Developmental patterns and duration of growth and development of some tropical and sub-tropical fruits under mild tropical rainy climate.
Rao M. M., Rokhade A. K., Shankaranarayana H. N., Prakash N. A., Sulladmath V. V., Hittalmani S. V.
Author Affiliation: University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, India.
Mysore Journal of Agricultural Sciences 29 : 149-154
Abstract : Fruits of mango cv. Alphonso, guava cv. Sardar and acid lime cv. Kagzi exhibited a sigmoid pattern of growth and took 16, 18 and 26 weeks, respectively, from fruit set to attain harvest maturity. Fruit growth in grape cv. Gulabi and sapota [sapodilla] cv. Kalipatta followed a double-sigmoid pattern taking 12 and 42 weeks, respectively, to reach maturity. The course of fruit development was marked by periods of differential growth rate and each species registered a burst of growth either in Period II or in Period III during which the bulk of mature fruit weight was gained. Occurrence of period(s) of relatively slow growth rate were common in all species but it was markedly pronounced as a 'lag phase' in those species having double sigmoid patterns of growth. Sapota and acid lime fruits experienced a protracted period of growth which was not commensurate with the rate of mature fruit weight gain as in the other species. While this protracted period could be partly attributable to the long lag phase in sapota, this was not the case for acid lime as it did not undergo any such lag phase.