Chemical Thinning in Cling Peach in 2005

ATS + Activator 90 (2.5 and 5%). All products were applied as single treatments to single tree rows by orchard sprayer at 100 gallons per acre in a ‘Loadel ’ orchard that was ‘pulled ’ prior to harvest. Soybean oil treatments were applied Feb. 11, toward the end of the dormant season (as per Carl Sams, Univ. Tenn.); all other treatments were applied on Feb. 28, when bloom was approximately 75 % of full bloom. On March 2 at full bloom, ATS + Activator 90 treatments resulted in phytotoxicity of blooms that resembled severe brown rot blossom blight. The lower concentration of Activator 90 resulted in less browning of the petals than the higher concentration. All other treatments appeared normal; no damage to shoots or tightly closed buds was found in any treatment. Set counts were taken on May 6, however, crop loads, yields and fruit size were not collected data, as there was no harvest. No treatment was statistically different than the control, and some treatments appeared to enhance set. Soybean oil at 6 % and ATS + 5 % Activator 90 numerically reduced set. We observed that the ATS + Activator treatments (especially at the higher concentration of Activator), resulted in a very even fruit distribution on a per shoot basis, as well as in the canopy overall, and that very few undersized fruit were observed. These treatments resembled an ideal hand-thinned cling peach tree