Studies on flowering of some mango cultivars. II. Flowering behaviour.
Afifi M. M. G., Shaltout A. D., El-Nasr N. M. A., Mohamed R. B., Desouky I. M.
Author Affiliation: Dept. Hort. Fac. Agric., Ain Shams Univ., Shoubra El-Kheima, Cairo, Egypt.
Annals of Agricultural Science (Cairo) 3 : 1245-1257
Abstract : The flowering behaviour of mango cultivars Langra and Fajri Kalan grown in Kalubia Governorate, Egypt, during 1997 and 1998 was studied. The ratio of male/perfect flowers was lower in Langra than in Fajri Kalan, especially in the on year (1997) for the former (0.66 vs. 0.90) and off year (1997) for the latter (1.35 vs. 1.67). The level of pollen germination was high in both cultivars in 1997 (87.52% in Langra and 92.86% in Fajri Kalan) and 1998 (83.5% in Langra and 92.63% in Fajri Kalan). Microscopic examination of pollen tubes revealed that both cultivars were self-incompatible. Ovule fluorescence commenced at 4-5 days after pollination, indicating that up to this date, the ovules of both cultivars remained viable and could be fertilized. Thereafter, the number of non-viable ovules increased progressively. Viability started to decrease at a high rate at 6 days after pollination. At 7 days after pollination, ovule viability was almost completely lost in both cultivars.