Effect of naphthalene acetic acid, Ethrel, dikegulac and hand deblossoming on floral malformation, flowering, yield and fruit quality of mango (Mangifera indica L.).
Zora Singh, Dhillon B. S.
Author Affiliation: Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.
Acta Horticulturae : 307-313
Abstract : In 2-year trials with the cv. Dusehari, the incidence of floral malformation was best reduced by spraying with NAA at 200 p.p.m. prior to flower bud differentiation followed by Ethrel [ethephon] at 500 p.p.m. applied at the bud burst stage. NAA at 200 p.p.m. followed by deblossoming (removal of malformed buds by hand) was no better than NAA applied alone. Treatment with NAA (200 p.p.m.) before differentiation followed by dikegulac (4500 p.p.m.) at bud burst significantly increased the percentage of hermaphrodite flowers in healthy panicles compared with the control, whereas NAA (200 p.p.m.) followed by deblossoming resulted in the highest percentage of hermaphrodite flowers in malformed panicles during both years. The fruit yield was highest in trees treated with NAA (200 p.p.m.) followed by ethephon (500 p.p.m.) as were individual fruit, pulp and stone weights.