Summer NAA and root ripping for biennial bearing in Fuji

June 2013 | Lenswood Rural | Future Orchards® trial report

This trial asks whether summer NAA applications and root ripping can help reduce biennial bearing in Fuji apples.

Fuji can produce strongly alternating crop loads when heavy cropping suppresses return bloom. The trial evaluates two management approaches aimed at influencing the balance between vegetative growth, current crop and flower-bud initiation for the following season.

NAA is assessed as a plant-growth-regulator treatment, while root ripping provides a physical vigour-control treatment. The value of the report lies in comparing these approaches in a commercial orchard setting rather than assuming that either treatment will consistently solve biennial bearing by itself.

The broader management message is that return bloom needs to be supported through appropriate crop load, vigour control and timely intervention across the season.