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Disbudding treatments on pistachio trees cv. mateur: dry matter accumulation and distribution within fruiting and non-fruiting branches under dry climate

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After applying disbudding treatments, removal of fifty percent of flower bud each year improves dry matter accumulation in fruiting and non-fruiting branches of pistachio trees, which could minimize alternate bearing.

Abstract

Dry matter accumulation and distribution within branches of pistachio trees were investigated during 2005-2008 to determine the effects of fruiting on shoot growth under rain-fed conditions in arid climate. Four treatments were applied: T 0 normal alternation cycle, T 1 trees disbudded for 1 year, T 2 trees disbudded for two successive years, and T 3 removal of 50 % of all floral buds for each year. Consecutive disbudded treatment (T 2) allowed a higher growth potential of pistachio trees with reference to normal biennial cycle (T 0). Individual current shoot of T 2 accumulated 44 % as much dry matter cm−1 as those of ‘On’ trees, which have the highest yield. Removal of 50 % of floral buds (T 3) significantly increased the dry matter accumulation in fruiting branch to reach 57 g in postharvest compared to 42.6 g for the control T 0. Trees disbudded for 2 years (T 2) had increased dry matter accumulation in the non-fruiting branch from 3.3 to 16.3 g. Leaves, current shoot, 1-year-old wood and inflorescence buds represented, respectively, 87, 5.3, 5 and 2.7 % of the total dry matter of individual branch of T 2. In fruiting branches, nuts consisted of 83–87 %, leaves 7–10 %, rachises 4 %, 1-year-old wood 1.6–2 % and current shoot 0.8–1.3 % of the total dry matter. One-year-old wood played a major role as sources and sinks for developing current year shoot, leaves, inflorescence buds and nuts. Removal of 50 % of flower bud (T 3) improves the dry matter accumulation in fruiting and non-fruiting branches. Thus, under rain-fed conditions, annual pruning could be used to minimize alternate bearing of pistachio.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Laboratoire d’Amélioration de la Produtivité de l’Olivier et des Arbres Fruitiers, Institut de l’Olivier). The authors gratefully acknowledge the great technical assistance to Mnafki N., Laroussi K., Soua N. and Khecharem A. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, 43 av. Charles Nicolle, 1082, Tunis, Tunisia

    Olfa Elloumi & Mehdi Ben Mimoun

  2. Laboratoire d’Amélioration de la Productivité de l’Olivier et des Arbres Fruitiers, Institut de l’Olivier, BP 1087, 3000, Sfax, Tunisia

    Olfa Elloumi & Mohamed Ghrab

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  1. Olfa Elloumi
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  2. Mohamed Ghrab
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  3. Mehdi Ben Mimoun
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Correspondence to Mohamed Ghrab.

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Communicated by D. Treutter.

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Elloumi, O., Ghrab, M. & Ben Mimoun, M. Disbudding treatments on pistachio trees cv. mateur: dry matter accumulation and distribution within fruiting and non-fruiting branches under dry climate. Trees 28, 699–708 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-014-0982-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-014-0982-5

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