Methods for Improving Fruit Production and Fruit Quality

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods for improving fruit production or fruit quality in fruit trees, such as decreasing cold damage, increasing fruit size, increasing fruit quality, and/or increasing fruit set. In some embodiments, the disclosed methods include methods of decreasing cold damage to a fruit tree including applying an effective amount of a composition including DL-β-aminobutyric acid to the fruit tree, thereby decreasing cold damage, for example as compared to a control. In other embodiments, the disclosed methods include methods of increasing fruit size or fruit quality of fruit from a fruit tree, including applying an effective amount of a composition including prohexadione-calcium to the fruit tree after anthesis, thereby increasing fruit size or fruit quality, for example as compared to a control. In further embodiments, the disclosed methods include methods of increasing fruit size of fruit from a fruit tree or increasing fruit set of a fruit tree including applying an effective amount of a composition including 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid to the fruit tree, thereby increasing fruit size or fruit set, for example as compared to a control.

1 .- 8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A method of increasing fruit size or fruit quality of fruit from a fruit tree, comprising applying to the fruit tree after anthesis an effective amount of a composition comprising prohexadione-calcium, thereby increasing fruit size or fruit quality of fruit from the tree as compared to a control. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the composition is applied to the fruit tree leaves, buds, flowers, branches, or a combination of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the composition comprising prohexadione—calcium is applied between about 25 to 40 days after anthesis. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the composition comprising prohexadione—calcium comprises about 100 to 200 mg/L prohexadione-calcium. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the composition comprising prohexadione—calcium further comprises one or more gibberellins. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more gibberellins comprises gibberellin A1, gibberellin A3, gibberellin A4, gibberellin A7, or a combination of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the composition comprising prohexadione-calcium and the gibberellin is applied between about 25 to 40 days after anthesis. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the composition comprising prohexadione—calcium and gibberellin comprises about 100-200 mg/L prohexadione-calcium. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the composition comprising prohexadione—calcium and gibberellin comprises about 20-40 mg/mL gibberellin 3 or about 20-40 mg/mL gibberellin 4/7. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the fruit tree is a stone fruit tree. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the stone fruit tree is selected from the group consisting of sweet cherry, tart cherry, plum, peach, nectarine, and apricot. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein increasing fruit size comprises increasing fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit width, or a combination of two or more thereof as compared to the control. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein increasing fruit quality comprises increasing fruit firmness, fruit total soluble solid content, fruit color, fruit storability, fruit sensory attributes, or a combination of two or more thereof as compared to the control. 
     
     
         22 . A method of increasing fruit size of fruit from a fruit tree comprising applying to the fruit tree an effective amount of a composition comprising 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, thereby increasing fruit size as compared to a control. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the composition is applied to the fruit tree leaves, buds, flowers, branches, or a combination of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the composition comprising 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid is applied during flowering. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the composition comprising 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid comprises about 10 to 100 mg/L 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the fruit tree is a stone fruit tree. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the stone fruit tree is selected from the group consisting of sweet cherry, tart cherry, plum, peach, nectarine, and apricot. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein increasing fruit size comprises increasing fruit weight, fruit diameter, or fruit length as compared to the control. 
     
     
         29 . A method of increasing fruit set of a fruit tree comprising applying to the fruit tree an effective amount of a composition comprising 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, thereby increasing fruit set of the fruit tree as compared to a control. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the composition is applied to the fruit tree leaves, buds, flowers, branches, or a combination of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the composition comprising 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid is applied during flowering. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the composition comprising 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid comprises about 10 to 100 mg/L 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the fruit tree is a stone fruit tree. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the stone fruit tree is selected from the group consisting of sweet cherry, tart cherry, plum, peach, nectarine, and apricot. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein increasing fruit set comprises increasing the percentage of flowers that develop into fruit as compared to the control.