fruit drop

The premature *abscission of fruit before it is fully ripe. It is a normal process and in many fruits certain peak periods of fruit drop can be identified. For example, apple fruits are lost immediately following pollination (post-blossom drop), when the embryos are developing rapidly (June drop), and during ripening (preharvest drop). Like *leaf fall , fruit drop is associated with low auxin levels and auxin sprays have been used to prevent excessive fruit drop.