Abstract
In the eastern USA and several other apple-growing regions, apple blossom thinning using lime sulfur is a relatively new crop load management strategy. This study sought to evaluate how application timing of lime sulfur + stylet oil blossom thinning sprays would influence thinning efficacy and crop safety of ‘Gala’ apples. This project occurred at two locations in the USA, Winchester, Virginia, and Mills River, North Carolina, during the 2019 growing season. Two main timing strategies were assessed: (1) model-guided sprays with the pollen tube growth model (PTGM), (2) fixed spray intervals with the first spray applied at a specified percentage of open bloom (20% vs. 80%), and the second spray applied at a reapplication interval (48 h vs. 72 h). Model-guided and 20% open bloom + 48-h treatments reduced fruit set and increased fruit weight, diameter, and length at both sites. Treatments with a delayed first spray at 80% open bloom or a more extended second reapplication of 72 h were generally ineffective. There was no conclusive evidence that lime sulfur + stylet oil blossom thinning spray timing influenced russet incidence/severity or leaf phytotoxicity. This study demonstrated that effective and safe blossom thinning can be obtained from applying two sprays at 20% open bloom and 48 h thereafter or using the PTGM.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Model-guided spray timing reduced fruit set at both sites.
- Taxon
- apples
Malus domesticae1 - Material
- ‘Gala’e1
- Treatment
- Model-guidede0
- Outcome
- fruit sete0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- at both sitese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Model-guided and 20% open bloom + 48-h treatments reduced fruit set and increased fruit weight, diameter, and length at both sites”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
A 20% open bloom plus 48-hour schedule reduced fruit set at both sites.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Material
- ‘Gala’e1
- Treatment
- 20% open bloom + 48-he0
- Outcome
- fruit sete0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Model-guided and 20% open bloom + 48-h treatments reduced fruit set and increased fruit weight, diameter, and length at both sites”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
Model-guided timing increased fruit weight, diameter and length at both sites.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Treatment
- Model-guidede0
- Outcome
- fruit weight, diameter, and lengthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Model-guided and 20% open bloom + 48-h treatments reduced fruit set and increased fruit weight, diameter, and length at both sites”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
The 20% open bloom plus 48-hour schedule increased fruit weight, diameter and length at both sites.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Treatment
- 20% open bloom + 48-he0
- Outcome
- fruit weight, diameter, and lengthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Model-guided and 20% open bloom + 48-h treatments reduced fruit set and increased fruit weight, diameter, and length at both sites”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
Delaying the first spray to 80% open bloom was generally ineffective.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Treatment
- a delayed first spray at 80% open bloome0
- Outcome
- generally ineffectivee0
- Direction
- generally ineffectivee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Treatments with a delayed first spray at 80% open bloom or a more extended second reapplication of 72 h were generally ineffective”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
A 72-hour second-spray interval was generally ineffective.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Treatment
- a more extended second reapplication of 72 he0
- Outcome
- generally ineffectivee0
- Direction
- generally ineffectivee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Treatments with a delayed first spray at 80% open bloom or a more extended second reapplication of 72 h were generally ineffective”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
Evidence was inconclusive for an effect of spray timing on russet incidence or severity.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Treatment
- lime sulfur + stylet oil blossom thinning spray timinge0
- Outcome
- russet incidence/severitye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no conclusive evidence that lime sulfur + stylet oil blossom thinning spray timing influenced russet incidence/severity or leaf phytotoxicity”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
Evidence was inconclusive for an effect of spray timing on leaf phytotoxicity.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Treatment
- lime sulfur + stylet oil blossom thinning spray timinge0
- Outcome
- leaf phytotoxicitye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no conclusive evidence that lime sulfur + stylet oil blossom thinning spray timing influenced russet incidence/severity or leaf phytotoxicity”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend two sprays at 20% open bloom and 48 hours later for effective and safe thinning.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Outcome
- applying two sprays at 20% open bloom and 48 h thereaftere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“effective and safe blossom thinning can be obtained from applying two sprays at 20% open bloom and 48 h thereafter”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors also recommend PTGM-guided spray timing for effective and safe thinning.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae1
- Outcome
- using the PTGMe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“effective and safe blossom thinning can be obtained from applying two sprays at 20% open bloom and 48 h thereafter or using the PTGM”
e1“‘Gala’ apples”