently ground truthed for yield (kg·tree−1) and fruit number per tree. For each sampled tree, spectral reflectance data and tree crown area (TCA) was extracted from WV3 imagery. The TCA was identified as the most important predictor of both fruit yield (kg·tree−1) and fruit number, followed by NDVI red-edge band when all trees from three orchards in two growing seasons were combined. The results of all sampled trees from three orchards in two growing seasons using ANN model produced a strong correlation (R2 = 0.70 and 0.68 for total fruit yield (kg·tree−1) and fruit number respectively), which suggest that the model can be obtained to predict yield on a regional level. On orchard level also the ANN model produced a high correlation when both growing seasons were combined. However, the model developed in one season could not be applied in another season due to the influence of seasonal variation and canopy condition. Using the relationship derived from the measured yield parameters against combined VIs and TCA data, the total fruit yield (t·ha−1) and fruit number were estimated for each orchard, produced 7% under estimation to less than 1% over estimation. The accuracy of the findings showed the potential of WV3 imagery to better predict the yield parameters than the current practice across the mango industry as well as to quantify lost yield as a result of delayed harvest.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Mantovani ◽  
Ricardo Rios Iglesias

The amount of resources invested in reproduction is closely correlated to plant size. However, the increase in reproductive investment is not always proportional to the increase in vegetative growth, as the proportion of plant resources allocated to reproduction can increase, decrease or be maintained along different plant sizes. Although comprising thousand of species, epiphytes are poorly studied in relation to reproductive allocation (RA). We describe the variation in the RA of the epiphytic bromeliad Tillandsia stricta Soland with increasing plant sizes. Our goal is not only to evaluate the RA of the whole inflorescence but also quantify the contribution of ancillary structures in the final RA of this plant species. With increasing sizes of T. stricta the reproductive allocation of biomass to the whole inflorescence decreased significantly along plant sizes from 37% to 12%. Reproductive allocation to ancillary and to flowers decreased respectively from 30% to 9% and 10% to 3%. As leaves are the main source of water and nutrients absorption in atmospheric Tillandsia, the total leaf area and area per leaf were used as indicators of foraging capacity, that also increased with plant size. We discuss these results with respect to the capacity of T. stricta to reproduce in the heterogeneous environment of the canopies.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaldo Nonato P de Oliveira ◽  
Ademar P de Oliveira ◽  
Francisco de Assis P Leonardo ◽  
Iordam da S Cruz ◽  
Damiana F da Silva

Considering the importance of gherkin in Northeastern Brazil, studies focusing on increasing its quality and yield are powerful tools to improve people social and economical condition in this region. The effects of doses of bovine manure were evaluated in gherkin yield in an experiment using cultivar Nordestino, from May to September 2006, at the Federal University of Paraíba, in Areia County, Paraíba State, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks, with five treatments (0; 10; 20; 30, and 40 t ha-1) of bovine manure, in four replications. The working area in each experimental plot corresponded to 80 m², including 20 plants, with 2.0 x 2.0 m spaces. The highest number of fruits per plant (30) was achieved with 32.2 t ha-1 of bovine manure. Both fruit production per plant and fruit yield increased with doses of bovine manure, with maximum values of respectively 1,306 g and 19.5 t ha-1, when 40 t ha-1 of bovine manure were used.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12326
Author(s):  
Leangsrun Chea ◽  
Cut Erika ◽  
Marcel Naumann ◽  
Inga Smit ◽  
Bernd Horneburg ◽  
...  

Increasing fruit yield and quality of tomatoes under organic low-input conditions remains a challenge for producers and breeders. Therefore, it is necessary to identify superior tomato cultivars that are suitable for production and use as parents in breeding programmes. In the present study, the variations in plant morphology and fruit quality characteristics of tomato cultivars were assessed to reveal the traits associated with improved yield and fruit quality. Sixty diverse tomato cultivars were screened in 2015, and in 2016, a subset of 20 cultivars was selected for further evaluation under organic low-input conditions. The results showed high variability among cultivars in all 28 traits that were observed. Salad cultivars had lower plant growth and fruit quality (minerals, dry matter, total soluble solids, and total phenolics) by 10–70%, but they displayed 10–60% higher fruit yield and leaf minerals than cocktail cultivars. Salad tomato cultivars with superior yield and harvest index were mainly derived from breeding for intensive indoor production. Cocktail cultivars with superior yield were mainly derived from organic and outdoor breeding programs. There was a trade-off between fruit yield and quality, indicating a challenge for simultaneous improvement of yield and quality. The importance of Mg was highlighted because of its contribution to the fruit mineral concentration and fruit quality. Cultivars superior in one trait or trait combination under organic low-input conditions were identified to be used by producers and breeders as superior cultivars to meet their production targets and breeding objectives. The importance of Mg provides a novel path for further research on improving soil-available Mg in organic tomato production to enhance fruit mineral concentration and fruit quality in general.


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