FOLIAR APPLICATIONS OF ALCOHOLS FAILED TO ENHANCE GROWTH AND YIELD OFC-3 CROPS

Nonomura and Benson, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 89, 1992, 9794-9798, appl ied methanol to foliage of numerous C-3 crops in the warm and arid gro wing conditions of Arizona, and established marked increases in biomas s production and water-use efficiency. The main objectives of our expe riments were to: (1) evaluate whether methanol and ethanol enhance gro wth of C-3 crops; (2) determine the most efficacious alcohol concentra tion For foliar application; (3) establish the optimal time and number of applications; and (4) assess whether methanol, which is toxic, cou ld be substituted with ethanol. Experiments were done in the field and greenhouse conducted at Viikki Experimental Farm, University of Helsi nki, Finland (60 degrees 13'N) in 1994 and 1995. Crops included spring cereals (barley, wheat, and oat), pea and summer turnip rape. Leaf ch lorophyll content, fluorescence, phytomass, grain yield, hectoliter we ight, thousand kernel weight, and harvest index were measured. The res ults from these experiments indicated that, in general, alcohols did n ot affect growth and yield in any of the crop species examined and the refore, seem to be ineffective as a growth enhancer. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.