Enhancing productivity and quality of red delicious apples through paclobutrazol application

Abstract

Paclobutrazol can restrict vegetative growth and boost productivity and fruit quality in apples. This study, conducted over two seasons on the Red Delicious variety ((Malus domestica Borkh), used a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with six treatments and three replications on a 15-year-old orchard. Treatments included a control and paclobutrazol at 0.50 ppm, 0.75 ppm, 1.00 ppm, 1.25 ppm, and 1.50 ppm. Results showed that higher paclobutrazol concentrations significantly increased the number of spurs, spur length, clusters per branch, and flowers per cluster. Return bloom percentage also rose with higher paclobutrazol levels, indicating enhanced flowering potential in following seasons. These findings highlight paclobutrazol's effectiveness in improving growth and reproductive traits in Red Delicious apples, offering practical benefits for apple growers.