Fluorine pollution and control by bagging in mango in Guangdong province.
Zhang HaiLan, Wu DingYao, Wang JuFang, Chen HouBin
Author Affiliation: College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
South China Fruits : 45-47
Abstract : The cause of 'black top' in mangoes, whereby fruits did not ripen normally, the fruit top forming a black spot, was identified as air pollution by fluorine from an adjacent brick-making factory. Analysis showed that the leaf fluorine content of the polluted orchard's trees was 151.60 mg/kg, while that of non-polluted orchard's trees was 44.37 mg/kg; the content of fluorine in the fruit skin and fruit top was 34.67 and 44.67 mg/kg of the polluted mango, compared with 23.33 and 31.33 mg/kg in non-polluted mango, respectively. Bagging fruits for 27 days after flower fall could eliminate 'black top' fruit, whereas the rate of damaged fruits was 48.6% in unbagged controls.