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Effect of thinning with metamitron, NAA, BA and naphthenic acids on apple (Malus domestica) trees

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Abstract

The successful use of chemical thinners on apples requires programs employing multiple chemistries over the thinning period. A thinning program can be designed using various active ingredients in single or multiple applications. The objective of this work was to compare that standard thinning program (COM-STD), with naphthalene acetamide (NAD), 6-benzyladenine (BA) and naphthyl acetic acid (NAA), to new programs involving Metamitron (ME). Five experiments were conducted over seven seasons, from 2013 to 2019 on Gala and Golden apples. Under the trial conditions, COM-STD (NAD/(BA + NAA)) and ME induced fruit abscission. However, the single applications of ME and COM-STD, made on the same days, showed the same level of thinning efficacy. NAD in petal fall with Tank mix (ME + NAA + BA) application at 11mm increased the thinning efficacy in comparison with applying ME and COM-STD alone. Dose effects were also observed with both ME applied alone and the Tank mix (ME + BA). In general, all combinations involving ME and COM-STD, and especially applying COM-STD after ME, produced greater thinning results than applying either product individually to ‘Gala’ and ‘Golden’ apples. Crop yields fell as the thinning efficacy increased, in all the experiments. There was also a negative quadratic relationship between thinning efficacy and average fruit weight, color and diameter.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported financially by project INIA (RTA2012-00116-00-00) in collaboration with Valent BioSciences LLC. and Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IRTA Fruitcentre, PCiTAL, Park of Gardeny, Fruitcentre Building, 25003, Lleida, Spain

    Luis Gonzalez, Estanis Torres, Simo Alegre & Luis Asin

  2. Horticulture Section School of Integrative Plant Sciences, Cornell AgriTech, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, USA

    Luis Gonzalez

  3. IRTA Mas Badia Field Station, La Tallada de l’Empordà, 17134, Girona, Spain

    Gloria Àvila, Joaquim Carbó & Joan Bonany

Authors
  1. Luis Gonzalez
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  2. Estanis Torres
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  3. Gloria Àvila
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  4. Joaquim Carbó
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  5. Joan Bonany
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  6. Simo Alegre
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  7. Luis Asin
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Contributions

Luis Gonzalez Conceptualization and Methodology all trials. Take data and Data curation in Lleida trials. Statistical analysis and Writing. Estanis Torres Take data and Data curation in Lleida trials. Gloria Àvila Take data and Data curation in Mas Badia trials. Joaquim Carbó Take data and Data curation in Mas Badia trials. Joan Bonany Supervision my thesis in Mas Badia and Reviewing. Simo Alegre Supervision my thesis in Lleida and Reviewing. Luis Asin Supervision my thesis in Lleida and Reviewing, Conceptualization and Methodology all trials.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luis Gonzalez.

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Communicated by Vaclav Motyka.

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Gonzalez, L., Torres, E., Àvila, G. et al. Effect of thinning with metamitron, NAA, BA and naphthenic acids on apple (Malus domestica) trees. Plant Growth Regul 102, 39–50 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-023-00976-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-023-00976-4

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