Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) or deblossoming of terminal panicles either
manually or with chemicals. Both methods delay fl owering and can increase
yield (Table 10.2). The stimulation of auxiliary panicles also occurs if
early panicles are damaged by low temperature or winds in the subtropics.
Sprays of GA can also delay fl owering and fruit maturation by 2 weeks, but
concentration and timing of application are critical if yield is not to be reduced
(Turnball
et al.
,
1996).
Fruit
Fruit morphology
The fruit of the mango is a drupe of variable size and shape, ranging in
weight from a few grams to more than 1 kg. It is fl eshy, fl attened, rounded
or elongated in shape. A number of basic forms of the major morphological
characteristics (Fig. 10.6) are used in describing the fruit (Pope, 1929).
Growth and development
Fruit growth showed a simple sigmoidal growth curve in terms of length,
thickness, mass and volume against days from anthesis (Fig. 10.7). The skin
12
200
Mass
10
160
8
Sugars
120
6
80
Starch
4
40
Acidity
2
0
0
20
40
60 80
Days from fruit set
100
120
Fig. 10.7.
Changes in developing 'Dashehari' fruit weight, starch and total sugars
(after Tandon and Kalra, 1983) and 'Nam Dok Mai' titratable acidity (Kasantikul,
1983, cited by Mendoza and Wills, 1984).
