Abstract
The effect of liquid lime sulfur (LS) and fish oil (FO) application during bloom on leaf photosynthesis (Pn) and pollen tube growth in apple ( Malus × domestica ) flowers were investigated in order to determine their mode of action as a bloom thinning agent. LS increased the percentage of flowers with fewer than 10 pollen tubes per flower to more than 64% compared to 5% or less in the control. Pollen tubes were completely absent from 27% to 48% of flowers following LS treatment compared with fewer than 4% of flowers having no pollen tubes on control trees. These data indicate that 30% to 50% of flowers that open on the day of LS application are unlikely to set a fruit due to the complete inhibition of embryo fertilization. Increasing the rate of LS from 0.5% to 4% increased the proportion of flowers with limited pollen tube number in a concentration dependent manner. LS suppressed the rate of light saturated Pn; successive LS sprays during the bloom period had an additive effect on suppression of Pn and fruit set. In one study the reduction in Pn was greatest 12 days after application of LS but Pn recovered by about 19 days after initial treatment. In a second study Pn of primary spur leaves had still not recovered when measured 57 days after the first of three applications. FO had no effect on the number of pollen tubes per flower, but reduced Pn and fruit set by about 10% and 20% respectively. An increase in the proportion of flowers with no pollen tubes, and therefore no embryo development, can account, at least in part, for the thinning response following application of LS to apples during bloom. It is likely that suppression of Pn contributes to the thinning response, although the importance of this mechanism will depend on perturbation of the total carbohydrate supply to developing fruit.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Lime sulfur raised the proportion of flowers with fewer than ten pollen tubes above 64%, versus at most 5% in controls.
- Taxon
- apple
Malus domesticat0 - Treatment
- LSe0
- Outcome
- percentage of flowers with fewer than 10 pollen tubes per flowere0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- more than 64%e0
- Qualifier
- 5% or lesse0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“LS increased the percentage of flowers with fewer than 10 pollen tubes per flower to more than 64% compared to 5% or less in the control”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Lime sulfur left 27% to 48% of flowers without pollen tubes versus fewer than 4% in controls.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- LS treatmente0
- Outcome
- Pollen tubes were completely absente0
- Direction
- absente0
- Value
- 27% to 48%e0
- Qualifier
- fewer than 4%e0
- Comparator
- control treese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pollen tubes were completely absent from 27% to 48% of flowers following LS treatment compared with fewer than 4% of flowers having no pollen tubes on control trees”
t0“Apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors inferred 30% to 50% of flowers opening on application day were unlikely to set fruit.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- LS applicatione0
- Outcome
- unlikely to set a fruite0
- Value
- 30% to 50%e0
- Qualifier
- complete inhibition of embryo fertilizatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“30% to 50% of flowers that open on the day of LS application are unlikely to set a fruit due to the complete inhibition of embryo fertilization”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Raising lime sulfur concentration from 0.5% to 4% increased flowers with limited pollen tubes.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- LS from 0.5% to 4%e0
- Outcome
- proportion of flowers with limited pollen tube numbere0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing the rate of LS from 0.5% to 4% increased the proportion of flowers with limited pollen tube number in a concentration dependent manner”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Lime sulfur suppressed light saturated leaf photosynthesis.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- LSe0
- Outcome
- rate of light saturated Pne0
- Direction
- suppressede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“LS suppressed the rate of light saturated Pn”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Successive lime sulfur sprays additively suppressed photosynthesis.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- successive LS sprayse0
- Outcome
- Pne0
- Direction
- suppressione0
- Qualifier
- during the bloom periode0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“successive LS sprays during the bloom period had an additive effect on suppression of Pn”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Successive lime sulfur sprays additively suppressed fruit set.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- successive LS sprayse0
- Outcome
- fruit sete0
- Direction
- suppressione0
- Qualifier
- during the bloom periode0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“successive LS sprays during the bloom period had an additive effect on suppression of Pn and fruit set”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
In one study photosynthesis reduction peaked 12 days after application.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- LSe0
- Outcome
- Pne0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Qualifier
- 12 days after applicatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In one study the reduction in Pn was greatest 12 days after application of LS”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
In one study photosynthesis recovered about 19 days after initial treatment.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- Pne0
- Direction
- recoverede0
- Qualifier
- about 19 days after initial treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pn recovered by about 19 days after initial treatment”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
In another study primary spur leaf photosynthesis had not recovered 57 days after first of three applications.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- Pn of primary spur leavese0
- Direction
- not recoverede0
- Qualifier
- 57 days after the first of three applicationse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pn of primary spur leaves had still not recovered when measured 57 days after the first of three applications”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Fish oil did not affect pollen tube number.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- FOe0
- Outcome
- number of pollen tubes per flowere0
- Direction
- no effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“FO had no effect on the number of pollen tubes per flower”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Fish oil reduced photosynthesis by about 10%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“FO had no effect on the number of pollen tubes per flower, but reduced Pn and fruit set by about 10% and 20% respectively”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Fish oil reduced fruit set by about 20%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“FO had no effect on the number of pollen tubes per flower, but reduced Pn and fruit set by about 10% and 20% respectively”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors attribute part of lime sulfur thinning to absent pollen tubes and embryo development.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- LSe0
- Outcome
- thinning responsee0
- Qualifier
- no embryo developmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“An increase in the proportion of flowers with no pollen tubes, and therefore no embryo development, can account, at least in part, for the thinning response following application of LS to apples during bloom”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors consider photosynthetic suppression a likely contributor to thinning, conditional on carbohydrate supply.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- thinning responsee0
- Qualifier
- suppression of Pne0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“It is likely that suppression of Pn contributes to the thinning response, although the importance of this mechanism will depend on perturbation of the total carbohydrate supply to developing fruit”
t0“apple”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.