Abstract
Fig (Ficus carica L.) is a deciduous species well adapted to Mediterranean conditions but its chilling requirement is still not well understood. The present study examines the pattern of bud-break in seven fig cultivars over two years under Moroccan conditions. Evaluation of dormancy behavior was made using a biological test known as “single node cuttings” carried out under controlled conditions. The responses of cultivars from Morocco, Italy, Spain and France were assessed. The period from full leaf fall to bud-break was characterized by a small variation (10 - 20 days) which did not appear to reflect the origin of the cultivars. Steady-sates were at high level in the middle of December or in January depending on the year. During the cold period, MTB didn’t exceed 200 days for “Borjassate noire”, “Ournakssi” and “Kadota” and varied from 100 to 128 days for the other cultivars. Therefore, dormancy was not deep and its period was short. Forcing bud during the coldest period allowed to a bud break but it didn’t exceed 10% and dormancy wasn’t complete. Missing bud break wasn’t observed and the geographic origin of examined cultivars didn’t seem to determine the length, and the deepness of bud dormancy. Bud-break occurred within a month of last leaf fall in the cultivars, indicating that they were all suited to commercial production in Morocco. Apparently, bud-break is more reliable in fig than it is in other Rosaceous species in this environment.
Highlights
The dormancy of bud has been well studied for rosaceous fruit such as almond, apple, cherry and peach in different environments [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
The present study examines the pattern of bud-break in seven fig cultivars over two years under Moroccan conditions
Bud break in the field occurred in early March for Moroccan, Italian and Spanish and French cultivars in late March (Table 1)
Summary
The dormancy of bud has been well studied for rosaceous fruit such as almond, apple, cherry and peach in different environments [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. These authors studied flowers in node cuttings or examined young bud histologically over time for the signs of flower differentiation. Some authors reported that fig is growing better under mild winters [15,16,17,18,20], but no data on chilling was given
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