Growth regulators and fruit development in Satsuma mandarin

Abstract

Many reports have shown effects of applied growth regulators on fruit growth and final fruit size in Citrus (Monselise, 1979). A major problem limiting the use of these regulators in citrus production is their inconsistent performance, which is considered to be due to environmental factors (Monselise, 1979, Davies, 1986). An additional source of variation in the response may arise from the differences in the stage of fruit development at the time of hormone application. A single hormone may elicit different effects on the fruit (Guardiola, 1988), and the overall effect on fruit growth is markedly affected by small differences in the date of application. The characterization of these hormone effects is necessary for optimizing the response to hormone applications and to obtain reproducible results.