Abstract
Parthenocarpy largely depends on the coordinated action of hormones produced in unpollinated ovaries, but can be induced by application of exogenous hormones. We evaluated the effects of gibberellins (GA4+7) and 1-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-3-phenylurea (CPPU) on induction and quality of parthenocarpic fruit in Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai ‘Cuiguan’ pear. Parthenocarpic fruit with a small core and a high edible ratio were induced by GA4+7 and/or CPPU. GA4+7 application induced normally shaped fruit with superior quality and normal size, whereas CPPU treatments resulted in abnormally shaped fruit with a larger size and an extraordinarily expanded calyx tube. Among all GA4+7 treatments, 500 mg L−1 GA4+7 induced the highest fruit set (91.88 %) and increased fruit size by 85 % compared with fruit induced by 200 mg L−1 GA4+7. In addition, the parthenocarpic fruit induced by GA4+7 accumulated considerably higher quantities of sucrose and less organic acids than pollinated and CPPU-induced fruit. The potential commercial application of CPPU and GA to pear in place of hand pollination is discussed.
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This work was financed by the Earmarked Fund for Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System (nycytx-29).
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Niu, Q., Wang, T., Li, J. et al. Effects of exogenous application of GA4+7 and N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N′-phenylurea on induced parthenocarpy and fruit quality in Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Cuiguan’. Plant Growth Regul 76, 251–258 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-014-9995-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-014-9995-8