
Plant hormone inhibitors for reducing postbloom fruit drop (pfd) of citrus
Hiu-Ling Liao, Huiqin Chen & Kuang-Ren Chung
University of Florida, IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center
Postbloom fruit drop (PFD) of citrus is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum acutatum. The fungus infects flower petals causing brownish lesions that result in young fruit drop, leaf distortion, and formation of persistent calyces (commonly called ‘buttons’) after the fruitlet drops. Previous studies suggested that an imbalance of plant growth regulators such as auxin, ethylene, and jasmonic acid in C. acutatum-infected flowers, may contribute to young fruit drop.