Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Research Assistant Professor, Date Palm and Tropical Fruit Research Center, Horticultural Science Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization, Ahwaz, Iran.
2
Research Assistant Professor, Horticultural Crops Research Department, Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Esfahan, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization, Esfahan, Iran.
3
Research Assistant Professor, Date Palm and Tropical Fruit Research Center, Horticultural Science Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization, Ahwaz, Iran
10.30466/rip.2021.53672.1187
Abstract
To investigate the effects of selected plant growth regulators on fruit set in tissue culture-derived date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L., cv. Barhee), this study was conducted on young trees obtained through tissue culture at the Date Palm and Tropical Fruit Research Centre, Ahvaz, Iran. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with seven foliar spray treatments, including benzyl adenine (50 and 200 mg L⁻¹), putrescine (0.1 and 1 mM), spermidine (0.1 and 1 mM), and water as a control, with four replications over two consecutive years. Each tree served as an experimental unit, and three clusters per tree were sprayed with the assigned treatment. Manual pollination was carried out in early April of each year. One and two weeks after pollination, the designated clusters were sprayed with the respective treatments. At five weeks after pollination, fruit set percentage, percentage of parthenocarpic fruits, and flower and fruit drop percentages were recorded. At harvest, fruit yield per bunch and quantitative fruit traits were measured. The results demonstrated that applications of putrescine, spermidine, and benzyl adenine were effective in improving fruit set and enhancing fruit quantitative traits, including fruit and seed weight, length, diameter, and volume, as well as overall yield. Among treatments, benzyl adenine at 200 mg L⁻¹ was the most effective in improving fruit set, whereas the highest bunch yield was observed with benzyl adenine at 50 mg L⁻¹.
Keywords
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