Effects of 2-Chloroethylphosphonic Acid and Gibberellic Acid on Sex Expression and Growth of Pumpkins |
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Authors: | Walter E Splittstoesser |
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Institution: | Department of Horticulture, University of Illinois Urbana, Illinois 61801 U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | Treatment of pumpkin plants with 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (CEPHA) induced a greater production of female flowers, shorter internodes and earlier fruit set while treatment with gibberellic acid (GA) induced a greater production of male flowers, longer internodes and later fruit set. Although CEPHA induced the production of a greater number of female flowers, the bulk of the flowers aborted and only a slight increase in the number of fruits per pumpkin plant occurred. The addition of equal concentrations of CEPHA and GA resulted in pumpkin plants with longer internodes and a greater number of female flowers than the untreated plants, although GA partially overcame the effect of CEPHA. The mode of action of CEPHA and GA on sex expression is discussed. |
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