ISHS Acta Horticulturae 239: VI International Symposium on Growth Regulators in Fruit Production
AMELIORATION OF DROUGHT AND HIGH TEMPERATURE INJURY IN FRUITS OF BER BY PACLOBUTRAZOL |
| Authors: | N. Sankhla, D. Sankhla, A. Upadhyaya, Tim D. Davis |
| Abstract:
Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana cv. Seb), also known as 'Desert Apple', holds great promise as a future major fruit tree crop in the Indian desert. Drought, dust storms and extreme temperature, however, drastically reduce fruit yield and cause deterioration in late season fruit quality. Our study was conducted to determine the effects of paclobutrazol on ber growth and development. Soil-applied paclobutrazol (8 mg a.i./tree) inhibited the elongation growth of branches and intensified the green colour of the foliage. Fruits from treated plants consistently maintained higher contents of sugars and ascorbic acid than the control fruits. Under stress conditions in the field, fruits from paclobutrazol-treated trees exhibited elevated activities of scavenger enzymes like catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, and decreased lipid peroxidation. Paclobutrazol also minimised moisture loss from the fruits and greatly reduced cracking of fruits caused by excessive moisture and thermal stress. It is concluded that paclobutrazol can effectively protect ber fruits from stress injury in the Indian desert. | |
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