NUTRITIONAL AND HORMONAL FACTORS AFFECTING FRUIT SET IN AVOCADO (Persea americana Mill.)

Abstract

Under favourable conditions, the avocado sets more fruits than the tree is able to bring to maturity, so that the plant adjusts, during the early stages of development, its ability to nourish them by modifying their number, that is, causing the fruit drop of those who can not maintain their growth rate. Accordingly, carbohydrate availability could be a key factor in the physiological abscission of these fruits. Since this species presents dichogamy, the abscission of fruits has also been attributed to the absence of pollination, but at the same time it has been related to failures in seed development, embryo abortion, seed coat collapse, and with the effect of an environmental stress, especially by cold or heat. In order to demonstrate if in avocado the competition between flowers is responsible for fruit set and initial development of the fruit, it has been determined the influence of the flowering intensity in the time course of carbohydrate and hormonal content, in the rate of fruits abscission and its evolution, and finally, on percentage of fruits set. For this purpose experiments have been designed in order to: 1) reduce flowering, and with it the competition between flowers, 2) reduce vegetative growth, and 3) promote fruit set. The experiments were carried out in commercial orchards of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cv. Hass (group A flowering), located in Torrent and Llauri (Valencia), Spain, and in Caronia Marina (Messina), Italy. Adult trees (5-8 years), planted at a distance of 5 x 6 m. In all of them there were cv. Fuerte (flowering group B) to ensure pollination. The results showed that gibberellic acid applied during the floral bud inductive period delayed sprouting, reduced the number of flowers per panicle, increased apical shoot length, and delayed fruitlet abscission. Gibberellic acid applied at anthesis enhanced fruit set and delayed fruitlet abscission. It correlated with an immediate and temporary increase of GA1, IAA and tZ content. But the GA1 immeditely derived in its catabolite GA8. Since IAA synthesis precedes fruit set and tZ increasing content, the possibility that fertilization triggers the tZ synthesis mediated by auxin cannot be discarded. Gibberellic acid applied at the beginning of fruit set also, temporarily, increased the endogenous concentration of GA1 and GA8, As well as the number of fruits that initiated the development and delayed their abscission. Paclobutrazol applied at anthesis reduced the growth of the terminal shoot y anticipated flowers abscission, but did not affect initial fruit set. In no case it was possible to increase the total number of fruits per panicle, so that the competition between developing organs is not the cause of the lack of fruit set in this species.; En condiciones favorables, el aguacate cuaja mas frutos de los que el arbol es capaz de llevar a la madurez, de modo que la planta ajusta, durante las primeras fases del desarrollo, su capacidad de nutrirlos modificando su numero, esto es, provocando la caida de los que no pueden mantener su tasa de…