Abstract
Early crop load management of apple trees ( Malus domestica Borkh.) is important to enhance fruit quality and reduce biennial bearing. Orchard experiments were conducted from 2020 to 2023 to evaluate the thinning efficacy of blossom sprays of 2.5% lime sulfur (LS) combined with 2% mineral oil, and 2% ammonium thiosulphate (ATS), each applied alone or in combination with post-bloom fruitlet thinning with 1500 mg·L −1 carbaryl on Gala and Honeycrisp trees. Blossom applications were timed using the pollen tube growth model. Treatments were compared with untreated control trees and hand-thinned controls. Averaged over the 4 years and two cultivars, ATS and LS reduced fruit set by 9% and 29%, and crop load by 13% and 21%, respectively, relative to untreated controls. The carbaryl fruitlet treatment provided greater reductions in fruit set and crop load, but the integration of blossom and fruitlet thinner provided superior performance. In 1 year when natural crop loads were high, both blossom thinners significantly enhanced return bloom of Honeycrisp. Overall, blossom thinners provided only modest and inconsistent reductions in fruit set, but their use in sequential thinning programs may benefit biennial-prone cultivars by enhancing return bloom under heavy fruiting conditions. The benefits of early crop load reduction using LS and ATS blossom thinners need to be balanced with product costs, thinning efficacy, risk of natural thinning by frost, leaf phytotoxicity, and potential fruit russeting. Future research should focus on developing cost-effective blossom thinners with the aim of providing more consistent early reductions in crop load.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
ATS reduced fruit set by 9% relative to untreated controls.
- Taxon
- apple trees
Malus domesticat0 - Treatment
- ATSe0
- Outcome
- fruit sete0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 9%e0
- Comparator
- untreated controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ATS and LS reduced fruit set by 9% and 29%, and crop load by 13% and 21%, respectively, relative to untreated controls.”
t0“apple trees”
Claim · model-written summary
LS reduced fruit set by 29% relative to untreated controls.
- Taxon
- apple treesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- LSe0
- Outcome
- fruit sete0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 29%e0
- Comparator
- untreated controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ATS and LS reduced fruit set by 9% and 29%, and crop load by 13% and 21%, respectively, relative to untreated controls.”
t0“apple trees”
Claim · model-written summary
ATS reduced crop load by 13% relative to untreated controls.
- Taxon
- apple treesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- ATSe0
- Outcome
- crop loade0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 13%e0
- Comparator
- untreated controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ATS and LS reduced fruit set by 9% and 29%, and crop load by 13% and 21%, respectively, relative to untreated controls.”
t0“apple trees”
Claim · model-written summary
LS reduced crop load by 21% relative to untreated controls.
- Taxon
- apple treesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- LSe0
- Outcome
- crop loade0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 21%e0
- Comparator
- untreated controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ATS and LS reduced fruit set by 9% and 29%, and crop load by 13% and 21%, respectively, relative to untreated controls.”
t0“apple trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Carbaryl produced greater reductions in fruit set and crop load.
- Taxon
- apple treesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- carbaryl fruitlet treatmente0
- Outcome
- fruit set and crop loade0
- Direction
- greater reductionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The carbaryl fruitlet treatment provided greater reductions in fruit set and crop load”
t0“apple trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined blossom and fruitlet thinning had superior performance.
- Taxon
- apple treesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- integration of blossom and fruitlet thinnere0
- Outcome
- superior performancee0
- Direction
- superiore0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the integration of blossom and fruitlet thinner provided superior performance”
t0“apple trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Both blossom thinners enhanced Honeycrisp return bloom in a high crop load year.
- Taxon
- apple treesMalus domesticat0
- Material
- Honeycrispe0
- Treatment
- both blossom thinnerse0
- Outcome
- return bloome0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- when natural crop loads were highe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 1 year when natural crop loads were high, both blossom thinners significantly enhanced return bloom of Honeycrisp.”
t0“apple trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Sequential blossom thinning may benefit biennial prone cultivars under heavy fruiting.
- Taxon
- apple treesMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- use in sequential thinning programse0
- Qualifier
- under heavy fruiting conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“their use in sequential thinning programs may benefit biennial-prone cultivars by enhancing return bloom under heavy fruiting conditions”
t0“apple trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Benefits of early crop load reduction should be balanced against costs and risks.
- Taxon
- apple treesMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- balanced with product costs, thinning efficacy, risk of natural thinning by frost, leaf phytotoxicity, and potential fruit russetinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The benefits of early crop load reduction using LS and ATS blossom thinners need to be balanced with product costs, thinning efficacy, risk of natural thinning by frost, leaf phytotoxicity, and potential fruit russeting.”
t0“apple trees”
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