Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Potential Organic Apple Fruit Thinners On Gas Exchange And Growth Of Model Apple Trees: A Model Plant Study Of Transient Photosynthetic Inhibitors And Their Effect On Physiology And Growth, Jason D. Mcafee, Curt C. Rom

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Few fruit thinners have been certified for organic fruit growers. Previous studies have shown that herbicides or shade are capable of reducing photosynthesis and are effective fruit-thinning techniques, although impractical. This project evaluated use of a model plant system of vegetative apple trees grown under controlled conditions to study photosynthetic inhibitors, which could be used as potential organic thinning agents. Various concentrations of osmotics, salts, and oils (lime-sulfur, potassium bisulfite, potassium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, soybean oil) were applied to actively growing apple trees and showed a reduced trend on the rate of apple tree photosynthetic assimilation (Pn), evapotranspiration (Et), and …