Flowering and vegetative growth of olive tree submitted to pruning and paclobutrazol application

Abstract

This work focuses on the evaluation of flowering and vegetative growth of olive tree submitted to pruning and paclobutrazol application under field conditions with low temperatures during the winter. Two-years-old olive plant variety Grappolo 575, were submitted to light pruning, removing apical dominance, before treatments application. The treatments were organized in a 4×2 factorial scheme, respective to four PBZ concentrations tested: 0, 200, 400 and 800 mg L-1 of PBZ and two plants groups, with and without pruning, in randomized block with four replications. Paclobutrazol concentrations tested did not affect the olive tree flowering. The plant vegetative growth was reduced until 60 days after paclobutrazol application. Pruning resulted in stimulation of emission of vegetative shoots and reduction of flowering.