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Overcoming high temperature inhibition of flower formation and fruit production without bees

Albert Liptay¹, Ron A. Salzman², Jerry H. Stoller¹ & Michael D. Orzolek³

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1. Stoller, Research
2. Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University
3. The Pennsylvania State University

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Date:

Received 01 September 2009 18:49 UTC; Posted 02 September 2009

Subjects:

Plant Biology

Tags:

• Plant Yield

Abstract:

Flower formation in the Cucurbitaceae family is compromised at high temperatures; both male and female flowers and therefore fruit productivity are greatly reduced as the growing temperatures for these vegetable crops are increased above 26C. This intractable phenomenon has been documented both with outdoor field experiments at various latitudes on the eastern seaboard in the USA and in a laboratory, temperature-regulated setting. We now report that an agricultural product, FP, which has been, and is used globally on many commercial crops to increase flower number and strength during blossom formation and development, overcomes the apparent refractory floral initiation and development at high temperatures. This is a new and unexpected finding. Additionally, in another facet of the experiments reported here, the parthenocarpic fruit development potential of FP was tested by eliminating bee pollination. This aspect of the study was addressed in part because of the recent concerns with bee colony collapse disorder. Flower formation, flower development and fruit yield were increased by FP over the bee-pollinated, untreated controls at high temperatures. FP was developed over a number of years of outdoor field trials as an approach to crop productivity that included hormonal regulation of floral strength and supported by mineral supplements through to the fruit production process.

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This document is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

How to cite this document:

Liptay, Albert, Salzman, Ron, Stoller, Jerry, and Orzolek, Michael. Overcoming high temperature inhibition of flower formation and fruit production without bees. Available from Nature Precedings <http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2009.3707.1> (2009)

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