Evaluación de tres prácticas culturales para la inducción de floración en el cultivo de aguacate (Persea americana) en el Cantón Patate

Abstract

The avocado (Persea americana) is a fruit native to the Americas that is currently cultivated in more than 100 countries. Ecuador has become one of the world's leading exporters of this fruit. The province of Tungurahua is one of the areas with the highest avocado production in the country. Induction of flowering is a complex process that increases yields and quality of this fruit. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different cultural practices on the flower induction of Hass avocado in Patate, Ecuador. Three treatments were evaluated: banding, pruning and strangling of branches on 4-year-old avocado trees. A randomized complete block experimental design was used with three replications and one control per treatment. In addition, analysis of variance (ADEVA) and Tukey's test at 5% of treatments that gave a significant response in the case of statistical analysis detected significant differential effects of floral induction treatments. Banding T1 was the most efficient cultural practice, significantly reducing the period between application and flowering (49,3 days on average). It also significantly increased the formation of juvenile shoots (30,7) and the number of fruit set (5,1) in relation to the control and the rest of the treatments evaluated. Pruning and strangling also showed a positive trend by shortening the days to flowering and increasing the number of bunches compared to the absolute control. Banding proved to be the most effective method under the conditions of this study. These results are relevant to develop management strategies to increase yields and plan production seasons in this valuable fruit crop. Key words: banding, pruning, flowers, fruit set.