The effect of crop load on budbreak influences return bloom in alternate bearing 'Pixie' mandarin

Alternate bearing trees produce a heavy (on) crop followed by a light (off) crop. Whereas it is well documented for citrus that fruit number in the current crop inversely affects flower number in the return bloom, when in the phenology of the tree and how fruit exert an effect on floral intensity the following spring remained unresolved. 'Pixie' mandarin (Citrus reticulata) was used as the model system to investigate when and how fruit perpetuate cyclic differences in floral intensity. Parent shoots (current spring flush shoots) were tagged on on-crop trees and fruit were removed from individual shoots or whole trees. The number of summer and fall (summer/fall) vegetative shoots that developed on parent shoots with and without fruit and the contribution of spring shoots (floral and vegetative) made by parent shoots alone (now 1 year old) and by their summer/fall shoots to return spring bloom was quantified. Removal of fruit from individual shoots on on-crop trees in June or July had no effect on the number of flowers contributed by parent (current spring) shoots to return bloom, but increased total flower number 4-fold because summer/fall shoot number increased more than 8-fold. Removal of fruit from individual shoots of on-crop trees after July had no effect on flower number. In the whole tree experiment, parent + summer/fall shoots of off-crop trees produced more flowers the following spring than on-crop trees due to greater flower production by both parent shoots and their greater number of summer/fall shoots. Removal of all fruit in July from on-crop trees resulted in 2-fold more flowers in spring compared with off-crop trees due to the increased number of flowers contributed by both parent shoots (75% of the total) and the increased number of summer/fall shoots. The importance of summer/fall shoots to return bloom was confirmed by removing all summer/fall shoots from off-crop trees. This reduced floral intensity to that of on-crop trees. Removing all fruit from on-crop trees in December increased the percentage of budbreak in spring and flower number on parent shoots to that of off-crop trees, whereas the number of summer/fall shoots and the number of flowers the parent shoots contributed to bloom were both less than that of off-crop trees. For the branch and whole tree experiments, flower number was significantly correlated with the percentage of spring budbreak on parent + summer/fall shoots (r2 = 0.88, P ≤ 0.0001 and r2 = 0.71, P ≤ 0.0001; respectively). Taken together, the results of this research provide evidence that fruit of the 'Pixie' mandarin reduce floral intensity of the return bloom by inhibiting budbreak, which reduces summer/fall shoot growth and thus the number of nodes that can bear inflorescences and development of spring shoots, which are predominantly floral.Articl

The impact of employment legislation on micro businesses: a case study from the licensed trade

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the extent to which public house licensees conform with employment legislation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines legislation within the hospitality industry. Five aspects of the legislation were selected and a case study approach was used with a sample of micro business licensees. Findings – The results show that those licensees who manage outlets on behalf of the large pub-owning companies had a far greater knowledge of the legislation than independent respondents who, in some instances, appeared to flout the legislation deliberately. Practical implications – The independent sector of the licensed trade appears to lack vital information about employment legislation, and licensees might not realise the consequences of ignorance or deliberate non-compliance. Those involved in running this type of micro business need to establish more effective sources of information on such issues. Originality/value – This paper offers a clear indication to all involved in the hospitality industry that there could be problems with employers within the micro sector gaining information about employment legislation and also adhering to relevant regulations

Indução do florescimento e crescimento de tangerineira 'Poncã' (Citrus reticulata Blanco) em função da irrigação e da aplicação de paclobutrazol Flowering induction and vegetative development of 'Ponkan' mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) by irrigation and paclobutrazol application

O experimento foi conduzido na Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas - UNESP/Câmpus de Botucatu (SP), com o objetivo de avaliar o florescimento fora de época e o crescimento vegetativo da tangerineira 'Poncã'. Nesse contexto, adotou-se o delineamento estatístico em blocos casualizados, em parcelas subdivididas, com duas repetições, na instalação do ensaio. Os dois tratamentos de -0,03 e -0,05 MPa, como potenciais mínimos da água no solo, constituíram as parcelas e as quatro doses de paclobutrazol: 0; 4; 8 e 12 g por planta, nas subparcelas. No segundo ano de pesquisa, foram mantidas as mesmas parcelas e foram aplicadas nas plantas das subparcelas as doses de 0; 500; 1000 e 2000 mg l-1 de paclobutrazol, via foliar. Cada parcela foi constituída de 16 plantas, sendo oito destinadas à avaliação. Utilizou-se, em ambas as combinações, de um tratamento sem irrigação (-0,07 MPa) e sem aplicação de paclobutrazol, como testemunha. Foram avaliados parâmetros, como a altura, diâmetro médio, volume e área de projeção da copa e condutância estomática para caracterizar a resposta das plantas aos tratamentos empregados. Concluiu-se que a aplicação do paclobutrazol e a variação do potencial da água no solo não proporcionaram a indução do florescimento fora de época das tangerineiras, e que os níveis de paclobutrazol influenciaram no desenvolvimento das plantas.<br>The aim of this research was to study the flowering out of season in no induction conditions and the vegetative development of 'Ponkan' mandarin by irrigation and paclobutrazol application. The experiment was carried out at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences - UNESP/Botucatu, State of São Paulo. The treatments followed a randomized blocks experimental design, being distributed in split-splots, and two replications. Each experimental unit was represented per 16 plants, being 8 destined for the evaluations. The treatments consisted of two soil water potential, -0,03 e -0,05 MPa that constituted the main experimental unit and the paclobutrazol levels that represented the sub units. In the second year of the experiment the units were maintained and it was applied the paclobutrazol: 0; 500; 1000 e 2000 mg L-1, by foliar application, in the plants of the sub units. Both treatments was compared with the treatments without irrigation (control plants: -0,07MPa) and whitout paclobutrazol application plants. It was evaluated the following parameters: height, scion diameter medium, scion projection area, scion volume and stomatic condutance showing the plant's response to treatments. It was concluded that the paclobutrazol application and the irrigation did not influence the plant's flowering out of season and that the paclobutrazol levels influenced the growth of 'Ponkan' mandarin plants