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Abstract
Germination of stone fruit seeds is accelerated at an elevated percentage if the stony endocarp (pit) is removed prior to planting. Stone fruit breeders and those who screen seed populations usually remove pits with bench vice jaws that manually compress pits either end-to-end or edge-to-edge to affect seed release. The vice was effective but production was low and seasonal production was limited. Consequently, efforts were initiated to find means to alleviate the problem of low seed release productivity while maintaining the effectiveness of the vise.
Abstract
Branch units of 20 ‘Bartlett’ pear trees were sprayed with 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (Ethrel) at 250, 500, or 1000 ppm or with cycloheximide (beta-[2-(3,5-dimethyl-2-oxocyclohexyl)-2-hydroxyethyl] glutarimide) at 3, 5, or 20 ppm a wk before the beginning of normal harvest to weaken the abscission layer to facilitate mechanical harvest. Half the trees had been sprayed with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) to prevent preharvest drop. Nine days after application, Ethrel at 1000 ppm had significantly reduced the fruit removal force (FRF) on trees that had received no NAA. In contrast, the presence of NAA evidently nullified the abscission-promoting effect of Ethrel. All other treatments failed to reduce FRF significantly. None of the sprays caused discernible phytotoxic effects or hastened fruit maturity. However, after storage for 50 days at 0°C, 17% to 50% of the fruits that received Ethrel at 500 or 1000 ppm, broke down during ripening. Cycloheximide caused no breakdown, but 20% to 80% of the fruits aprayed with 5 or 20 ppm had necrotic spots at the calyx end.