Vegetative growth and nutritional status as influenced by auxins and gibberellic acid, and their effect on fruit yield in lemon

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Abstract

Application of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T at concentrations ranging from 5 to 20 mg l−1 to 5-year-old ‘Pant Lemon-1’ (Citrus limon Burm) trees reduced the vegetative growth in terms of height, spread, shoot length, number and size of the leaves in the autumn flush. Various NAA treatments (5–20 mg l−1), however, enhanced growth, but not to the extent that was observed after GA3 treatments. Application of GA3 at 10–40 mg l−1 significantly enhanced all aspects of growth, and the effects were most pronounced at 20 and 40 mg l−1. Nutritional status of the leaves showed a slight variation in relation to vegetative growth under various treatments.

Some 2,4-D- and 2,4,5-T-treatments increased the fruit yield over the control, which could suggest mobilization of foods even at the expense of reduced vegetative growth. On the other hand, NAA, particularly at 10 mg l−1, increased both vegetative growth and yield, suggesting that the transport of the photosynthates from the leaves to the fruits was not at the expense of new growth extension. Due to excessive growth enhancement under higher concentrations of GA3 (20 and 40 mg l−1), comparatively fewer nutrients were translocated to the fruit “sinks”, thereby resulting in a non-significant decrease in yield.

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