Advancement of flowering in mango 'Tommy Atkins' with paclobutrazol applications.
Medina-Urrutia V. M.
Author Affiliation: INIFAP-Campo Experimental Tecomán, Apartado Postal #88, C.P. 28100 Tecomán, Colima, Mexico.
Proceedings of the Interamerican Society for Tropical Horticulture 38 : 56-61
Abstract : Six-year-old mango cv. Tommy Atkins trees received soil applications of paclobutrazol (PBZ) at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 litres/ha or foliar sprays at 4000, 6000 or 8000 p.p.m. in Aug. 1992. Soil applications of 2 or 3 litres/ha reduced increases in canopy diameter and tree height by 42-58% and 28-52%, respectively, compared with untreated controls. Shoot length was reduced by 22-41% by PBZ soil applications compared with controls. Early flowering was enhanced by PBZ applications; the percentage of flowering shoots in Jan. was significantly greater in the 2 and 3-litre/ha soil-applied treatments (51.2 and 55.7%, respectively) than in controls (7%). Annual yield was highest (195 kg/tree, compared with 112 kg/tree in controls) with soil application of 6 litres paclobutrazol/ha. Early yields (Apr.) were higher in the soil-application treatments than in controls or foliar-application treatments. Fruit size was not affected by treatment.