A study of early flowering in mango, part 1.
Mossak I. I.
Author Affiliation: Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Saint Lucia.
Tropical Fruits Newsletter : 6-8
Abstract : Trials were carried out on 5 farms on St Lucia, incorporating 4 different climatic zones, from October 1994 to April 1995, on mango cultivars Graham (4 of the farms) and Julie (3 of the farms). Trees were treated in early October with a collar drench of Cultar [paclobutrazol] at a concentration of 1 ml/8 litres of water per square metre of canopy projection or with a foliar spray of 6% potassium nitrate, with the objective of inducing early flowering and out-of-season fruiting. Controls were untreated. Cultar was effective for Julie trees on all 3 farms where they were grown, increasing total yield and the number of out-of-season fruits compared with controls. Potassium nitrate was only used on one of the Julie farms, and did not give quite as good results as Cultar. For Graham, results were less clear; neither potassium nitrate not Cultar resulted in out-of-season fruiting, even though, on some of the farms, one or both treatments increased total yield compared with controls.