Effect of pollenizer distance and selective fruitlet abscission on outcrossing rate and yield in 'Tommy Atkins' mango.
Dag A., Eisenstein D., Gazit S., El-Batsri R., Degani C.
Author Affiliation: The Kennedy-Leigh Centre for Horticultural Research, Faculty of Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, PO Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 123 : 618-622
Abstract : Postzygotic self-incompatibility has been reported in several commercial Indian mango (Mangifera indica) cultivars. However, Floridian cultivars appear to be self-fertile. Isozyme analysis was used to determine outcrossing rates at the fruitlet and fruit stages in Floridian cv. Tommy Atkins grown in Rehovot, Israel. Two commercial mango orchards consisting of adjacent solid blocks of Tommy Atkins and Maya were investigated. A consistent and significant increase in outcrossing rate during fruit development occurred. In Tommy Atkins, the average outcrossing rate increased from 10 and 13% in fruitlets to 66 and 73% in mature fruit, in the 2 blocks investigated, respectively. This 6-fold increase was the result of selective abscission of selfed progeny. A significant inverse correlation occurred between the distance of Tommy Atkins trees from the Maya block and the outcrossing rate in mature fruits. No significant correlation occurred between distance from Maya, or outcrossing rate, and yield.