Biostimulant Application Enhances Fruit Setting in Eggplant—An Insight into the Biology of Flowering
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Experimental Arrangement
2.2. Cultivation Procedures
2.3. Weather Conditions
2.4. Procedures for Flowering and Fruit Setting Observations
2.5. Procedures for Microscopic Observations
2.6. Statistical Analyses
3. Results
4. Discussion
4.1. Heterostyly Expression in Eggplant as Affected by Biostimulant Treatment and Cultivar
4.2. Biostimulant-Affected Flower and Fruit Set Effectiveness
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Month | 2013 | 2015 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Temperature (°C) | PAR (µmol m−2 s−1) | Sum of Rainfall (mm) | Temperature (°C) | PAR (µmol m−2 s−1) | Sum of Rainfall (mm) | |
May | 14.3 | 345 | 83 | 13.1 | 357 | 93 |
June | 17.6 | 392 | 188 | 17.5 | 401 | 40 |
July | 19.4 | 477 | 28 | 20.4 | 489 | 39 |
August | 18.8 | 396 | 51 | 21.2 | 357 | 58 |
September | 12.1 | 256 | 63 | 14.9 | 283 | 60 |
Parameter | Year | Type of Flower | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
With Long-Styled Pistil | With Medium-Styled Pistil | With Short-Styled Pistil | |||||
C * | B | C | B | C | B | ||
“Epic” F1 | |||||||
Number of particular types of flowers per plant | 2013 | 12.2 d ** | 13.4 d | 5.6 b | 8.2 c | 3.4 a | 3.5 ab |
2015 | 12.1 c | 13.5 c | 6.4 b | 7.6 b | 3.5 a | 3.6 a | |
Number of fruits per plant set from particular types of flowers | 2013 | 2.4 b | 4.2 d | 0.8 a | 2.0 b | 1.0 a | 1.4 ab |
2015 | 3.2 b | 5.6 c | 1.0 a | 3.2 b | 1.0 a | 1.2 a | |
Effectiveness of fruit setting as depended on type of flower (%) | 2013 | 20.7 | 27.6 | 15.6 | 24.7 | 26.7 | 40.0 |
2015 | 33.7 | 48.8 | 18.9 | 46.7 | 26.6 | 36.7 | |
Number of seeds per fruit | 2013 | 332 d | 365 e | 245 b | 289 c | 102 a | 125 a |
2015 | 358 e | 372 f | 255 c | 312 d | 95 a | 138 b | |
“Flavine” F1 | |||||||
Number of particular types of flowers per plant | 2013 | 7.8 cd | 10.0 d | 6.6 bc | 10.0 d | 4.2 a | 4.8 ab |
2015 | 8.4 b | 11.2 c | 6.8 b | 11.0 c | 3.8 a | 4.8 a | |
Number of fruits per plant set from particular types of flowers | 2013 | 2.0 abc | 2.8 b | 1.4 ab | 2.4 bc | 1.2 a | 1.6 ab |
2015 | 1.8 a | 3.6 b | 1.2 a | 3.2 b | 1.2 a | 2.0 a | |
Effectiveness of fruit setting as depended on type of flower (%) | 2013 | 26.9 | 28.7 | 22.8 | 26.0 | 20.0 | 33.3 |
2015 | 26.0 | 36.2 | 16.7 | 27.2 | 30.0 | 41.1 | |
Number of seeds per fruit | 2013 | 312 c | 328 c | 258 b | 325 c | 142 a | 155 a |
2015 | 322 c | 333 d | 289 b | 316 c | 134 a | 143 a | |
“Gascona” F1 | |||||||
Number of particular types of flowers per plant | 2013 | 7.6 c | 8.0 c | 5.6 b | 8.2 c | 3.4 a | 3.6 a |
2015 | 7.6 bc | 7.8 c | 6.0 b | 7.8 c | 4.2 a | 3.8 a | |
Number of fruits per plant set from particular types of flowers | 2013 | 2.0 abc | 3.2 c | 1.6 ab | 2.4 bc | 1.0 a | 0.8 a |
2015 | 2.4 ab | 3.0 b | 1.6 a | 2.2 ab | 1.4 a | 1.4 a | |
Effectiveness of fruit setting as depended on type of flower (%) | 2013 | 26.2 | 41.5 | 22.6 | 29.1 | 23.3 | 20.0 |
2015 | 38.7 | 37.1 | 11.7 | 30.6 | 36.7 | 33.3 | |
Number of seeds per fruit | 2013 | 289 d | 322 e | 257 c | 285 d | 78 a | 127 b |
2015 | 321 e | 356 f | 269 c | 297 d | 98 a | 159 b |
ANOVA Source of Variation | “Epic” F1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
No of Flowers 2013 | No of Fruits 2013 | No of Flowers 2015 | No of Fruits 2015 | |
Type of flower (F) | *** | *** | *** | *** |
Biostimulant (B) | ** | * | *** | *** |
Month (M) | *** | *** | * | ** |
F × B | ns | * | ns | * |
F × M | *** | *** | *** | ns |
B × M | ns | ns | ns | * |
ANOVASource of Variation | “Flavine” F1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
No of Flowers 2013 | No of Fruits 2013 | No of Flowers 2015 | No of Fruits 2015 | |
Type of flower (F) | *** | *** | *** | ** |
Biostimulant (B) | ** | *** | *** | *** |
Month (M) | *** | *** | *** | *** |
F × B | ns | * | * | ns |
F × M | *** | *** | *** | ns |
B × M | ns | * | * | ns |
ANOVASource of Variation | “Gascona” F1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
No of Flowers 2013 | No of Fruits 2013 | No of Flowers 2015 | No of Fruits 2015 | |
Type of flower (F) | *** | *** | *** | * |
Biostimulant (B) | * | *** | ns | ns |
Month (M) | *** | ns | *** | *** |
F × B | * | ns | * | ns |
F × M | *** | ns | *** | * |
B × M | ns | ns | ns | ns |
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Pohl, A.; Grabowska, A.; Kalisz, A.; Sękara, A. Biostimulant Application Enhances Fruit Setting in Eggplant—An Insight into the Biology of Flowering. Agronomy 2019, 9, 482. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9090482
Pohl A, Grabowska A, Kalisz A, Sękara A. Biostimulant Application Enhances Fruit Setting in Eggplant—An Insight into the Biology of Flowering. Agronomy. 2019; 9(9):482. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9090482
Chicago/Turabian StylePohl, Alicja, Aneta Grabowska, Andrzej Kalisz, and Agnieszka Sękara. 2019. "Biostimulant Application Enhances Fruit Setting in Eggplant—An Insight into the Biology of Flowering" Agronomy 9, no. 9: 482. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9090482