Spongy tissue in Alphonse mango. II. A key evidence for the causative role of seed.
Ravindra V., Shivashankar S.
Author Affiliation: Division of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessaraghatta, Bangalore 560 089, India.
Current Science 91 : 1712-1714
Abstract : Spongy tissue in Alphonso mango was traced to the seed, which due to its recalcitrant nature, switches over to germination mode during fruit ripening phase drawing nutrients from the mesocarp. However, the question remained as to whether the changes in seed lead to spongy tissue formation in mesocarp or vice versa. To answer this question, Alphonso mango fruits naturally infested with mango stone weevil (Sternochetus mangiferae Fab.) were studied, as the weevil feeds exclusively on the seed within the stone. Absence of spongy tissue in fruits infested by mango stone weevil, where funiculus and embryonic axis were found damaged by feeding activity of the weevil provided unequivocal natural evidence supporting the causative role of seed in this intricate physiological disorder.