EFFICACY OF PACLOBUTRAZOL UPTAKE THROUGH PECAN LEAVES, YOUNG SHOOTS, AND BARK

Paclobutrazol, a triazole growth regulator, effectively regulates pecan vegetative growth when applied as a soil or trunk drench. However, its absorption and subsequent biological activity in leaves and shoot tissue is not well understood. Terminal shoots from scaffolds of 8-yr-old `Chickasaw' pecan trees were treated with paclobutrazol after leaf flush in mid-May of 1988. Treatments included painting a mixture of 10 mg a.i. paclobutrazol and 1 ml distilled water onto either 1-yr-old wood, green wood, or the abaxial leaf surface. Shoot growth measurements and nut counts were taken in October of 1988 and 1989 on the treated shoots and all shoots arising from them. Paclobutrazol significantly increased the number of nuts per shoot in 1988, but did not affect shoot growth. More nuts were found on shoots from the 1-yr-old wood and leaf treatments than from the control and green wood treatments. In 1989, shoot growth was significantly less in the 2 former than the 2 latter treatments. These data indicate that paclobutrazol was absorbed through the bark of 1-yr-old wood and abaxial leaf tissue and sub-sequently translocated to areas of shoot growth.