The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.

Studying the effect of fruit load on floral induction and fruitlet abscission in olives and apples

Many fruit trees can naturally enter a biennial cycle of fruit production. In some crops farmers have useful procedures to reduce this tendency while in other crops we are still struggling for workable solutions. In apples, the presence of fruit inhibits summer flower induction in adjacent shoots while in olives winter induction of flowering is reduced by the 'biochemical memory' of fruits harvested in November.  We studied both species performing several physiological treatments that affect flowering while following gene expression. We tried to gain new insights into the way in which fruit load interferes with normal flower induction. Here I will describe our recent progress in understanding this process. In addition, I will briefly report on our new findings studying the effect of fruit load on the natural abscission of apple fruitlets.

Contact : Alon Samach

or E. Costes (Inra)