Abstract
Abstract ‘Bartlett’ spurs carrying seedless or seeded fruits produced relatively high percentages of flower buds. Spurs carrying seedless pears for 31 days after bloom produced more flower buds than did spurs carrying seeded pears. Also, the exudate from seedless pears had more growth-promoting activity. Beyond 31 days there were no consistent differences in flower bud formation in spurs carrying seedless vs. seeded pears. Carrying seeded pears 31 days largely inhibited flower bud initiation in ‘Winter Nelis’. There was an inverse relationship between flower buds and seeds in fruits on spurs of both varieties defruited 61 days after bloom. The relationship was not distinct for spurs carrying fruits longer. Fluctuations in the growth-promoting activity of the fruit exudate indicate that the hormonal status, at the time the spur was defruited, influenced flower bud formation more than did number of fruits, seeds, or length of fruit-carrying period.
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