The Increase in Kaffir Lime Leaf Production Due to Gibberellin Is Diminished by Pruning
, Syariful Mubarok 1, Muhammad Achirul Nanda 2, Maulidan Nabiyyu 3 and Moh Haris Imron S Jaya 4
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The manuscript title “The increase in kaffir lime leaf production by gibberellin is diminished by pruning” is performed well but I have some minor suggestions to improve the MS.
This MS describes detailed knowledge about the effect of exogenous gibberellins on leaves in Kaffir lime combined with pruning. My minor comments are as follows:
1- In the end of abstract please add 2-3 concluding lines and outcomes/future application/ recommendation about your research.
2- In line 56-57; “The leaf expansion regulated by gibberellin is reported to be an adaptation response under abiotic stress, like drought [24].” In which crop?? Mention the crop name.
3- Line 57: “Another abiotic stress is pruning,”. Double check this statement, is pruning is abiotic stress? Examples of abiotic stresses are “water, temperature, humidity, atmosphere, light, acidity, and soil. Provide reference for your statement “line 57” or modify the sentence. And modify all the sentences in the manuscript, accordingly.
4- Increase number of leaves will also attract the insects/pest! Also discuss this in the discussion section.
5- Future application/ recommendation about your research should be added in the end of conclusion section.
English is fine.
Author Response
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Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
I have carefully reviewed your research paper titled: The increase in kaffir lime leaf production by gibberellin is diminished by pruning.
Would like to provide you with some comments
line 99: ⍺ = 0.05
line 100: Microsoft
line 104 and others: Be consistent with the use of abbreviation. Use DAT or WAT in the text. Otherwise, the reading will be confusing.
Figure 5: Why did the authors used regression model for these variables and not for previous variables ? Maybe perform the analysis as regression instead of comparing means and showing the data in tables?
Discussion section: n the discussion part I think the authors should discuss more the physiological processes of how gibberellins increase the studied variables.
That plant hormone regulate the cell elongation, stimulating its development and consequently longer, larger and heavier leaves can be achieved as a result of that process. Other aspects of growth and development could be considered to enrich the discussion section.
LIne 240: I think the word "prove" referring to correlation analysis is too strong. Correlations is used for spotting patterns within datasets.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Minor editing of English language required
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
The study insight on the effects of exogenous gibberellins and pruning application on the leaf production of kaffir lime. However, there are some limitations which must be addressed.
Abstract methods are not clearly described.
Add quantitative results in the abstract, specific conclusion and future direction.
The statement that positive results are diminished by pruning due to "limited source capacity" is vague. This needs to be explained in terms of physiological mechanisms and supported with relevant literature
The introduction does not thoroughly explain the significance of studying the effects of gibberellins and pruning on leaf production in kaffir lime.
Why is this particular aspect important?
Introduction of Kaffir lime is not sufficient. Relate with pruning effects on Kaffir lime and effect of gibberellin.
Add economic and medicinal importance of Kaffir lime
The study would benefit from a stronger justification and context in the introduction.
Paragraph 2 explain the role of Gibberellin in plants at the time of pruning specifically in the context of the Kaffir lime.
Line 42-43 should be cited with related studies “numerous ways” can be specify by adding relevant studies such as https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-021-00785-7, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2023.100597, and “one of them is plant growth regulator (PGR) application” could be cited with study like this. 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.103966, https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13101699.
While the split-plot design is mentioned, there is no information about the number of replicates for each treatment combination. Replication is crucial to establish the validity and reliability of the results. Without proper replication, it's difficult to draw robust conclusions.
The control group is mentioned in terms of gibberellic acid levels but not for pruning. It's unclear whether the control group for pruning is 'no pruning' or if there's a different pruning intensity that was not specified.
The study only mentions that the results are significant without providing specific statistical analyses used to determine significance. Details about the statistical tests employed, the significance levels used, and the presentation of p-values would enhance the rigor of the study.
The study mentions that kaffir lime seedlings were grafted onto rangpur lime, but it doesn't elaborate on how this might influence the results. Grafting could potentially introduce variability or affect the response to gibberellins and pruning.
The duration of the study is not mentioned. The effects of gibberellins and pruning might change over time, and this temporal aspect should be considered when interpreting the results.
The study was conducted under open field conditions, but the specific location, climate conditions, and other environmental factors are not mentioned. These factors can influence the generalizability of the results to other regions or conditions.
Discussion section is very short not well compared with relevant studies as there are many studies. Each section should be clearly discuss and relate to provide justification of the results.
The study could benefit from discussing potential applications of its findings, such as practical implications for citrus cultivation. Additionally, suggesting areas for future research, such as exploring the combined effects of gibberellins and pruning under varying environmental conditions, could enhance the study's contribution to the field
Check typos and long sentences to improve more
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
NA
needs improvement
