Autumn hormone spray delays cherry bloom, cutting frost risk
Geisthoff AM, Ferrante M, Kämper W
Climate Adaptation
Cherry trees in your region are blooming earlier each decade, and a single late frost can wipe out an entire year's fruit before you ever see a blossom.
Researchers sprayed cherry and apple trees with a hormone called ethephon in the fall, then watched to see if the trees flowered later in spring. One cherry variety called Kordia responded strongly, with far fewer buds open on a given day compared to untreated trees. Apple trees barely responded, which means this trick works for some fruit crops but not others.
Key Findings
Ethephon delayed flowering in cherry cultivar Kordia: only 56-63% of buds were in bloom on April 9 vs. 88% in controls.
Apple cultivars Elstar and Kanzi showed no significant flowering delay at either ethephon concentration or timing.
Final fruit set in Kordia dropped from 16% to 6% in the late-high treatment, but other treatments caused no significant yield loss.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Spraying cherry and apple trees with ethephon in autumn can delay flowering by up to two weeks, potentially protecting blossoms from late spring frosts made more common by climate change. The effect was strongest in one cherry variety and minimal in apples, suggesting growers need cultivar-specific strategies.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Ethephon as a bloom-delaying agent for frost-sensitive tree crop flowers at risk from a changing climate.
Climate change increases the risk of late spring frosts, which damage flowers and developing fruitlets in tree crops. Ethephon, a plant growth regulator, may delay flowering and potentially reduce ...
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