Response of prickly pear CV. cristalina to foliar application of gibberellic acid

Abstract EN

An experiment was carried out during ٢٠١٣ and ٢٠١٤ growing seasons on shrubs of prickly pear cv.

Cristalina at the Farm of Hort.

Res.

Station in El-Kassasien, Ismilia Governorate.

The objective of this attempt was encourage the production of parthenocarpic fruits with reduced or smaller seed structures by spraying gibberellic acid at ١٠٠ ppm during four stages: i.e., pre anthesis ( mid of April ), at full bloom, at complete fruit set or ١٥ days after setting (first week of June).

Fruits at each stage were sprayed one time only , or two sprays (at the first and second stages), three sprays (at the first , second and third stages) and four sprays (at the first , second third and fourth stages).

The obtained results in both seasons indicated that, all GA٣ treatments induced significant increments of the aborted-seeds weight, fruit weight and diameter, pulp weight and the juice acidity, with reduction in hard solid-seeds number and weight, peel thickness and firmness and TSS percentage in comparison with control fruits.

The superior effect was traced for spraying GA٣ four times treatment.

Conclusively, it could be recommended to spray GA٣ at ١٠٠ ppm four times during the four stages of fruit development of prickly pear cv.

Cristalina to obtain fruits was the best quality and lower hard seeds.