Understanding natural fruit drop is essential for successful chemical thinning. By Anna Mouton. Chemical thinning to remove surplus flowers and fruit is widely employed to improve fruit size and quality and reduce biennial bearing in pome fruit. New product registrations…
The newly registered 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) increases the scope for late thinning of apples. By Anna Mouton. “ACC became available during the past season for chemical thinning of apples in the 15–20-mm fruitlet-diameter window,” says Werner Truter, Product Manager at…
A photosynthesis inhibitor promotes fruitlet drop in apples and pears. By Anna Mouton. Metamitron is a triazinone herbicide originally developed in the 1970s for weed control in sugar beets. This may sound niche, but annual global sugar beet output is…