Use of plant bioregulators on avocado (Persea americana Mill.) groves in subtropical environment

• Grant number: 13/11524-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2013
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Simone Rodrigues da Silva
• Grantee: Simone Rodrigues da Silva
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Angelo Pedro Jacomino ; Rafael Vasconcelos Ribeiro ; Tatiana Eugenia Cantuarias Avilés

Abstract

Plant growth regulators (PGR) are powerful tools for growth and yield manipulation in modern fruit crop production, and are also utilized on avocado commercial production. The use of PGR allows overcoming yield limitations for avocado, through: applications during spring, to increase fruit size and yield; post-pruning applications for vegetative control, and applications during fruit development, for increasing size or reducing abscission. Nonetheless, scarce technical information is available on the use of PGR's on Brazilian avocado varieties. Among the PGR's currently applied in avocados, growth retardants that inhibit gibberellins biosynthesis are mostly utilized, mainly the triazols paclobutrazol and uniconazole and, more recently, the acylcyclohexanediones trinexapac-ethyl and prohexadione-Ca. Other PGR's, such as some synthetic auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins and the ethylene inhibitor AVG (aminoethoxivinilglicine), may induce different responses on avocado plants, depending on the application conditions. Considering the lack of scientific evidences to allow the use of such substances on non-irrigated avocado orchards grown under subtropical weather conditions, this project attempts to evaluate the effects of PGR's on growth control, fruit drop reduction and on yield and fruit size, through applications at different phenological states. For this purpose, three trials will be conducted on non-irrigated avocado orchards of 'Hass', 'Fortuna', 'Quintal', e 'Margarida' varieties planted on Timburí, São Paulo State. In those trials, measurements of vegetative growth, leaf area index, number of flower and vegetative buds, flowering intensity and fruit yield and quality will be performed. The results of these trials will allow defining more efficient strategies for using different PGR's, in order to increase fruit yield and quality of non-irrigated avocado orchards under subtropical conditions. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BRUNA DO AMARAL BROGIO; SIMONE RODRIGUES DA SILVA; TATIANA CANTUARIAS-AVILÉS; SÉRGIO FIGUEIREDO ANGOLINI; EDYPOL GUILHERME BAPTISTA; RAFAEL VASCONCELOS RIBEIRO. Influência de inibidores de giberelinas aplicados no florescimento de abacateiros 'Hass' não irrigados. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, v. 53, n. 8, p. 918-923, 2018-08-00. (13/11524-0)

BROGIO, BRUNA DO AMARAL; DA SILVA, SIMONE RODRIGUES; CANTUARIAS-AVILES, TATIANA; ANGOLINI, SERGIO FIGUEIREDO; BAPTISTA, EDYPOL GUILHERME; RIBEIRO, RAFAEL VASCONCELOS. Influence of gibberellin inhibitors applied during flowering of nonirrigated `Hass' avocado trees. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, v. 53, n. 8, p. 918-923, AUG 2018. (13/11524-0)