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Pruning of the plant canopy and paclobutrazol application to the root zone are agronomic practices that improve harvest yield in mango (Mangifera indica L.) orchards. To assess the effect of pruning and paclobutrazol treatment on the vegetative and reproductive development of ‘Ataulfo’ mango, three pruning dates (20 April, 20 May, and 20 June) and three concentrations of paclobutrazol (PBZ) (7.5, 11.25, and 15 mL of active ingredient) were used. While control trees presented only one vegetative growth during the productive cycle, trees that were pruned and treated with PBZ had up to three vegetative growth cycles before flowering, regardless of whether pruning occurred in April, May, or June. The number of vegetative shoots and inflorescences (m^-2) were equal when trees were pruned and PBZ was applied. When pruning was performed in April or May, the time of harvest occurred 28 days earlier compared to the control. Pruning in April numerically resulted in the greatest production efficiency (7-11 kg m^-2). For all the three pruning dates, fruit production of trees treated with PBZ and pruning was from 38 to 98 kg; these values were always less than those obtained for the control trees. The greatest incidence of seedless fruits (57-80%) occurred when pruning was performed in June.

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Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is a species particularly prone to erratic fruit set, and its flower bud drop has been repeatedly reported in different cultivars and growing conditions. A number of potential causes have been explored, but a clear main cause remains elusive. In this study, fruit set was determined for 11 apricot cultivars (‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’, ‘Feriana’, ‘Beliana’, ‘Priana’, ‘Bebeco^’, ‘Early Kishinewski’, ‘Precoce de Colomer’, ‘Canino’, ‘Silistre Rona’, ‘Rouge de Sernhac’ and ‘Tokaloglu’) grown on the coast of the Mediterranean region of Turkey from 2006 to 2008. Trees budded on apricot seedlings and planted 6×6 m in 1997. On four branches of each tree randomly selected from all four directions, blossom number, percentage of initial and final fruit set, and yield per tree were determined during the experimental period. Fruit set differed significantly depending on year and cultivar. Based on three-year averages, percentage of fruit set was highest on ‘Tokaloglu’ (14%), followed by ‘Beliana’ (8.8%) and ‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’ (8.2%). The lowest fruit set (2.3%) was in ‘Early Kishinewski’ and ‘Canino’. High yields per tree were found in Tokaloglu’ (29.1 kg), ‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’ (29.0 kg), ‘Rouge de Sernhac’ (27.9 kg), and ‘Beliana’ (23.0 kg). ‘Tokaloglu’, ‘Beliana’, ‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’, and ‘Rouge de Sernhac’ cultivars showed good performance for both fruit set and yield per tree under subtropical climate conditions. However, findings of this study also suggested that fruit set and fruit drops in apricots should be assessed together with total yield amounts by years. The influence of the cultivar on fruit yield was more determinant than the seasonal effect.

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 Transition from vegetative to reproductive growth is an important stage in plant’s life. Flowering pathways including photoperiod, vernalization, gibberellins, and autonomous pathway are regulated by different genes. Identification of flowering genes is essential for the development of bolting-resistant sugar beet cultivars. In this study, a set of 118 Arabidopsis thaliana genes involved in flowering time control were used as a reference to identify homologous counterparts in Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) and Transcriptome Shotgun Assembly (TSA) sequence of sugar beet. Based on obtained ESTs, primers were designed for Suppressor of Frigida 4 (SUF4), Curly Leaf (CLF), Constitutive Photomorphogenesis1 (COP1), and Cycling Dof Factor (CDF) genes. SUF4 and CLF are components of vernalization pathway and COP1 and CDF are in photoperiod pathway. The sequence regions of these genes were amplified using cDNA PCR technique, and compared with other identified sequences in Gene Bank. Four genes namely CLF, COP1, CDF and SUF4 were deposited in Gene Bank. Results showed that most of the flowering pathway genes in Arabidopsis are detectable in sugar beet which can be contributed to the understanding of the genetic control of bolting resistance.

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Present study aimed to assess the efficacy of Paclobutrazol (PBZ) in mango in terms of vegetative growth, leaf nutrient status, flowering, yield, and fruit quality. Moreover, residual dynamics of PBZ in soil and plant parts was also assessed. Studies were conducted under tropical hot and humid climatic conditions of eastern India during 2013-2017 on 15-year-old trees of mango var. Arka Neelachal Kesari. Paclobutrazol was applied at 0.25–1.0 gram active ingradient (g ai m^-1) canopy spread in soil during September. Results indicated that PBZ significantly reduced Trunk Cross Sectional Area (TCSA), shoot length, and leaf area. There was a reduction in leaf N and K contents, whereas the levels of Ca, Mg, Cu and Zn were increased in PBZ-treated plants. PBZ advanced floral bud break and increased flowering intensity, percentage of bisexual flowers, fruit yield, and yield efficiency. Higher concentration of PBZ aggravated shoot and panicle compaction. PBZ tended to increase Total Soluble Solids (TSSs) but pulp content and pulp/stone ratio were unaffected. PBZ residues in soil persisted for 9 months at higher rate of application, whereas at lower rate residues reached non-detectable level within 5-6 months after application. Fruits were free from PBZ residue, irrespective of dose. Application of PBZ at lower dose (0.25 g ai m^-1 canopy spread) was not only efficacious in enhancing flower induction and yield without affecting plant growth but also exhibited high rate of depletion in soil.
 

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The species Prunus fenzliana is acknowledged to be the possible ancestor of cultivated almond (Prunus amygdalus L.) and other wild almond species. The objective of this study was to determine phenological and pomological properties and fatty acid composition of the almond species Prunus fenzliana Fritsch, which grows naturally on the slopes of Mount Ararat. The study was conducted in 2016 and 2017. The fruit weight with shell, kernel weight, fruit thickness with shell: kernel ratios of the selected almond genotypes were 0.47–0.89 g, 0.13–0.22 g, 0.87-1.31 mm, and 22.38-37.36%, respectively. Double kernelled fruits were encountered in two genotypes [(PFG-10 (6.67%) and PFG-15 (7.14%)]. In 2016, the first flowering, full flowering, and harvesting time of the genotypes ranged from 20-25 March, 24-31 March and 17-23 August, respectively. In 2017, the first flowering, full bloom, and harvest time were observed between 08-12 April, 13-17 April and 4-9 September, respectively. The oleic acid concentration was much higher than in previous studies. In this context, the oleic, linoleic, palmitic, stearic and myristic acid concentrations were 69.2-77.9, 15.2-18.5, 4.6-5.3, 1.2-1.6 and 0.7-1.7%, respectively. The results revealed that genotypes under the Prunus fenzliana species could be used as a genetic resource in rootstock breeding programs and could be utilized in chemical and pharmaceutical industry due to its rich fat content.