The objective was to assess whether the girdling reduces the vegetative growth in acid lime 'Tahiti' and the application of GA3 is able to retrieve it. The design was a randomized block design, in factorial with five replications. The first factor consisted of four concentrations of foliar application of GA3 (0, 7, 14 and 21mg L-1) when about 80% of the petals had abscised. The second factor referred to the treatments without girdling, girdling at flowering, and girdling a month after flowering. The variables were plant height, branch length, diameter and canopy volume, and intensity of green color of the leaves. The application of GA3 had no effect on vegetative growth and intensity of green color of leaves. Girdling, regardless of the time it was done, delayed vegetative growth of plants and reduced the intensity of green color of the leaves of acid lime 'Tahiti' tree, but in the last evaluation there was no statistically significant differences regarding the plants without girdling.
Citrus latifolia Tan.; girdling; AG3; SPAD index
