Influence of Chemical Defoliants on Defoliation and Twig Bud Sprouting in Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) 'Bhagawa'

An experiment was conducted on defoliation in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) using chemical defoliants at the National Research Centre on Pomegranate, Solapur, Maharashtra (India). Defoliation in pomegranate is a very common practice followed in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to induce synchronized flowering and fruiting. Ethrel, Thio-urea and Curacron alone or in combination with nitrogenous or potassic fertilizers are sprayed on pomegranate shrubs by growers during stress periods. Information on defoliation and twig sprouting percent with different chemical defoliants in pomegranate is very meager. In the present study, an attempt was made to test different chemicals for their efficacy towards defoliation and twig sprouting. Two-year-old pomegranate 'Bhagwa' plants were sprayed with Ethrel (0.3, 0.4 and 0.5%), Curacron (0.4, 0.8 and 1.2%), Dormex (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%) and water (control) to study the effect of the defoliants and further twig sprouting during December 2008. All the treatments caused defoliation significantly over the control at the 7th day itself. Except lower doses of Curacron (0.4 and 0.8%), all other doses of chemical defoliants caused leaf fall (defoliation) to a tune of 83.33 to 98.33% after 7 days of spraying. In case of Dormex, drying of lamina was noticed on the 2nd day of spray but petioles were still green. However, after 15 days of spraying except control and lowest dose of Curacron (0.4%), all other treatments were at par to each other with respect to defoliation and their values ranged between 91.67-98.67%. The twig sprouting after 15 days of spraying was significantly better with lower doses of Curacron (0.4 and 0.8%), Ethrel (0.3 and 0.4%) and Dormex (0.5%). The sprouting percent in these treatments was found to be between (66.43-82.22%) and their effect was at par to each other. But the lowest sprouting (20.55%) was recorded in the control. However, the sprouting was more than 82.23% with all the doses of Curacron, Ethrel and Dormex after 21 days of spray and thus they were effective in inducing sprouting. Finally, Curacron 0.4%, Ethrel 0.3% and Dormex 0.5% were found to be effective for defoliation in pomegranate during the winter season. However, further studies on overall productivity and quality of fruits are yet to be evaluated.