Detailed Guide to Using Ethephon: Correct Use of Plant Growth Regulators
How is the plant growth regulator ethephon used? Please explain. Ethephon is a broad-spectrum, low-toxicity organophosphorus plant growth regulator that promotes ripening. It can enter the plant through leaves, bark, fruit and seeds, then be transported to the site of action, where it releases ethylene. It can promote fruit ripening and coloring, promote leaf...
How is the plant growth regulator ethephon used? Please explain.
Ethephon is a broad-spectrum, low-toxicity organophosphorus plant growth regulator that promotes ripening. It can enter the plant through leaves, bark, fruit and seeds, then be transported to the site of action, where it releases ethylene. It can promote fruit ripening and coloring, promote the abscission of leaves and fruit, dwarf plants, change the ratio of male to female flowers, induce male sterility in crops, and more.
Ethephon sold on the market is also called Zongshou, Gaoxin, Guoyan, Sushu, Zhuishu, Qingshu, Zaotianhong, Guoguangyanhua, Leiya, Zhuangbiao, Chanwang, Zhiwang, Gaoqiu.
Ethephon can be widely used on tomato, cucumber, pumpkin, melon, tobacco, cotton, rice, corn, wheat, sugar beet, sugarcane, apple, pear, grape, peach, persimmon, banana, pineapple, rubber and many other plants.
1. For tomato green fruit at the near-ripe stage, spray the fruit with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 800-1000 times; it promotes fruit ripening and earlier color change.
2. For cucumber and pumpkin at the 3-4 leaf stage of seedlings, spray once with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 2000-3000 times; it can increase female flowers and raise yield.
3. For melon at the 1-3 leaf stage of seedlings, spray once with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 800 times; it promotes the formation of bisexual flowers and raises yield.
4. For tobacco at the leaf harvest stage, spray with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 1000-1200 times; it has a ripening-promoting effect and improves leaf quality.
5. For cotton when 70%-80% of bolls have opened, spray with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 300-500 times; it promotes boll opening and increases yield.
6. For rice at the 5-6 leaf stage of seedlings (15-20 days before transplanting), spray once with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 600-800 times; it can regulate growth, dwarf and strengthen seedlings, and increase yield.
7. For corn at the small trumpet stage, use 10-15 milliliters of 40% aqueous solution per mu, mixed with 30 kilograms of water, and spray; it regulates growth and increases yield.
8. For wheat from the booting stage to the heading stage, spray once with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 500-700 times; it can cause male sterility (mostly used in breeding).
9. For sugar beet 30-40 days before harvest, spray the whole plant once with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 800 times; it can increase sugar content and raise yield.
10. For sugarcane 30-35 days before harvest, spray the whole plant once with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 500 times; it increases sugar content and improves quality.
11. For apple, at the early stage of rapid new shoot growth in young trees, spray with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 200-400 times; it inhibits excessive new shoot growth, increases the proportion of spurs, promotes flower bud differentiation, dwarfs the canopy, and brings earlier fruiting. 20-30 days before fruit harvest, spray the fruit with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 1000 times; it promotes sugar conversion and earlier coloring, among other ripening effects.
12. For pear 20-30 days before harvest, spray the whole plant once with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 5000 times; it promotes fruit ripening.
13. For grape at the beginning of berry ripening, spray once with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 1000-2000 times; it can promote berry coloring and advance ripening by 5-12 days, but a high concentration easily causes fruit drop.
14. For peach at the mid stone-hardening stage, spray the fruit with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 5000 times; it can advance ripening by 3-4 days and give early, uniform coloring, but the fruit is softer.
15. For persimmon after harvest, spray the fruit with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 500 times; it promotes color change and ripening of the fruit.
16. For banana after harvest, spray the fruit with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 500 times; it promotes fruit softening and increases sweetness.
17. For pineapple, spray with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 500 times 15 days before flowering; it promotes flowering. 1-2 weeks before ripening, spray with a 40% aqueous solution diluted 500 times; it can promote ripening and make the ripening period uniform.
18. For rubber trees over 15 years old from seedling stock during the tapping period, first scrape off the dead bark 4 cm below the tapping cut, then apply a 40% aqueous solution diluted 5-10 times; it increases latex secretion. About 20 hours after application, latex secretion rises sharply, and the effect can last 45-90 days.
Tip: Ethephon is strongly acidic and must not be mixed with alkaline substances, nor diluted with alkaline water. At low temperatures, appropriately increase the dose; at high temperatures, appropriately reduce the dose. This chemical strongly irritates the skin and eyes, so take safety precautions when using it.
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