Influence of Plant Bioregulators on Pecan Flowering and Implications for Regulation of Pistillate Flower Initiation

Abstract

Mitigation of alternate bearing (AB) through regulation of floral initiation of pistillate flowers is central to improving cropload management of pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] trees and orchards. The present study examines the influence of key bioregulators {i.e., an auxin [as B-napththaleneacetic acid (NAA)], a cytokinin [6-benylamino purine (6-BA)], an ethylene generator (ethephon), and an auxin transport inhibitor [2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA)]} on subsequent season pistillate flowering. Gibberellic acid (i.e., GA3) and NAA inhibited, whereas prohexadione–calcium (P-Ca; calcium 3-oxido-5-oxo-4-propionylcyclohex-3-enecarboxylate), ethephon, and BA + TIBA promoted floral initiation when topically applied to canopies before the kernel filling stage of seed development. These bioregulators exhibit potential for integration into a bioregulator-based strategy to mitigate pecan AB by selective and timely use in “off” or “on” cycle years, depending on the bioregulator. Field studies provide evidence that a “cytokinin–gibberellin balance,” with partial modulation by auxin and ethylene, acts in the endogenous primordial environment of floral meristems as a “second-level signal” regulating a key step in a three-step process for initiation of pistillate flowers in pecan. This establishes a new model for explaining pistillate flower initiation in pecan and a basis for designing future research on the control and management of pistillate flowering and AB.