ISHS Acta Horticulturae 149: Flowering and Fruit Set in Fruit Trees
PHENOLOGY OF FLOWERING IN CITRUS AND AVOCADO AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE |
| Author: | E. Salomon |
| Abstract:
During the spring flush, buds of maure citrus trees may give rise to either vegetative shoots or inflorences. In addition, leafy inflorescences, in which flowers and leaves develop together on the same elongating axis, are also common in citrus. In mature avocado (persea americana Mill.) trees, with few exceptions, leafless inflorescences appear before any vegetative growth. Data presented for citrus by several investigators show that the relative proportion of vegetative shoots, leafy inflorescences and leafless inflorescences is affecred by growth conditions and/or exigenous treatments. In our work potted citrus and avocado plants, reproduced from cuttings, were submitted to conditions providing a strong stimulus for flower formation. Subsequently, the plants were transferred to conditions under which growth was promoted. This resulted in a gradual rise in the proportion of emerging shoots vs. inflorescences, and in higher proportion of leaves compared in the leafy inflorescences. Unusually, leafy inflorescences and vegetative sprouts were initiated also in the avoado plants. It is possible that the leafy inflorscences represents the midway of the midway of a transsition process from full flower-bud commitments towards a vegetative tendency. The reported superiority in fruit set of leafy inflorescences in citrus may be related to the requirement for a more optimal ballance between these two opposed tendencies. | |
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