North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Dr. Chiranjit Parmar" <parmarch@vsnl.com>]

Dear Dr. Janket,

I agree that all the basic developmental processes are initiated by
chemicals but that does not mean a complex phenomenon like production of a
successful commercial crop of any fruit can be controlled by a chemical like
GA or ethephon.  These things work only in test tube culture.  In field
these substances can only be used in simple processes like initiation of
roots or just changing the shape of grape berries.  But it has not been
possible to change the fruiting behavior of trees on orchard scale with the
use of chemicals.

The most effective and practical solution for the problems relating to
fruitfulness on orchard scale is the use of appropriate variety.

Not only for fruitfulness, but the best and most appropriate problems for
all orchard relating problems including plant protection will be the
selection of suitable varieties so that the use of chemicals could be
avoided to the maximum possible extent.

Dr. Chiranjit Parmar
Horticultural Consultant on Lesser Known Indian Fruits
http://www.lesserknownplants
----- Original Message -----
From: dr. michael janket <msjanket@cyberzone.net>
To: Apple-Crop <apple-crop@virtualorchard.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 12:57 PM
Subject: Re: Apple-Crop: Biannual Bearing - V/S Biennial Bearing in Mango.


> Just one more thing.  When we say things are genetic, what does this
really mean?  Gene sequences code for proteins, which might be structural or
enzyme type proteins.  Those enzymes are
> catalysts.  They facilitate reactions.  If this is so, and I think it is
fairly well accepted, facilitating enzyme systems, or turning them on and
off, will lead to metabolic action, production of
> other moieties, some of which may well be those pesky gibberellins.  High
seed counts in some cultivars , I believe, make for high gibb levels, and if
they are the RIGHT gibbs, flower bud
> differentiation is inhibited.  End result?  Offcropping years.  To call
something genetic is fine, but finetuning down to a more molecular level
seems a tad more definitive.  That is, to those end
> substances that control flower bud differentiation and expression.
> Mike Janket        struggling to regurgitate Plant Phys. 101
>
> "Dr. Chiranjit Parmar" wrote:
>
> > The phenomenon of biennial bearing exists in mango too.  In fact in
India,
> > we have an on year of mango followed by an off year.  Strangely, all the
> > trees in North India will be in ON phase during one year irrespective of
> > age.  The following year will be OFF for all trees.  So the crop in one
year
> > is heavy and in the following year the mangoes are in short supply.
> >
> > This problem has been studied intensively and the reason for it is
genetic.
> > There are a few varieties that bear regularly.  and are not affected by
this
> > phenomena.  The only solution to the problem is TO PLANT ANNUAL BEARING
> > VARIETIES.  Nothing else works.
> >
> > It may also be worthwhile to mention here that most important studies on
the
> > bearing of mango was carried out by Dr. L.B. Singh who has written a
very
> > famous book on Mango.  Dr. Singh had also worked on the Biennial Bearing
on
> > Apple at East Malling Research Station, UK in forties while doing Ph.D.
> > there.  This work was published in a series of research papers in UK in
> > fifties in the Journal of Horticuiltural Science.
> >
> > I would also like to mention here that I had done my Master's thesis
under
> > Dr. L.B. Singh in 1961.
> >
> > Dr. Chiranjit Parmar
> > Horticultural Consultant on Lesser Known Indian Fruits
> > http://www.lesserknownplants
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Lon J. Rombough <lonrom@hevanet.com>
> > To: Apple-Crop <apple-crop@virtualorchard.net>
> > Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 9:07 AM
> > Subject: Re: Apple-Crop: Biannual Bearing
> >
> > > Just a thought on how the mechanism of biannual bearing evolved.  In
nut
> > > trees it has been found that having a large crop one year insures that
> > > squirrels and birds couldn't eat them all and more are buried or
otherwise
> > > left to grow into trees.  But since a large crop would cause a boom in
the
> > > squirrel population, it is followed by a light crop to "thin" the
squirrel
> > > population so there wouldn't be enough squirrels to clean out the
> > following
> > > year's large crop.  Check and balance.  Probably a similar mechanism
in
> > wild
> > > apples, and it would have a very strong survival advantage, so the
gene is
> > > widespread enough that it hasn't been eliminated from cultivated
types.
> > > -Lon Rombough
> > > Grapes, unusual fruits, writing, consulting, more, at
> > > http://www.hevanet.com/lonrom
> > >
> > > ----------
> > > >From: Brian Caldwell <bac11@cornell.edu>
> > > >To: "Apple-Crop" <apple-crop@virtualorchard.net>
> > > >Subject: Re: Apple-Crop: Biannual Bearing
> > > >Date: Tue, Jan 30, 2001, 8:51 AM
> > > >
> > >
> > > >Hi folks,
> > > >
> > > >We have a few Goldens that are 100% out of synch with all the others
in
> > the
> > > >same row.  I'm sure others have seen this.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >At 09:15 PM 1/29/2001 -0500, you wrote:
> > > >>A 16:17 01.01.29 -0500, vous avez écrit :
> > > >>>One good question.  If you have 100 Golden Delicious trees, bearing
> > age,
> > > >>and you
> > > >>>deliberately defruit 50 of them, and allow the rest to fruit, next
> > season
> > > >you
> > > >>>will have what?
> > > >>
> > > >>There has to be someone somewhere that has done this experiment
before.
> > I
> > > >>would be very interested to know the result.
> > > >>Claude Jolicoeur, Quebec
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > >
> >
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > -
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
> > > >><http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill
> > > >><cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements
<clements@umext.umass.edu>.
> > > >>
> > > >>Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not
represent
> > > >>"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility
for
> > > >>the content.
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >Brian Caldwell
> > > >Cornell Cooperative Extension  607-687-4020
> > > >56 Main St.    fax 607-687-3619
> > > >Owego, NY 13827    bac11@cornell.edu
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > >The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
> > > ><http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill
> > > ><cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements
<clements@umext.umass.edu>.
> > > >
> > > >Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not
represent
> > > >"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility
for
> > the
> > > >content.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > -
> > >
> > > The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
> > <http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill
> > <cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements <clements@umext.umass.edu>.
> > >
> > > Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not
represent
> > "official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
the
> > content.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> >
> > The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
<http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill
<cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements <clements@umext.umass.edu>.
> >
> > Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for the
content.
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>
>
> The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
> <http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill
> <cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements <clements@umext.umass.edu>.
>
> Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
> "official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
> the content.
>
>
>
>
>



---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard 
<http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill 
<cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements <clements@umext.umass.edu>.

Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent 
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for the 
content.