Foliar sprays of growth regulators have commercial potential for improving the performance of some of the parameters associated with alternate bearing in pecan trees. The objective was to evaluate the behaviour of alternate bearing through analysis of seasonal variations in buds and leaflets of non-structural carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose, and starch), mineral nutrients (N-total, P, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺ and Zn²⁺), yield components (nut weight per kilogram and kernel percentage) and oxidative metabolism (superoxide dismutase, hydrogen peroxide, catalase, guaiacol peroxidase and antioxidant capacity) in cv. Wichita pecan trees in response to foliar applications of gibberellic acid (50 mg L⁻¹), calcium prohexadione (500 mg L⁻¹) or thidiazuron (10 mg L⁻¹). The experiment was of a completely randomized experimental design with five replicates. Foliar growth regulator (GRs) sprays help maintain the concentration of non-structural carbohydrates in the leaflets and buds between the evaluation years. With the exception of K⁺ (12.9 and 10.9 g kg⁻¹) and Zn²⁺ (45.1 and 30.5 mg kg⁻¹), the GRs did not show any effects on the concentrations of the foliar mineral nutrients. The results suggest foliar sprays of gibberellic acid improve the performance of parameters associated with alternate bearing, including oxidative metabolism.

Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch. is a deciduous fruit species with high economic impact and nutritional value that exhibits alternate bearing behavior. In this study, the concentration of foliar nutrients, non-structural carbohydrates and yield were evaluated in cultivar Western Schley pecan in response to the foliar application of gibberellic acid (50 mg L-1 GA3), prohexadione calcium (500 mg L-1 PCa) and thidiazuron (10 mg L-1 TDZ).The statistical analysis reveals that between agricultural cycles, the treatments showed no variation in the foliar concentration of nitrogen total (N-total), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and non-structural carbohydrates (fructose, glucose, sucrose and starch). However, the application of PCa showed no significant effect on the concentration of phosphorus (P) (1.5 and 1.9 g kg-1). On the other hand, the concentration of zinc (Zn) (27.0-60.1 mg kg-1) showed a significant difference between years, with no effect due to the application of growth bioregulators. The trees treated with GA3 minimized alternate bearing by presenting similar values (12.4 and 15.3 kg tree-1) of yield. Likewise, the applied treatments did not affect the nut weight per kilogram (kg) (5.5-6.8 g) and kernel percentage (56.5-60.8). These data provide a new perspective on the complex nature of alternate bearing production in cultivar Western Schley pecan and are interpreted to indicate that alternate production could be regulated by carbohydrate reserve, nutrient concentration, and gibberellins.

Si bien las flores generalmente se consideran elementos decorativos, también pueden transformar una comida típica, en un alimento delicioso y nutritivo (biofortificada), esto es gracias a su estructura que aporta una gama de fitoquímicos como vitaminas, antioxidantes, azúcares naturales, fibra, nutrientes y minerales, haciéndolas atractivas combinarlas en la dieta cotidiana.