Alternate bearing is a problematic phenomenon that occurs in certain fruit and nut trees. It is characterized by trees flowering profusely and producing an excess amount of fruit in one season, called an “on” season, followed by the production of a
Alternate bearing (alternating years with high and low yields) is a prominent characteristic of ‘Kerman’ Pistacia vera L., the primary California cultivar ( California Pistachio Commission, 2006 ; Monselise and Goldschmidt, 1982 ). Generally
Alternate bearing is the most significant horticultural problem facing pecan producers. Studies have suggested that stored carbohydrate concentrations during the winter markedly affected subsequent flowering ( Malstrom, 1974 ; Smith and Waugh
excessive. Clearly, a strategy to reduce the abscission of reproductive structures would increase avocado yield. The reproductive phenology of many avocado cultivars, including ‘Hass’, is further characterized by alternate bearing. Alternate bearing is a
Alternate bearing (AB) poses a major challenge for the pecan [ Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch.] industry ( Wood, 2003 ). AB refers to a tendency for wide season-to-season fluctuations in cropping intensity. This is often expressed as a
Alternate bearing (also called biennial or uneven bearing) is the tendency of a fruit tree to produce a heavy crop (on-crop year) followed by a light crop or no crop (off-crop year). The phenomenon is widespread, occurring in deciduous and
The Coastal Plain Experiment Station has been evaluating pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] cultivars for over 75 years. Using annual yield data from this program, the alternate bearing intensities (I) of 66 pecan cultivars and numbered U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) selections were determined. Values ranged from 0.19 to 0.93 in young trees, and from 0.27 to 0.91 in mature trees under high-input production practices. The adoption of fungicides, insecticides, and irrigation during the last 30 years has reduced the average I value from 0.70 to 0.55. I was negatively correlated with both nut yield and nut weight. All but one cultivar recommended for commercial production in Georgia have I values lower than the average of 0.57 for all cultivars in this test. Values calculated early in a tree's productive life cycle were highly correlated with those of mature trees.
Alternate bearing (AB) is the most important horticultural problem for the pecan ( Carya illinoinensis ) industry ( Wood, 2003 ). Alternate bearing in perennial tree crops comprises a propensity for “on” years of high fruit yield interspersed with
Alternate or biennial bearing in citrus ( Citrus sp.) is the synchronized tendency of a shoot, branch, or tree to flower profusely and produce an excessive number of fruit in one season followed by a few flowers and fruit in the following season
Abstract
In contrast to other fruit tree species that produce flower buds in limited quantity at the same time a heavy crop is being produced, the pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) produces abundant inflorescence buds which, for the most part, abscise during the summer. Thus, alternate bearing in the pistachio is effected by a unique mechanism. Evidence is presented which suggests that the abscission of the inflorescence buds is the result of assimilate depletion when a heavy crop is produced.