EFFECT OF HYDROGEN CYANAMIDE ON KIWIFRUIT SHOOT FLOWER NUMBER AND POSITION

Kiwifruit cv. Hayward vines were treated with hydrogen cyanamide solut ions in two winters. At or near flowering, each node on 100 shoots was examined to ascertain whether it was subtended by a bud scale, a vest igial leaf or a true leaf, and whether there was a flower, aborted flo wer, developing (non-floral) bud or nothing visible in the axil. The m aximum number of flowers per shoot was nine, but the maximum number of potentially floral nodes per shoot was 11. Under normal (untreated) c onditions approximately 30% of flowers aborted in both seasons and the se tended to be the most basal. The flowers induced by hydrogen cyanam ide tended to be basal to the flowers that normally develop. On averag e, developing buds were found in 38% of the penultimate potentially fl oral nodes.