Effect of exogenous gibberellins on flowering in Pinus sylvestris grafts

Ethanolic sprays of gibberellins were applied to developing shoots of about 12-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) grafts during the shoot elongation period in two consecutive years. Both male and female flowering was increased by these treatments in both years. The effect was particularly distinct in male flowering. However, different clones showed varying responses to the treatment. This variation was associated with both the genotype and the environmentally determined year-to-year fluctuation in flowering. Differences among clones were analysed further by introducing a model earlier developed for comparisons of the growth rhythm in various woody and herbaceous species.