Early defoliation reduces flower bud counts on rabbiteye blueberry
1992
Lyrene, P.M.
Vigorous, upright shoots on mature V. ashei Reade cv. Aliceblue plants growing in a commercial field planting were used to study the effects of premature defoliation on flower bud formation. Three treatments (total shoot defoliation, altenate-node defoliation, and no defoliation) were applied on each of three dates (20 Aug., 17 Sept., and 15 Oct. 1987). For the August defoliation, the number of flower buds present per shoot on 6 Jan. of the following year averaged 1.3 for shoots that were totally defoliated, 3.7 for shoots on which alternate nodes had been defoliated, and 4.2 for control (nondefoliated) shoots. Shoots treated on 17 Sept. averaged 2.6 buds per shoot for total defoliation, 4.1 for alternate-node defoliation, and 4.8 for control. Defoliation on 15 Oct. did not reduce flower bud formation. Reduction in flower bud formation due to defoliation was localized at the defoliated nodes. For shoots on which alternate nodes were defoliated on 20 Aug., 59.8% of the apical five nodes that we not defoliated produced flower buds compared with 1.4% of the defoliated nodes.
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