`Empire' Apple Responses to Fruit-thinning Chemicals

Fruit Self-Thinning: A Trait to Consider for Genetic Improvement of Apple Tree

In apple (Malus×domestica Borkh), as in many fruiting crops, fruit maintenance vs abscission is a major criteria for production profitability. Growers routinely make use of chemical thinning agents to control total fruit load. However, serious threats for the environment lead to the demand for new apple cultivars with self-thinning properties. In this project, we studied the genetic determinism...

`McIntosh' apple fruit thinning by benzyladenine in relation to seed number and endogenous cytokinin levels in fruit and leaves

The relationship of 6-benzylaminopurine (BA)-induced fruitlet abscission to seed number and endogenous cytokinin levels in the fruit and leaves was examined in `McIntosh' apples (Malus domestica Borkh.). BA applied at the 10 mm stage of fruit development effectively thinned apple fruit and increased fruit size. The seed number of abscising fruit increased as BA concentrations increased. In pers...

Leaf Photosynthetic Responses to Thinning

Apple Fruit Pectic Substances.

1. The pectic substances of apple have been extracted and separated into a pure pectinic acid and a neutral arabinan-galactan complex by precipitation of the acidic component with ethanol and with cetylpyridinium chloride. 2. The composition of the fractions has been determined. The pectinic acid contained galacturonic acid, arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, xylose and several trace sugars. 3. Tr...

Phytohormone Interaction Modulating Fruit Responses to Photooxidative and Heat Stress on Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.)

Sun-related physiological disorders such as sun damage on apples (Malus domestica Borkh) are caused by cumulative photooxidative and heat stress during their growing season triggering morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes in fruit tissues not only while it is on the tree but also after it has been harvested. The objective of the work was to establish the interaction of auxin (in...