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In 1994, heavily flowering 'York' apple trees (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) selected for 80% or more of spurs flowering were hand thinned to a crop density (CD) of approximately 7 fruit/cm 2 trunk cross-sectional area (FCSA) at bloom, petal fall, or up to 61 days after bloom. This thinning did not result in an adequate return bloom even for a partial crop in 1995. Heavily flowering 'Golden Delicious'/M.26 trees were treated similarly in 1994 and responded with more flowering in 1995 than 'York'/M.26 trees. In 1995, a different group of heavily flowering 'York'/M.26 trees were hand thinned to a CD of 3 to 5 FCSA at bloom and at 7 day intervals up to 35 days AFB. Thinning at bloom or 7 days after full bloom (4.5 mm fruit diameter) resulted in much greater return bloom in 1996 than any other thinning. In 1995, 'Golden Delicious'/M.26 trees were treated similarly to 'York'/M.26 and responded similarly in 1996 with the greatest return bloom resulting from bloom thinning with somewhat less return bloom from thinning 7 or 14 days after full bloom and dramatically reduced return bloom. |
