Abstract
Thinning of nectarines and peaches is largely an expensive manual task. We investigated the use of organosilicone surfactants as thinning materials that can be applied by mechanized sprayers. Of the surfactants tested, Silwet-408 (Witco) and Boost (Dow-Elanco) were the most effective thinning agents. Spray concentrations of 0.1% or 0.25% (v/v) applied at 30% and 60% full bloom, or 0.5% applied at 80% to 90% bloom, reduced by 50% the mass of fruitlets that had to be hand-thinned and increased the average weight of harvested fruit by up to 20%. When 0.75% to 1% surfactants were applied at 80% to 100% full bloom, fruit yield was reduced by up to 90%. The sprays did not affect fruitlets that had set already, nor did they cause damage to leaves or young shoots. Open flowers were more susceptible to the surfactants than were flowers at tight-bloom or balloon stage. Ion leakage from both petals and flower bases increased in proportion to concentration of surfactant applied, but there was no increase in lipid peroxidation.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Silwet-408 was among the most effective thinning agents.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peaches
Prunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0 - Treatment
- Silwet-408e0
- Outcome
- most effective thinning agentse0
- Direction
- most effectivee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Of the surfactants tested, Silwet-408 (Witco) and Boost (Dow-Elanco) were the most effective thinning agents.”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
Boost was among the most effective thinning agents.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Treatment
- Booste0
- Outcome
- most effective thinning agentse0
- Direction
- most effectivee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Of the surfactants tested, Silwet-408 (Witco) and Boost (Dow-Elanco) were the most effective thinning agents.”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
The specified lower concentration bloom sprays halved hand thinning mass.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Treatment
- Spray concentrations of 0.1% or 0.25% (v/v) applied at 30% and 60% full bloom, or 0.5% applied at 80% to 90% bloome0
- Outcome
- mass of fruitlets that had to be hand-thinnede0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 50%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Spray concentrations of 0.1% or 0.25% (v/v) applied at 30% and 60% full bloom, or 0.5% applied at 80% to 90% bloom, reduced by 50% the mass of fruitlets that had to be hand-thinned”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
The specified lower concentration bloom sprays increased harvested fruit weight by up to 20%.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Outcome
- average weight of harvested fruite0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- up to 20%e0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased the average weight of harvested fruit by up to 20%”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
Late bloom sprays at 0.75% to 1% reduced yield by up to 90%.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Treatment
- 0.75% to 1% surfactants were applied at 80% to 100% full bloome0
- Outcome
- fruit yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- up to 90%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When 0.75% to 1% surfactants were applied at 80% to 100% full bloom, fruit yield was reduced by up to 90%.”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
Sprays did not affect already set fruitlets.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Treatment
- sprayse0
- Outcome
- fruitlets that had set alreadye0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The sprays did not affect fruitlets that had set already”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
Sprays caused no leaf or young shoot damage.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Outcome
- damage to leaves or young shootse0
- Direction
- nor did they causee0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“nor did they cause damage to leaves or young shoots.”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
Open flowers were more susceptible than tight bloom or balloon stage flowers.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Organ / stage
- Open flowerse0
- Outcome
- susceptible to the surfactantse0
- Direction
- more susceptiblee0
- Comparator
- flowers at tight-bloom or balloon stagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Open flowers were more susceptible to the surfactants than were flowers at tight-bloom or balloon stage.”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
Petal ion leakage rose with surfactant concentration.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Organ / stage
- petalse0
- Treatment
- concentration of surfactant appliede0
- Outcome
- Ion leakagee0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ion leakage from both petals and flower bases increased in proportion to concentration of surfactant applied”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
Flower base ion leakage rose with surfactant concentration.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Organ / stage
- flower basese0
- Treatment
- concentration of surfactant appliede0
- Outcome
- Ion leakagee0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ion leakage from both petals and flower bases increased in proportion to concentration of surfactant applied”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
Claim · model-written summary
Surfactant application did not increase lipid peroxidation.
- Taxon
- nectarines and peachesPrunus persicaPrunus persica var. nucipersicat0
- Outcome
- lipid peroxidatione0
- Direction
- no increasee0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but there was no increase in lipid peroxidation.”
t0“Nectarines and Peaches”
The same questions in other papers
surfactant · yield · Prunus persica (peach)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- no effect
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.