Unfruitfulness 139
general the fruit takes about 5 months to develop. Soil application of paclobutrazol,
a growth retardant, at 1000 mg/L resulted in reduced overall height and reduced
height at which first flowers bud; it did not affect the start of production or yield
(Rodriguez and Galan 1995). Spraying of gibberellic acid (200 ppm) on female
flowers of cv. Honey Dew is helpful in producing seedless fruits. GA 3 -treated fruits
contained only 10–87 seeds compared with 500–800 seeds in untreated fruits. The
Vitamin C content was also doubled (Ram 1983).