AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

An experiment was conducted in Phoenix in 1986 to determine effects of water and N deficits on ABA and IAA concentrations in young bolls and their abscission zones in relation to boll retention, and to determine the effects of N on growth of fruiting branches through the season. Water deficit decreased boll retention, decreased the concentration of free IAA in bolls and their abscission zones, and increased ABA in bolls and abscission zones. But, the concentration of ester IAA increased with water deficit (in contrast to free IAA). Because ester IAA resists degradation during stress, it may facilitate recovery when stress is relieved and some of it is converted to free IAA. N-deficiency symptoms were mild and did not appear early in the season. N had no effect on the ABA and IAA contents of bolls and their abscission zones, and had only a small effect on growth of fruiting branches. The N test is to be repeated in 1987 when N deficiency should be more severe.