Heat unit accumulation and inflorescence and fruit development in ‘Ubá’ mango trees grown in Visconde do Rio Branco-MG

Lorena Moreira Carvalho Lemos,Luiz Carlos Chamhum Salomão,Olinto Liparini Pereira,Dalmo Lopes de Siqueira,Paulo Roberto Cecon

doi:10.1590/0100-29452018491

Lorena Moreira Carvalho Lemos, Luiz Carlos Chamhum Salomão

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0100-29452018491

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Abstract

Abstract There are little information in the scientific literature on flowering and fruiting of ‘Ubá’ mango trees. These information enables to know the proportion of hermaphrodite flowers in inflorescence, fruit set percentage and developmental stages of the fruit. In this study evaluations on inflorescence and fruit development of the ‘Ubá’ mango tree (Mangifera indica L.) were carried out, as well as the determination of the required number of heat units for full fruit development. Thirty branches whose terminal buds were swollen were selected from five mango trees. With the aid of a camera and a caliper, the panicle and fruit development were evaluated weekly until full fruit development. A digital thermometer was used to record ambient temperatures during fruit development in order to estimate the number of heat units required for complete development of the fruits. Male and hermaphrodite flowers of the panicles were also identified and counted. The developmental cycle of ‘Ubá’ mango from the beginning of apical bud swelling to commercial harvest of the fruit lasted 168 days in 2011 and 154 days in 2012. The number of hermaphrodite flowers and the percentage of fruit set in the inflorescence in 2011 were 32.3 and 0.066%, respectively; and 122.1 and 0.099% in 2012, respectively. There was accumulation of 3,173 heat units from flower bud swelling to full development of the ‘Ubá’ mangoes.

Highlights

The growth of mango tree (Mangifera indica L.) occurs in up to three or four annual vegetative flows, and the stoppage of vegetative growth is necessary for the initiation of flowering and later fruiting and development of the fruits (DAVENPORT, 2009).The mango tree has inflorescences of panicle type, which develop under the climatic conditions of the Zona da Mata Mineira from terminal buds of mature branches with three to nine months of age, having hermaphrodite and male flowers
The fruit maturation time, according to Albuquerque et al (2002), varies among the different producing regions according to the climatic conditions and the time elapsed between the development of the inflorescence and the physiological maturity, which is generally between 100 to 150 days
The calculation of degrees-days or thermal units (TU) is a simple approach to define each stage of development of the crop and assumes that the development of a plant species is related to the environment and it is controlled from the thermal daily sum required for each stadium

Summary

Introduction

The growth of mango tree (Mangifera indica L.) occurs in up to three or four annual vegetative flows, and the stoppage of vegetative growth is necessary for the initiation of flowering and later fruiting and development of the fruits (DAVENPORT, 2009). The mango tree has inflorescences of panicle type, which develop under the climatic conditions of the Zona da Mata Mineira from terminal buds of mature branches with three to nine months of age, having hermaphrodite and male flowers. The fruit maturation time, according to Albuquerque et al (2002), varies among the different producing regions according to the climatic conditions and the time elapsed between the development of the inflorescence and the physiological maturity, which is generally between 100 to 150 days. The number of day degrees varies less with environmental changes than the number of days from anthesis to harvest, being more accurate method to estimate the time of harvest

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