Important information about few fruits

Tropical fruits

1. Mango

• Family : Anacardiaceae.
• Presence of resin canals
• Fruit follows distinct sigmoid curve.
• Best method of grafting is side grafting.
• Stone grafting: Grafting on growing seedling.
• Dry weather induces flowering and wet weather retards it in Mango
• Pollinator : Housefly

Diseases of Mango

a) Mango malformation

b) Black tip

c) Alternate/ irregular/ biennial flowering

d) Fruit drop

• Phases include the following:

i) Pin head drop

ii) Post setting drop

iii) May drop

2. Banana

• Family: Musaceae
• Tree of paradise; tree of wisdom; garden of eden.
• Bana clump is pseudostem
• Magnesium deficiency causes blue diseases
• Copper deficiency causes maladie du parasol.
• Commercial bananas belong to accuminata AAA group.
• Term plantain belong to cooking banana

Varieties

a) Diploid : Lady’s finger

b) Triploid: Cavendish, Amritsagar

c) Tetraploid : Badley Altafort

Propagation

a) Sucker :

• Water sucker
• Sword sucker

b) Pepper

c) Rhizome

• Inflorescence of Banana is Cymose
• Basal internode of rachis contains female flower.
• Apical internode contains male flower.
• Each series of flowers are called hand.
• Propping means to give support.
• Mattocking means cutting stem after harvest to facilitate nutrient mobilization.

3. Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

• Contain bromalin enzyme that help digest protein.
• Perennial monocarpic herb.
• Trichomes present that protect stomata.

Planting system

I) Single row system : 75×60 cm

II) Double row system : 30 x 60 or 30 x 90 cm

• Best for Pineapple.
• Flowering in pineapple may be induced if the stems are kept in horizontal position due to geotropism.

4. Guava (Psidium guajava)

• Also known as apple of tropics.
• Ranks 3^rd in vit. C content after amala or aonla and barbedose cherry.
• Seedless variety aren’t due to parthenocarpy but due to autopolyploidy.
• Serious disorder bronzing ( Zn, K and P).

Propagation (Feb-March.)

a) Patch budding

b) Forket budding

c) Vaneer grafting

d) Air layering

e) Stooling

f) Inarching

g) Soft wood cutting

Flowering

a) Ambe bahar – Spring

b) Mrig Bahar – Rainy

c) Haste Bahar – Early winter

• Winter season crop is of best quality.

5. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophylus)

• Poor’s man Apple
• Grafting, Air layering, Chip and patch budding.

6. Papaya (Carica papaya)

• Papin = a protein digestible enzyme; white latex of immature fruit.
• <10 ⁰C Harm the crop.
• Pit size – 60x60x60 cm or 50x50x50 cm
• Mostly dioecious but some time hermaphrodite may occur.
• 3 basic sex form.

i) Staminate (Phenotypically stable or ambivalent)

ii) Pistillate ( Stable)

iii) Andromonoecious ( Phenotypically stable or ambivalent)

• Defoliation induces maleness.
• Low temperature induces sex expression.

7. Cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale)

• nanum = dwarf
• giganteum = Giant
• Yellow leaf spot = molybdenum deficiency

8. Custard Apple ( Anona squamosa)

• Sugar apple/ sweet sop in English.
• Sharifa / sitaphal in hindi
• Alkaloid “ annonine” is found in Bark and “ hydrocyanic acid” in leaves, bark and roots.