Sprays containing the trace element zinc are often recommended for improving fruit quality of harvested apples. Trials conducted at East Malling in the 1980s showed that zinc sprays applied during flowering reduced fruit set but, as applications in the …
In HDC project TF 148 (Thinning of apple flowers using chemicals sensitive to the environment) trials conducted at East Malling showed that undiluted vinegar applied at full bloom of the spur buds was an effective thinner but significantly increased skin …
In HDC project TF 148 (Thinning of apple flowers using chemicals sensitive to the environment) trials conducted at East Malling showed that common salt (sodium chloride) applied at full bloom of the spur buds was an effective thinner. Growers may be …
Most chemicals that have been tested and found effective in preventing apple flowers from setting fruits work by desiccating the flower organs and preventing pollination and/or fertilisation (fruit set). There are a number of chemicals that work in this …
With the impending withdrawal of Carbaryl in Europe, scientists have been seeking alternative fruitlet thinners for apples. One product that has shown some promise in trials conducted mainly in the USA is benzyl adenine (BA). Approval has been gained in …
Chemical thinning with NAA and NAAm (NAD) NAA, or its amide NAD (NAAm), has long been used in continental Europe for thinning apples. Although approved for use in the UK up until the 1970s, these auxins failed to prove consistently effective when used on …
In recent years machines for mechanical thinning of apple flowers have been developed in Germany, Switzerland and the USA. The crudest types of machine use a series of knotted ropes, which are dragged through the trees to knock off a proportion of the …
Hand thinning of flower clusters is rarely if ever carried out in mature commercial orchards. Hand thinning is too labour intensive and hence too expensive. However, experiments conducted in Germany ( Link, 1998 ) have shown the clear benefits of early …
Research conducted in the USA in the late 1980s showed that thinning of apple trees could be enhanced by shading the trees ( Byers et al ., 1991 ). Severe shading for brief periods during the development of apple fruitlets can induce fruit drop. Attempts …
In the absence of suitable approved chemicals for thinning fruitlets on apple trees they can only be thinned by hand. This is a very expensive procedure and, with pruning and harvesting, represents one of the major costs in apple production. Attempts have …
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