Julian Kofler, Anton Milyaev, Filippo Capezzone, Slobodan Stojnić, Nikola Mićić, Henryk Flachowsky, Magda-Viola Hanke, Jens-Norbert Wünsche
The reproductive cycle of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) starts with the induction of floral development, however, first morphological changes within the bud appear during the following period of bud initiation. This study identifies the onset and duration of bud initiation in the apple cultivars 'Fuji' and 'Gala', characterized by biennial and non-biennial bearing behaviour, respectively, and describes the effect of crop load and heat accumulation on the temporal pattern of floral development. The onset of flower bud initiation in heavy cropping 'Gala' trees was delayed for 20 days compared to trees with no crop load, but the rate of initiation was not affected by crop load...
November 29, 2019: Scientific Reports