Journal of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Plant Growth Retardant in Fig
J. P. Tadeu Dias, W. H. Suekane Takata, K. Takahashi, A. Costa Sampaio, E. Orika Ono

Abstract
In this study two experiments were conducted in order to study the effect of the plant, trinexapac-ethyl, in growth and yield of fig (Ficus carica L.) plant. Experiment 1 was carried out from August 27, 2011 to March 3, 2012 and experiment 2, August 27, 2012 to March 3, 2013. Both experiments were deployed in a commercial orchard cultivation of fig cv. Roxo de Valinhos - four years of age, conducted in rainfed (no irrigation), being added regularly, sugar cane bagasse in the lines of plants as mulching and allocating the production of green fruit industry in the Caldas city-MG. The experimental design was a randomized block, considering a control (no application) and one or two applications of Trinexapac-ethyl in five concentrations in solution form: 0; 62.5; 62.5 + 62.5; 125; 125 + 125; 250; 250 + 250 and 500 mg L-1 of active ingredient, distributed in four blocks. The plot consisted of four plants and a plant border on each side of the plot. In experiment 1 and 2, the first spray was in new branches (shoots) standardized to 50 cm in length and containing 12 internodes (around 12 axillary buds). The second spraying was performed in the same lines, 45 days after the first application. The use of trinexapacethyl, both in one as in two applications of 250 mg L-1 did not affect the plant growth, but increased plant height, number of internodes, length of the branch and the first insertion height fruit until the 1st harvest of fruits of fig cv. Roxo de Valinhos. However, since this concentration there was negative effect on growth and impaired production.

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