Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
(a)
Flowering and
fruit set
Fruit
growth
Flower
buds
Vegetative
flush
Root
flush
(b)
Flowering and
fruit set
Vegetative
flush
Fruit
growth
Flower
buds
Root
flush
12 34567
Month of cycle
8
9
10
11
12
13
Fig. 10.4.
Mango phenological cycle, having synchronous growth and
fl
owering in
(a) the subtropics (after Cull, 1991), and (b) the tropics, with asynchronous growth
and
fl
owering and a long juvenile phase (after Galán Saúco, 1996).
fl owers reach full bloom in as little as 25-30 days after initiation. The panicles
can be 6-40 cm long and 3-25 cm wide, with a pink or purple, sometimes
greenish-yellow, rachis. Surrounding the terminal bud are smaller buds (sub-
apical buds), which are morphologically lateral buds compressed into the
apical position, subtending the terminal bud. Apical dominance disappears
with the destruction of the apical infl orescence (Nakasone
et al.
, 1955).
The panicle consists of male (Fig 10.1a) and perfect hermaphrodite
fl owers (Fig. 10.1b). Perfect fl owers consist of four or fi ve calyx lobes and as
many free petals (Fig. 10.1b). The centre of the fl ower is occupied by a circular
disc (nectary) divided into four or fi ve segments. The one-celled ovary with one
obliquely protruding stigma is attached to this disc. There is usually only one
functional stamen; the other four are reduced to abortive structures, called
staminodes. The male fl ower (Fig 10.1a) is essentially the same, except for the
