A. Garcialuis et M. Kanduser, CHANGES IN DORMANCY AND SENSITIVITY TO VERNALIZATION IN AXILLARY BUDSOF SATSUMA MANDARINE EXAMINED IN-VITRO DURING THE ANNUAL CYCLE, Annals of botany, 76(5), 1995, pp. 451-455
Effect of season and the presence of fruit on bud-endodormancy and the
flowering response to low temperature treatments were determined usin
g bud cultures of Owari satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc). Bud dor
mancy was deeper in fruiting as compared to defruited trees. In fruiti
ng trees, the intensity of bud dormancy was highest in spring, decreas
ed to a low value by early Jul. and then increased until early winter.
This increase in dormancy during summer and early autumn did not occu
r in non-fruiting trees. No flowers formed in buds cultured between Ma
y and Sep. Both in fruiting and defruited trees, buds became competent
to show a vernalization response to chilling by the end of Oct., at t
he time they also became capable of sprouting in vitro at low temperat
ure (15/10 degrees C). There was a direct effect of fruit on the buds
which persisted long after fruit removal and resulted in a reduction o
f the flowering response to chilling. (C) 1995 Annals of Botany Compan
y