METHOD FOR BREAKING DORMANCY IN DECIDUOUS TREES

Abstract

Provided is a method and a composition for breaking dormancy in deciduous trees.

Claims

1.-22. (canceled)

23. A composition comprising at least one phenyl-pyridinamine agent for use in inducing bud break or for inducing and/or improving dormancy release in a deciduous plant.

24. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the deciduous plant is a deciduous fruit tree.

25. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the deciduous fruit tree is selected from the group consisting of apples, almonds, walnuts, chestnuts, pecans, pears, cherries, apricots, peaches, figs, morus, plums, mulberry, nashi, persimmon, quince, gingko, pomegranate, nectarines, pluots, apriums, apriplums and plumcots.

26. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the composition is applied to the deciduous plant before bud break naturally occurs.

27. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the phenyl-pyridinamine agent is fluazinam.

28. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the composition further comprises an additive.

29. The composition according to claim 28, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen cyanamide, an alkali metal, an earth alkali metal nitrate, a choline salt, an alkoxylated amines and an alkoxylated quaternary ammonium compound.

30. The composition according to claim 28, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of a dispersant, an antifreeze agent, an antifoaming agent, a preservative, an antioxidant, a spreading agent and a thickener.

31. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the composition is mixed with a solvent.

32. The composition according to claim 31, wherein the solvent is oil.

33. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the composition further comprises an alkylsiloxane compound and/or triglyceride to improve the coverage of the composition on the deciduous plant.

34. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the composition is used in combination with at least one additional dormancy breaking agent.

35. The composition according to claim 34, wherein the additional dormancy breaking agent is selected from the group consisting of dinocap, meptyldinocap, hydrogen cyanamide, zinc sulphate, urea and thiourea.

36. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the composition further comprises at least one plant growth regulating compound.

37. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the composition further comprises at least one fungicide, miticide and/or bactericide.

38. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the concentration of the phenyl-pyridinamine agent in the composition is between 10 and 20 gram/liter.

39. A formulation comprising fluazinam and Perranic Oil.

40. A method for inducing bud break or for inducing and/or improving dormancy release in a deciduous plant, the method comprising applying to at least a part of the plant composition according to claim 23.

41. A dormancy breaking composition comprising at least one phenyl-pyridinamine agent.

42. The dormancy breaking composition according to claim 41, wherein the at least one phenyl-pyridinamine agent is fluazinam.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Example 1

Dormancy Release in Black Gem (P. nigra) Plums

[0075] The efficacy of fluazinam in inducing dormancy release in plums was examined in black gem plums which have relatively low chilling requirements of about 200 hours. On the day in which spraying was initiated the number of accumulated chilling units was 14 (being equivalent of 200 hours of chilling). The trees were at a stage where 10% of the bulbs were swollen.

[0076] Bud Break Assessment:

[0077] Three branches facing different directions were selected in each tree.

[0078] The upper 20 cm in each branch were examined Each branch contained approximately 13 buds.

[0079] Each bud was evaluated for bud progression on three separate occasions and bud progression percentages were normalized across the examined branches

[0080] The scheme of the experiment is depicted in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Scheme of dormancy release in black gem experiment Type Phono- Experi- No. of No. Size of logical ment treat- of of Planting soil Irrigation stage scheme ments blocks block application wheather 3 5 heavy drip dormancy Randomized 4 4 2 trees a knapsack Typical (meters) blocks per sprayer (100 for repetition liter per season dunam)

[0081] The various treatments applied to the trees and their effects are summarized in Table 2 and Table 3. The results of the bud break assessment experiment are summarized in Table 3.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Compositions used in dormancy release in black gem experiment. Amount Active agent (percent (concentration Number Composition volume) and, Formula) Company 1 control 2 Narozol 5 Perranic Oil 80% EW Tapazol 3 NAM15 5 Perranic Oil 80% + Tapazol Fluazinam 15 gram/liter EW 4 Fluazinam 5 Perranic Oil 80% + Tapazol Fluazinam 30 gram/liter EW 5 Fluazinam 5 Perranic Oil 80% + Tapazol Fluazinam 60 gram/liter EW 6 Fluazinam 5 Perranic Oil 80% + Tapazol Fluazinam 120 gram/liter EW 8 Dino Super 5 Meptyldinocap 15 Tarsis spray g/l EC

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Treatment of plum trees with fluazinam to induce dormancy release (all Fluazinam based treatments further contained narozol oil at a final concentration of 5%); separate treatments are considered statistically significant if the letters a, b or c are not shared between them. Experiment I Experiment II S + 20 S + 33 Experiment III Concentration of Percent of Percent Percent S + 40 active agent dormant of green of green white grams/liter oil bulb bulb bulb blossom bulb blossom fall Hiks 53.5 44.3 c 59.5 a 2.6 b 17.4 a 78 ab 0 b narozol 49.8 50.2 bc 23.4 b 32.8 ab 9.5 ab 68 ab 8.9 b NAM15 19.6 80.4 a 4.2 b 66.1 a 1.3 b 75.4 ab 13 ab (fluazinam 15 g/l) Fluazinam 30 g/l 22.4 74.4 ab 6.9 b 66.4 a 0.5 b 52 b 44 a Fluazinam 60 g/l 26.6 73.4 ab 16.3 b 63.54 a 4.1 ab 69 ab 20.3 ab Fluazinam 120 g/l 30.7 69.2 abc 10.4 b 49 ab 2.6 b 79 ab 6.8 b Dino super 15 17.6 82.4 a 9.2 b 43.4 ab 1 b 88 a 6.5 b

[0082] As shown in Table 3, Flu azinam at 15 g/l (NAM15) acted similarly to Dino super in all tested parameters and dates. When the data was analyzed as a continuous variable (X axisconcentration of Fluazinam in oil), a negative regression graph was seen pointing to the fact that above 15 grams per liter oil (of fluazinam) the efficacy of the composition decreased (when the oil contains an active agent; not shown).

[0083] The differences between the treatments were maintained until the development of fruit. The graph of fruit development in Prumus is a double sigmoid line (the fruit ceases to grow at a certain stage after the pit hardening) so it is hard to determine whether the oil led to early ripening with or without fruit-picking.

Example 2

Dormancy Release in Black Gem (P. nigra) Plums

[0084] The experiment was done in a relatively warm year with above average temperatures. The black gem plum is typically sprayed before the beginning of February. On the day spraying was initiated 150 chilling hours were accumulated.

[0085] The scheme of the experiment is depicted in Table 4.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Scheme of dormancy release in black gem experiment. No. of Size of Experiment Planting blocks block scheme spray 66 trees 4 3 trees Randomized 80 liter per per blocks dunam (1000 m.sup.2) dunam (1000 m.sup.2)

[0086] The spraying was carried out is a section of the cultivated area in which all bud appear to be dormant Nine annual branches were marked, 3 branches per tree.

[0087] The trees were marked at the upper 20 cm of the branches. The percent of dormancy release was calculated wherein 100% represent the total number of buds on a branch. In each tree the north, south and east facing branches were marked. All branches were marked one day before spraying when the tree was still completely dormant. The stages of dormancy release examined were: 1. Dormant bud; 2. Swollen bud; 3. Green bud; 4. Shooting; 5. White bud; 6. Flowering; and 7. Blossom.

[0088] The analysis of the results was carried out using the JMP 7 program (http://www.jmp.com). Significance was determined using a Tukey-Kramer test at 95% significance. Arcsine transformation was applied in cases wherein values were lower than 30% or higher than 70%. The values of its assessment were analyzed a number of times wherein all treatment were analyzed for determining the optimal concentration for Fluazinam.

[0089] Examining the Harvest Components:

[0090] Three harvests were carried out during the experiment. One selective harvest and 2 harvests in which all fruit were picked.

[0091] In the first fruit picking harvests 1, 2 and half of block 3 were picked and in the third picking harvests, half of picking block 3 and all of block 4 was picked. Each repeat was weighed separately. The results were presented as net weight of fruit per dunam (1000 m.sup.2) wherein each block was divided by 3 and multiplied by 66 (3 tree per block and 66 tree per dunam)

[0092] In all harvests 60 fruit were selected for weighing single fruits for assessing the effect of oil on fruit size. The fruit were weighed in six groups of 10 fruit. 240 fruits were weighed in total.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Summary of agents used in dormancy release experiment in black gem. amount Active agent No. Composition (% volume) (concentration) Company 1. NONE 2. NAM15 2.5 Fluazinam 15 g/l EW Tapazol 3. NAM15 5 Fluazinam 15 g/l EW Tapazol 4. NAM15 5 Fluazinam 15 g/l EW Tapazol 5. NAM15 10 Fluazinam 15 g/l EW Tapazol 6. NAM15 5 Fluazinam 15 g/l EW Tapazol Dormax 0.5 Hydrogen cyanamide 490 g/l Sl 11. Dino super 15 5 Meptyldinocap 15 Spray g/EW 12 Dino super 15 5 Meptyldinocap 15 Spray g/EW Dormax 0.5 Hydrogen cyanamide Agan 490 g/l Sl

[0093] Seventeen days after spraying, in all treatments the number of dormant buds was lower than 5% and significantly lower than that the 10% for the control.

[0094] Trees sprayed with NAM15 (5%) in combination with Dormax were at a later stage of bud break and the number of buds that emerged was significantly higher than in the control group (Table 6).

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 The effect of spraying NAM15 on dormancy release measured 17 days post spraying. Dormant Swollen Green Shooting Treatment (%) significance (%) significance (%) significance (%) significance NAM 15 2.9 b 65.3 ns 23.9 ab 8.0 ab 32.5% NAM 15 4.3 b 63.4 28.5 ab 3.8 ab 5% NAM 15 7.8 ab 58.4 16.7 ab 17.1 ab 10% NAM 15 3.7 b 23.4 49.6 a 23.4 a 5% + Dormax 0.5% control 34.0 a 65.5 0.5 b 0 b