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Fruit Regulates Bud Sprouting and Vegetative Growth in Field-Grown Loquat Trees (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.): Nutritional and Hormonal Changes

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Abstract

The effects of fruit on bud sprouting and vegetative growth were compared on fruiting and defruited loquat trees from fruit set onward. Carbohydrate and nitrogen content in leaves and bark tissues and hormone concentrations were studied during the fruit development and vegetative growth periods. On defruited trees, a significant proportion of buds sprouted in winter, whereas buds from fruiting trees sprouted only in the spring when fruit reached its final size. Furthermore, when panicles were completely removed in autumn, the buds also sprouted. In addition, fruit directly affected vegetative growth by reducing shoot length. An effect of sink removal (flower or fruit) promoting bud sprouting, regardless of the season, was then demonstrated. Neither soluble sugar concentration nor nitrogen fraction concentration in leaves or bark tissues was related to bud sprouting, but a certain nutritional imbalance was observed during the most active period of fruit development. Moreover, fruit sink activity significantly modified hormone content by increasing indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and reducing zeatin concentrations, resulting in a higher IAA/zeatin ratio parallel to the lower bud sprouting intensity. Therefore, these changes caused by fruit removal are all related to vegetative growth, but there is no evidence that they are responsible for bud burst.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Project No. AGL2009-09718). The authors thank V. Martínez for his technical assistance, E. Soler and Cooperativa Agrícola de Callosa d’En Sarrià (Alicante, Spain) for providing the orchards and facilities, and D. Westall (Universitat Politècnica de València) for revising the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Agroforestal Mediterráneo, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain

    Carmina Reig, Carlos Mesejo, Amparo Martínez-Fuentes & Manuel Agustí

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Vialle delle Science, 90128, Palermo, Italy

    Vittorio Farina & Francesca Barone

Authors
  1. Carmina Reig
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  2. Vittorio Farina
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  3. Carlos Mesejo
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  4. Amparo Martínez-Fuentes
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  5. Francesca Barone
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  6. Manuel Agustí
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Correspondence to Manuel Agustí.

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Reig, C., Farina, V., Mesejo, C. et al. Fruit Regulates Bud Sprouting and Vegetative Growth in Field-Grown Loquat Trees (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.): Nutritional and Hormonal Changes. J Plant Growth Regul 33, 222–232 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-013-9364-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-013-9364-2

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