Efecto de la aplicación de auxinas de síntesis y el raleo manual de frutos en el tamaño final de mandarina Afourer

The cultivation of Afourer mandarins, recognized for its organoleptic quality and lack of seeds in the absence of pollination, originates in Morocco and is cultivated in many citrus regions. In the AGRISUR CARL cooperative, in the south of the country, they face the problem of small fruits and low quality in the "El Espinillo" farm. Despite manual thinning attempts, the problem persists. The application of synthetic auxins as chemical thinners has shown improvements in other cases. Therefore, the study seeks to evaluate the effect of these auxins on Afourer mandarin fruits on trees with high flowering and free pollination.

12 treatments with 5 repetitions each one were established. These included auxins applied individually ("ANA1", "TPA1," "ANA2" and "TPA2") and combined on two application dates, as well as combined with hand thinning or hand thinning alone. Two auxin application dates were evaluated and compared with experimental controls and manual thinning. Measured variables included flowering intensity, fruit set, and growth.

The first application of TPA caused extemporaneous flowering, thinning and fruit reduction. The second application combined with the first increased the size and quality of the fruits. Combinations of TPA with manual thinning also showed positive results. ANA apps had minor effects. Manual thinning reduced fruits and yield, but improved fruit size and quality.

In summary, the most effective treatments for Afourer mandarins were the double application of ANA, the combination of ANA with manual thinning and individual manual thinning. These improved the quality of the fruits and reduced the discarded ones. This study highlights the feasibility of using synthetic auxins instead of manual thinning in the production of Afourer mandarins, which could lead to improvements in production quality and efficiency.