scholarly journals Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) Improve ‘Hass’ Avocado (Persea americana) Pollination

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1372
Author(s):  
Raphael A. Stern ◽  
Ada Rozen ◽  
Ravit Eshed ◽  
Tali Zviran ◽  
Isaac Sisai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Persea Americana ◽  
Snp Analysis ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Significant Yield ◽  
Hass Avocado ◽  
Germinating Pollen ◽  
Negative Gradient

Pollination is limiting for avocado production. We examined whether adding bumblebees (BBs; ca. 10 hives/ha) to conventional honeybees (HB; 5 hives/ha) would improve ‘Hass’ avocado pollination and yields. A preliminary trial (2017/18) in an avocado orchard with four consecutive rows of ‘Hass’ followed by one row of ‘Ettinger’ serving as a pollenizer (20% ‘Ettinger’) showed a considerable increase in ‘Hass’ yield in rows adjacent to (up to 80 m from) the BB hives vs. distant rows (=controls). In 2018/19, the trials were extended to three additional orchards. A significant yield increase was obtained in the BB hive-adjacent trees compared to BB hive-distant ones. Similar results were obtained in 2019/20, in experiments conducted throughout the country. The SNP analysis, to determine the parents of ‘Hass’ fruit at varying distances from the BB hives, showed no differences in the cross-pollination rate (‘Hass’ × ‘Ettinger’). However, pollination rates and the number of germinating pollen grains per stigma decreased with distance from the hives, and correlated to the negative gradient in yield. Taken together, our data suggest that adding BB hives to ‘Hass’ avocado orchards, at ca. 10 hives/ha resulting in 0.5–1.0 BB visits/tree per min, increases pollination and, accordingly, total yield.

EFFECTS OF NITROGEN ON HERBAGE YIELDS OF TIMOTHY HARVESTED AT VARIOUS DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

1968 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 501-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. G. Bonin ◽  
D. C. Tomlin
Keyword(s):  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Phleum Pratense ◽  
Pure Stand ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Boot Stage ◽  
Significant Yield ◽  
Phleum Pratense L

A pure stand of local commercial timothy (Phleum pratense L.) was fertilized with N at rates of 0, 56, 112 and 224 kg/ha and harvested at the vegetative, shot-blade, boot, heading, anthesis and seed-set stages for three consecutive years. Yields of dry matter (DM), digestible dry matter (DDM) and crude protein (CP) were measured.Differences in precipitation resulted in highly significant year effects. Each increase in N rate gave a significant yield increase in all years and for both first-cut and total yield of DM, DDM and CP. First-cut yield of DM increased significantly to the anthesis stage, DDM yield increased to the boot stage and CP yield increased to the shot-blade stage. Total yield of DM was maximum at the anthesis stage, DDM total yield was statistically equal at all stages, and CP total yield declined significantly after the heading stage.

YIELD AND NITROGEN UPTAKE OF FORAGE SEEDINGS AS AFFECTED BY NITROGEN FERTILIZATION

1961 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Grant ◽  
C. S. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Nitrogen Uptake ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilization ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Significant Yield ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Nitrogen Treatment

Over 2 tons of dry matter per acre were obtained from pure seedings of timothy and of brome in the seeding year with an application of 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Nitrogen at 200 and 400 pounds per acre produced no further significant yield increase. In the second year, yields were significantly increased by each increment of nitrogen applied in the seeding year up to and including 400 pounds per acre with brome and 200 pounds per acre with timothy. Nitrogen content of grasses increased with each increment of nitrogen in the seeding year but this effect was not consistent in the second year. Over the 2-year period grasses recovered approximately 65 per cent of the applied nitrogen at the 100- and 200-pound levels and about 40 per cent at the 400-pound level.Red clover and alfalfa seeded in mixture with timothy and with brome were about equal in yield to grass alone plus 100 pounds of nitrogen in the seeding year and were much superior in the second year. Application of 100 pounds of nitrogen to grass-legume mixtures increased both yield and nitrogen content in the first cutting. In subsequent cuttings, total yield and legume fraction of the yield were often depressed by nitrogen treatment; exceptions were noted where legume stands were weak.Apparent nitrogen fixation by the legumes was consistently reduced by nitrogen treatment. Vigorous legume stands had an apparent nitrogen fixation of 60 pounds per acre in the seeding year and up to 200 pounds in the second year.

scholarly journals Nitrogen Fertilization Strategies for the ‘Hass’ Avocado that Increase Total Yield Without Reducing Fruit Size

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 426-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime E. Salvo ◽  
Carol J. Lovatt
Keyword(s):  
Shoot Growth ◽  
Important Determinant ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Persea Americana ◽  
Phenological Stages ◽  
Tree Phenology ◽  
Hass Avocado ◽  
N Demand

Effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer application times and rates on ‘Hass’ avocado (Persea americana) yield and fruit size were determined to resolve whether a single dose of soil-applied N [1x N (25 lb/acre)] at each of the five key stages of tree phenology (January, April, July, August, and November) (control) was as efficacious as soil-applied 2x N (50 lb/acre) at one or two key stages or soil- or foliar-applied 3x N (75 lb/acre) at only one stage. All trees received soil-applied N at 125 lb/acre as ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) annually; trees receiving 2x or 3x N received the remaining N divided evenly at the same phenological stages (months) as trees receiving five 1x N applications. The importance of supplying N during the summer, when June drop, exponential fruit growth, vegetative shoot growth, and floral initiation occur, was determined by testing soil-applied 0.8x N in July plus August only (40 lb/acre N as NH4NO3 annually). Application time proved an important determinant of total yield. Yield of commercially valuable size (CVS) fruit was correlated with total yield (r = 0.80, P < 0.0001). Four-year cumulative total yields were equal for trees receiving soil-applied 1x N at five key phenological stages and trees receiving soil-applied 2x N in April and 18.75 lb/acre N at the four other stages (months). However, trees receiving soil-applied 2x N in April plus November and only 8.3 lb/acre N in the three other months, in particular July and August, had significantly lower 4-year cumulative total yields (P = 0.0362). Additional evidence of the importance of meeting avocado tree N demand in the summer is that trees receiving only 40 lb/acre N split in July plus August produced 4-year cumulative total yields equal to trees receiving 25 lb/acre N at the five key phenological stages; lower annual N would reduce fertilizer expense and protect the environment.

EFFECTS OF INORGANIC NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZERS ON SELECTED SITES OF NATIVE GRASSLAND IN WESTERN CANADA

1965 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Kilcher ◽  
S. Smoliak ◽  
W. A. Hubbard ◽  
A. Johnston ◽  
A. T. H. Gross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
First Year ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilizer ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Native Grass ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Native Grassland ◽  
Better Than

N, P, and N + P at 60, 26, and 60 + 26 lb per acre were applied on native grass sites during three successive years at seven, locations in Western Canada. Single applications of the N fertilizer resulted in 3- or 4-year total yield increases of 300 to 600 lb per acre at six locations. At Summerland the 3-year increase was nearly 1400 lb. Phosphorus fertilizer by itself provided very little yield increase. N + P gave yield increases that were only slightly better than those from N alone.Residual responses to fertilizer were important, especially in the 12- to 16-in. rainfall locations. Only about one-third of the total yield increase occurred in the first year, with the remainder coming in the subsequent seasons.Weeds, where present, showed a marked response to fertilizer N in the first season; in subsequent years the response largely disappeared.

Note. Effect of Storage Temperature on the Shelf Life of Hass Avocado (Persea Americana)

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Perez ◽  
J. Mercado ◽  
H. Soto-Valdez
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Shelf Life ◽  
Respiration Rate ◽  
Ethylene Production ◽  
Storage Temperature ◽  
Persea Americana ◽  
Co2 Production ◽  
Hass Avocado ◽  
Storage Temperatures

The effect of storage temperature on the shelf life, weight loss, respiration rate and ethylene production of Hass avocado (Persea americana Mill) was studied. Two batches of green mature avocado fruits, classified as ‘‘super extra’’ were stored at 10 and 20 C (first batch) and at 7 and 25 C (second batch). The avocado shelf lives were 22, 8, 32 and 6 days at 10, 20, 7 and 25 C, respectively. Based on the data of the first assay Q10 was calculated as 2.75, with this value the predicted shelf life at 7 and 25 C were 29.8 and 4.8 days, respectively. That meant shelf life was underestimated 7 and 20% at 7 and 25 C, respectively. Weight loss was linear at both the storage temperatures, it was 4.3% in fruits at 20 C for 8 days and 3.0% at 10 C for 22 days. The maximum CO2 production at 20 C was reached during the second day of storage, while at 10 C it was reached at the 17th day (176.17 15.98 and 74.73 7.32 mL/kg h, respectively). The maximum ethylene production at 20 C was reached the second day of storage, and at 10 C the 6th day (239.06 54.55 and 28.00 8.12 mL/kg h, respectively).

scholarly journals Characterization and Pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae Species Obtained from Avocado Trees with Branch Canker and Dieback and from Avocado Fruit with Stem End Rot in Chile

Plant Disease ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 996-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana L. Valencia ◽  
Pilar M. Gil ◽  
Bernardo A. Latorre ◽  
I. Marlene Rosales
Keyword(s):  
Vascular System ◽  
Persea Americana ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Internal Transcribed Spacer Region ◽  
Avocado Fruit ◽  
Hass Avocado ◽  
Botryosphaeriaceae Species ◽  
Branch Canker

Several species of the Botryosphaeriaceae family have been associated with branch canker, dieback, and stem end rot in avocado (Persea americana Mill.). In Chile, the incidence of diseases affecting the avocado tree increased from 2011 to 2016, which coincided with a severe drought that affected avocado production. Moreover, distant countries importing avocados from Chile also reported an increase of stem end rot of ripe avocados. Therefore, the aims of this study were to identify the pathogen species associated with branch canker, dieback, and stem end rot of avocado in Chile and to study their pathogenicity. This study was conducted between 2015 and 2016 in ‘Hass’ avocado orchards located in the main avocado-producing regions in Chile. A diverse collection of fungal species was recovered from both necrotic woody tissue and necrotic tissue on harvested ripe fruit. On the basis of morphology and phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) and the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1-α) gene, eight species in the Botryosphaeriaceae family were identified: Diplodia mutila, D. pseudoseriata, D. seriata, Dothiorella iberica, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Neofusicoccum australe, N. nonquaesitum, and N. parvum. For each of these species, pathogenicity studies were conducted on 1-year-old healthy Hass avocado plants. All isolates produced brown gum exudate and caused necrosis in the vascular system 3 weeks after inoculation. N. nonquaesitum, N. parvum, and D. pseudoseriata were the most virulent species. Necrotic lesions and cavities with white mycelia near the peduncle union were observed on Hass avocado fruit inoculated postharvest. L. theobromae, N. australe, and N. parvum were significantly more virulent than the other tested species in the Botryosphaeriaceae family. This study identified and characterized the pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae species in Chile, which will prove useful to future research on these pathogens directed at establishing effective control strategies in avocado.

scholarly journals Tradescantia bracteata pollen in vitro: pollen tubes development and mitosis

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Lewandowska ◽  
M. Charzyńska
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Tube ◽  
Generative Cell ◽  
Metaphase Plate ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Neutral Red ◽  
Generative Nucleus ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Germinating Pollen ◽  
Vacuolar System

About 90 per cent of <i>Tradescantia bracteata</i> pollen germinates <i>in vitro</i> after 15 min. Mitosis starts in the pollen tube after about 3 h. The mitotic trans-formations of chromosomes within the generative nucleus are not synchronized. They involve succesively the linearly arranged chromosomes in the elongated generative nucleus. In metaphase the chromosomes are arranged tandem-like linearly along the pollen tube. The chromatides translocate in anaphase from various distances to the poles in a plane parallel to the metaphase plate. This suggests that chromosomes have individual mitotic spindles and that coordination of the chromosome transformations in the generative cell is much less strict than in a typical somatic mitosis. Starch is the storage material of pollen grains. In the vegetative cytoplasm of mature pollen grains minute reddish-orange vesicular structures are visible after staining with neutral red. They do not fuse with the vacuoles proper arising in germinating pollen grains to form the vacuolar system of the pollen tube.

Effect of Potato virus Y on Yield of Three Potato Cultivars Grown Under Different Nitrogen Levels

Plant Disease ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan L. Whitworth ◽  
Phil Nolte ◽  
Chris McIntosh ◽  
Robert Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Potato Virus ◽  
Potato Virus Y ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Russet Burbank ◽  
Yield Reduction ◽  
Symptom Expression ◽  
Russet Norkotah ◽  
Nitrogen Levels ◽  
Foliar Symptoms ◽  
Significant Yield

Previous studies have shown that Potato virus Y (PVY) reduces yield in many cultivars. Typical foliar symptoms can include veinal necrosis, leaf drop, and a mosaic pattern sometimes accompanied by leaf roughness. Infection by PVY in Russet Burbank produces identifiable PVY symptoms, whereas cv. Russet Norkotah expresses mild, almost latent symptoms. Yield also is influenced by nitrogen fertilizer levels. This research was conducted to determine whether increased nitrogen mitigates yield reduction caused by PVY. Russet Norkotah, CO80011-5, and Russet Burbank were used in replicated plots of non-PVY-infected and PVY-infected plants at three nitrogen levels in 1995 and 1996. There was a significant yield reduction between PVY-negative and PVY-positive plots in all cultivars, at most nitrogen levels. PVY yield reduction was similar (approximately 38%) in the mild symptom expression clones of Russet Norkotah and CO80011-5, whereas the yield reduction in Russet Burbank, which exhibits typical symptom expression, was 63.5%. We conclude that increased nitrogen can influence total yield, but does not significantly mitigate the yield reduction due to PVY infection.

scholarly journals Optimal Nutrient Concentration Ranges of ‘Hass’ Avocado Cauliflower Stage Inflorescences—Potential Diagnostic Tool to Optimize Tree Nutrient Status and Increase Yield

HortScience ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 1707-1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Campisi-Pinto ◽  
Yusheng Zheng ◽  
Philippe E. Rolshausen ◽  
David E. Crowley ◽  
Ben Faber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Concentration ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Persea Americana ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Full Bloom ◽  
Nutrient Analysis ◽  
Tree Phenology ◽  
Hass Avocado

Optimizing ‘Hass’ avocado (Persea americana Mill.) tree nutrient status is essential for maximizing productivity. Leaf nutrient analysis is used to guide avocado fertilization to maintain tree nutrition. The goal of this research was to identify a ‘Hass’ avocado tissue with nutrient concentrations predictive of yields greater than 40 kg of fruit per tree. This threshold was specified to assist the California avocado industry to increase yields to ≈11,200 kg·ha−1. Nutrient concentrations of cauliflower stage inflorescences (CSI) collected in March proved better predictors of yield than inflorescences collected at full bloom (FBI) in April, fruit pedicels (FP) collected at five different stages of avocado tree phenology from the end of fruit set in June through April the following spring when mature fruit enter a second period of exponential growth, or 6-month-old spring flush leaves (LF) from nonbearing vegetative shoots collected in September (California avocado industry standard). For CSI tissue, concentrations of seven nutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) were predictive of trees producing greater than 40 kg of fruit annually. Conditional quantile sampling and frequency analysis were used to identify optimum nutrient concentration ranges (ONCR) for each nutrient. Optimum ratios between nutrient concentrations and yields greater than 40 kg per tree were also derived. The high nutrient concentrations characterizing CSI tissue suggest current fertilization practices (timing or amounts) might be causing nutrient imbalances at this stage of avocado tree phenology that are limiting productivity, a possibility that warrants further investigation. Because CSI samples can be collected 4–6 weeks before full bloom, nutritional problems can be addressed before they affect flower retention and fruit set to increase current crop yield, fruit size, and quality. Thus, CSI nutrient analysis warrants further research as a potential supplemental or alternative tool for diagnosing ‘Hass’ avocado tree nutrient status and increasing yield.

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