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Abstract
The rest period and the development of cranberry flowers, Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait., cv. Stevens, were studied for 2 consecutive years. Long days were found to be necessary for the normal outgrowth of the fruit bud; no flowers were produced under short days. Increased chilling was required to produce bud break when the plants were given short days. Under favorable light conditions, 80% of the buds grew out after 600 hr below 45°F. Production of normal flowers was not ensured by satisfaction of cold requirement but also involved exposure of buds to temp above 45°F.
Gibberellic acid (GA3) caused 80% or more of the buds to break, regardless of chilling treatment, and caused faster bud break even after adequate chilling. Functionally “male-sterile” flowers with contorted anther tubes were produced occasionally from buds given adequate chilling and GA3.
Abstract
Highly significant correlations were found between seed no. and berry vol in 5 cultivars of cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. A formula is given for the calculation of vol from longitudinal and transverse berry diam.
Abstract
Cranberry flower development was studied in the greenhouse on uprights thinned to a single flower. Flowers started opening each hour of the day. The interval from petal separation to fully open flowers varied from 2 to 12 hr with 80% of the flowers fully open within 6 hr. Elongation of the style and emergence of the stigma through the anther ring occurred on 94% of the flowers during the 24 - 48 hr period after the petals were fully reflexed. The stigma was pollen receptive at the time of petal separation. The pollen tube had traversed the style 48 hr after pollination in 37% of the flowers examined. Removal of the style 72 hr after pollination no longer prevented fruit development.
Abstract
Treatments with (2-chloroethyl)-phosphonic acid (ethephon) in the field initially caused green berries of cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) to turn pink. Untreated berries increased in redness up to commercial harvest. Preharvest ethephon applications on mature, red berries caused no change in redness, but rather a decrease in yellowness, resulting in a change in hue, which may indicate a difference in relative amounts of the various pigments. Ethephon decreased the L reading of the berries, compared to the controls. Increasing the amount of water, in which the ethephon was dispersed, from 1.87 to 3.74 kliter/ha proved beneficial for coloring berries located deep in the vines not exposed to full sunlight. Ethephon treatments did not result in more rapid breakdown of the berries during storage. Only at extremely high rates of ethephon was berry size reduced. The commerci