01911naa a2200265 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200140006002400390007410000160011324501070012926000090023650001230024552009680036865300310133665300250136765300170139265300170140970000140142670000190144070000190145970000250147870000160150377301260151910622772021-07-07       2021    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a0034-737X7 a10.1590/0034-737X2021680300032DOI1 aPASA M.D.S.  aEthephon as a Potential Tool to Manage Alternate Bearing of 'Fuji' Apple Trees.h[electronic resource]  c2021  aArticle history: Submitted 21 May 2020; Accepted 15 November 2020; Published 16 June 2021; Date of issue May-Jun 2021.  aABSTRACT - The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different rates of ethephon on return bloom and yield, and fruit quality of 'Fuji' apple trees. The experiment was performed during the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 growing seasons. Eighteen-year-old Fuji Standard apple trees grafted on M.9 were sprayed with different rates of ethephon (300 mg L-1, 400 mg LL-1, and 500 mg L-1) 30 days after full bloom (DAFB) and compared to an unsprayed control. Yield components (number of fruit per tree, yield, fruit weight, and estimated yield) and fruit quality attributes (fruit firmness, total soluble solids and starch-iodine index) were evaluated in both seasons. Return bloom (percentage of flowering spurs and 1-year-shoots) was assessed only the year following the application. Our results show that ethephon increases return bloom and yield of 'Fuji Standard' apple trees, without affecting fruit quality attributes.  © 2021. All Rights Reserved.  aFlower bud differentiation  aMalus dometica Borkh  aReturn bloom  aReturn yield1 aCARRA, B.1 aBRIGHENTI A.F.1 aPINTO F.A.M.F.1 aDE MELLO-FARIAS P.C.1 aHERTER F.G.  tRevista Ceres, 2021, volume 68, Issue 3, Pages 180 - 184. OPEN ACCESS. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-737X202168030003