ISHS Acta Horticulturae 321: Frontier in Tropical Fruit Research
SEASONAL EFFECTS ON FLORAL BIOLOGY AND FRUIT SET OF MANGOES IN A WARM TEMPERATE REGION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA |
| Authors: | . , J.A. Considine, D.W. Turner |
| Abstract:
Aspects of the reproductive biology of the mango cultivar 'Kensington Pride' were studied at Gin Gin, 100 km north of Perth (latitude 31° 20'S) during the course of two flowering seasons, 1988 and 1989. This site is classified as warm temperate but experiences occasional frosts and is regarded as being marginal for mango production. The average daily minimum and maximum temperatures for winter are 7.4° and 19.6°C, respectively. This site thus provides a good opportunity for studying responses to sub-optimal environmental conditions. Flowering commences in early spring, in September and continues through to November. During this period the dimensions of the ovary, style and anther were markedly smaller during early flowering than in flower appearing at the end of the season. Sex ratio was unaffected but the number of aborted ovules was higher in early season flowers than in late season flowers. This was correlated with style length which was also greatly reduced in 60% of the first-formed flowers. Pollen viability was low initially (6%), but rose to 60 to 80% as flowering progressed. Changes in pollen viability and in stigma development were also reflected in the number of pollen tubes found in the styles which increased dramatically with time. Subsequent fruit set and its timing varied from year to year, apparently according to short term climatic conditions and physiological constraints. In 1988, fruit set occurred early in the season despite variable flower development and was low late in the season, while in 1989 the reverse situation occurred. In these two years, the average fruit set per flowering shoot was 0.45 and 0.37 fruit, respectively. Short term effects of climate on flower development and fruit set, especially during the mid period of flowering, have significant effects on the timing of fruit set and fruit maturity. | |
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