Effect of deblossoming and defruiting on off-season flowering and fruiting in mango (Mangifera indica L.).
Kulkarni V. J., Rameshwar A.
Author Affiliation: Fruit Research Station, Sangareddy, Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, 502 001 India.
Scientia Horticulturae 39 : 143-148
Abstract : The effect of deblossoming and defruiting was studied in 4 cultivars. Whole-tree deblossoming in the main fruiting season in Mar., after completion of flowering, resulted in a marked increase in off-season flowering and fruiting in the extended-flowering cultivars Bobbilipunasa, Neelum and Royal Special, whereas in the single-flowering cultivar Banganapalli only vegetative shoots emerged from the deblossomed shoots. Defruiting after Mar., at an advanced stage of fruit growth, resulted in a significant decrease in the percentage of reflowering shoots. A marked cultivar difference was observed in the effect of main-season fruit load on off-season flowering. In Bobbilipunasa and Royal Special, off-season flowering was observed even in non-deblossomed control trees, but only on shoots which had no fruits from the main season, whereas in Neelum off-season flowering could be induced only by deblossoming and none of the control trees with heavy main-season fruit load had flowered in the off-season, not even from the shoots which failed to flower in the main season.