Influence of the lunar phases on the grafting of Creole tangerine (Citrus reticulata) on the cleopatra tangerine pattern (Citrus reshni) in the Río Blanco district, Chulumani

Romero-Condori Guimer; Cuba-Cueva Nicanor; Nova-Pinedo Máximo; Mamani-Sánchez Beatriz

Abstract

In Bolivia, El Chapare and Los Yungas are the regions with the highest citrus production, of which mandarins rank second. To obtain the first harvest they require five years from the nursery stage. An alternative to shorten this time is through the use of grafts combined with moon phases. In the present work, the influence of the lunar phases on the grafting sprouting in Creole mandarin (Citrus reticulata) on the cleopatra mandarin pattern (Citrus reshni) in the Río Blanco district in the municipality of Chulumani in the department of La Paz was evaluated. The applied design was completely randomized with a two-factor arrangement, whose factor A is given by graft types: a) inverted T and b) normal T and factor B (moon phases) a) new moon, b) crescent moon, c) moon full and d) waning quarter with four repetitions. The variables were: percentage of sprouting, regeneration time and shoot length, leaf numbers and the benefit / cost ratio of the treatments. It was determined that the type of inverted T graft obtained 79% regeneration of the grafted shoots in relation to the type of normal T graft (72%). Of the four lunar phases evaluated, the fourth crescent moon phase the shoots regenerated in a shorter time (24 days). Both the number of leaves and the length of the shoot at 30, 60 and 90 days of evaluation increased in a general way in all the moon phases, however, between phases there is a significant increase in the increasing moon phase. The cost benefit analysis determined that the type of inverted T graft combined with the crescent moon phase was the most suitable because for each USD invested there is a gain of 0.8 USD.