Fruiting Trees Research Articles

Field Evaluation of Cold Hardy Citrus in Coastal Georgia

Sixteen cultivars of citrus (Citrus spp.) and close citrus relatives were planted in Savannah, Georgia to evaluate their potential as fruiting landscape trees in an area that routinely experiences minimum temperatures of 15 to 20 °F (-9.4 to -6.7 °C) during winter. Three to six trees of each cultivar were planted in 1998, and stem dieback and defoliation data were collected in 1999, 2001, and 2002. During the 4 years of the study, air temperatures fell below 32 °F (0.0 °C) 27 to 62 times per season, with absolute minima ranging from 13 to 18 °F (-10.6 to -7.8 °C), depending on year. In general, kumquats (Fortunella spp.), represented by `Meiwa', `Nagami', and `Longevity', were completely killed (or nearly so) in their first year in the field after air temperature minima of 13.5 °F (-10.28 °C). Others experiencing 100% dieback were `Meyer' lemon (Citrus limon × C. reticulata) and `Eustis' limequat (C. aurantifolia × Fortunella japonica), which were tested twice during the study. Kumquat hybrids, including procimequat [(C. aurantifolia × F. japonica) × F. hindsii), `Sinton' citrangequat [(C. sinensis × Poncirus trifoliata) × unknown kumquat], `Mr John's Longevity' citrangequat [(C. sinensis × P. trifoliata) × F. obovat], razzlequat (Eremocitrus glauca × unknown kumquat), and `Nippon' orangequat (C. unshiu × F. crassifolia) survived freezing, but all experienced at least some defoliation and stem dieback. `Owari' satsuma (C. unshiu), `Changsha' mandarin (C. reticulata), nansho daidai (C. taiwanica) and ichang papeda (C. ichangensis) experienced only minor stem dieback but substantial defoliation in most years, except that ichang papeda was substantially damaged in the last year of the study. Seven cultivars produced fruit at least once during their first 4 years: nansho daidai, ichang papeda, `Nippon' orangequat, `Mr John's Longevity' citrangequat, `Owari' satsuma, `Changsha' mandarin, and procimequat. Based on cold hardiness, fruiting, and growth characteristics, `Owari' satsuma, `Changsha' mandarin, `Mr John's Longevity' citrangequat, and `Nippon' orangequat provided the hardiest, most precocious and desirable fruiting landscape trees in this study.

Spatio–temporal Variations in Post‐dispersal Seed Fate1

ABSTRACTThe post‐dispersal fate of Chrysophyllum lucentifolium (a canopy tree; Sapotaceae) seeds was analyzed in French Guiana over three consecutive years. Experiments using 750 thread‐marked seeds were performed to investigate seed removal, predation, and caching by terrestrial vertebrates on howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) defecation sites, where clumps of intact C. lucentifolium seeds were observed. Year‐to‐year variations in seed fate during the peak fruiting period were considered in relation to overall fruit and seed resource availability estimated by a raked‐trail survey. The effect of two forest areas, which differed in soil and floristic composition, was examined with conspecific fruiting tree density as a covariant. Exclosure versus open treatment was used to discriminate small rodents (not larger than a spiny rat) from other vertebrates. The presence of fresh howler dung did not affect seed fate after 20 days as shown by comparisons between defecation sites and control during the first year. There was a significant effect of year on the percentage of seeds remaining after 20 days. Low seed removal in 1995 and 1996 (compared to 1997) corresponded to higher overall fruiting and higher fruiting of C. lucentifolium, or the presence of alternative resources for rodents. An effect of forest area was observed on the seed removal rate, which varied with years and protection. Comparatively, an effect of forest area on the percentage of seeds lost was observed in 1996 and an effect of treatment on the percentage of seeds eaten was seen in 1995. The mode of seed caching suggested that spiny rats were the main seed remover. Results of this study suggest that greater seedling recruitment may occur when large fruit crop and high howler dispersal co‐occur with a lower impact of rodents (i.e., when rodents are saturated by abundant and diversified fruit resources such as in 1995). Such event synchrony, however, is highly unpredictable after only three years of study.

Tests of disperser specificity between frugivorous birds and rainforest fruits in New Guinea

Interactions between frugivorous birds and their food plants were studied in tropical lowland hill forest in Papua New Guinea. Over a 2-year period we made intensive observations at 20 fruiting tree species in order to determine avian feeding assemblages at each species. In all, 38 bird species took fruit during observations, mainly in the families Paradisaeidae, Columbidae, Meliphagidae, Campephagidae, Dicaeidae, Zosteropidae, and Pachycephalidae. We tested specificity of bird—plant interactions by examining various statistical associations between bird and plant characteristics to identify key factors in consistent patterns of fruit consumption, if any. Bird families were significantly associated with different types of fruits: cuckoo-shrikes, thickheads and honeyeaters visited figs more often than expected, and birds of paradise and white-eyes visited arillate fruits more often than expected. In other tests, number of visits to very small fruits 5–6.5 mm in diameter (which included several fig species) was correlated with birds ranked by size, especially for berrypeckers, flowerpeckers and white-eyes. However, for both smaller and larger fruits, or for fruits of different structure or accessibility, there was no correlation with bird size. Fruit size showed no correlation with avian food-handling behaviour, or with avian taxonomic affinity. Size of fruiting display was not correlated with either avian residency or nomadism. Our study provided an overview of most of the avian frugivore species at the study site, which fed at a wide array of fruiting plants, and thus our results give an indication of whether patterns in bird—plant relationships are discernible at the level of species, family or guild, or other ecological subset, and whether determining factors might be morphology, size, bird behaviour, etc. These results also provide a broader context within which other regional studies of bird—plant relationships can be interpreted, and were consistent with some, but not all, of the conclusions of previous studies that suggested specialised relationships between Australo-Papuan birds and fruiting plants.

Factors Affecting Nesting Site Choice in Chimpanzees at Tshibati, Kahuzi-Biega National Park: Influence of Sympatric Gorillas

We recorded 310 fresh chimpanzee night nests at 72 nest sites to determine their choice of tree and site for nesting vis-a-vis the effects of sympatric gorillas. Chimpanzees did not use trees for nesting according to their abundance, but instead tended to nest in fruit trees that they used as food sources. Nesting patterns of chimpanzees may vary with nesting group size, the type of vegetation, and fruit species eaten or not eaten by gorillas. When chimpanzees lodged as a small group in the secondary forest, they nested more frequently in trees bearing ripe fruits eaten only by themselves than in those with fruit eaten also by gorillas. When they lodged as a large group in the primary forest, they nested more frequently in trees bearing ripe fruits eaten by both apes. Nest group size is positively correlated with the availability of preferred ripe fruits in secondary forest. These findings not only reflect the larger foraging groups at the larger fruiting trees but also suggest that chimpanzees may have tended to occupy fruiting trees effectively by nesting in them and by forming large nest groups when the fruits attracted gorillas. Competition over fruits between gorillas and chimpanzees, due to their low productivity in the montane forest of Kahuzi, may have promoted the chimpanzee tactics.

Defense of Fruiting Trees by Birds in an Australian Forest1

Defense of Fruiting Trees by Birds in an Australian Forest1

Spatio–temporal Variations in Post-dispersal Seed Fate1

The post-dispersal fate of Chrysophyllum lucentifolium (a canopy tree; Sapotaceae) seeds was analyzed in French Guiana over three consecutive years. Experiments using 750 thread-marked seeds were performed to investigate seed removal, predation, and caching by terrestrial vertebrates on howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) defecation sites, where clumps of intact C. lucentifolium seeds were observed. Year-to-year variations in seed fate during the peak fruiting period were considered in relation to overall fruit and seed resource availability estimated by a raked-trail survey. The effect of two forest areas, which differed in soil and floristic composition, was examined with conspecific fruiting tree density as a covariant. Exclosure versus open treatment was used to discriminate small rodents (not larger than a spiny rat) from other vertebrates. The presence of fresh howler dung did not affect seed fate after 20 days as shown by comparisons between defecation sites and control during the first year. There was a significant effect of year on the percentage of seeds remaining after 20 days. Low seed removal in 1995 and 1996 (compared to 1997) corresponded to higher overall fruiting and higher fruiting of C. lucentifolium, or the presence of alternative resources for rodents. An effect of forest area was observed on the seed removal rate, which varied with years and protection. Comparatively, an effect of forest area on the percentage of seeds lost was observed in 1996 and an effect of treatment on the percentage of seeds eaten was seen in 1995. The mode of seed caching suggested that spiny rats were the main seed remover. Results of this study suggest that greater seedling recruitment may occur when large fruit crop and high howler dispersal co-occur with a lower impact of rodents (i.e., when rodents are saturated by abundant and diversified fruit resources such as in 1995). Such event synchrony, however, is highly unpredictable after only three years of study.

Factors Affecting Pollen Dispersal in High-density Apple Orchards

Knowledge of pollen dispersal is essential for maximizing cross-fertilization in apples (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) and achieving optimal orchard design. Using allozyme markers, we examined dispersal of pollen from trees of a single cultivar (`Idared') throughout two apple orchards. In each orchard, the percentage of seeds sired by `Idared' was estimated for trees sampled at regular intervals along three transects, extending up to 18 rows (86 m) from the closest donor trees. The percentage of seed sired by `Idared' pollen ranged from 76% to 1% of seed sampled for a row. No differences in pollen dispersal were found among transects, despite differences in proximity to the bee colonies. Variation in `Idared' siring success was attributable to the cultivar of the fruit-bearing trees as well as their distance to the nearest `Idared' tree. Cultivar effects were associated with differences in flowering overlap, but not cross-compatibility with the pollenizer. Furthermore, flowering overlap was a good predictor of siring success only when the flowering times of competing pollenizer cultivars were also considered. The implications for orchard design are discussed.

Higher species diversity explained by stronger spatial aggregation across six neotropical Drosophila communities

Spatial aggregation of competitors over resource patches is generally accepted as an important mechanism maintaining coexistence of species in insect communities exploiting fragmented resources. However, its quantitative effects on local diversity, i.e. the relationship between the degree of aggregation in a community and community diversity, remain unexplored. In this paper, we tested whether stronger spatial aggregation does lead to the predicted higher local diversity. We compared six species‐rich Drosophila communities exploiting decaying fruits in central Panama, monitored over one full year (> 25 generations). We found a clear positive relationship between the overall degree of aggregation and community diversity. In addition, aggregation over fruit trees was found to contribute greatly to the overall degree of aggregation and was largely responsible for the observed relationship between aggregation and diversity across communities. In addition, both diversity and aggregation strength were lower in communities in disturbed habitats, which was explained by altered spatial distribution of fruiting trees. This study shows that the aggregation model cannot only explain coexistence, but also differences in local diversity.

First record of Monilinia fructicola on strawberry fruit in Victoria, Australia

Moniliniafructicola was identified as the cause of a strawberry fruit rot in a fungicide trial on strawberry at Wandin, near Melbourne, Victoria. Field evidence suggested that nearby mature fruiting cherry trees were the source of infection.

Fruit and seed ecology of wild robusta coffee (Coffea canephora Froehner) in Kibale National Park, Uganda

Coffee fruit production, frugivorous activities and seed longevity were investigated during two seasons. The average densities of fruiting coffee trees during the first sampling period ranged from four to seven per 25 m2 and during the second sampling period, four fruiting trees per 25 m2 were estimated. Fruiting coffee trees were significantly less than the non‐fruiting trees (P < 0.05, t‐test). Periods of maximum coffee fruit fall coincided with those of lowest rainfall. Coffee fruit yield per tree from ground collections was 7–40 m−2 in 1992 and 16–38 m−2 in 1993/1994. Split coffee berries ranged between 71.7% and 83.6% of all fruits collected from the forest floor in the 1993/94 sampling period. Coffee seeds collected from the forest floor were mostly undamaged. Black and white colobus and redtail monkeys were observed to feed on ripe coffee fruits but did not crush the seeds. Coffee seed viability declined rapidly during storage. Seeds left on the forest floor survived longest, those stored under laboratory conditions lost viability fastest, and those in cold storage showed intermediate longevity.

Seed germination and seedling fitness in Mesua ferrea L. in relation to fruit size and seed number per fruit

Effect of fruit size and seediness (seed number per fruit) was examined on germination and early growth of seedlings in Mesua ferrea L. Fruiting incidence (number of fruited trees in a population) and fruit loading (number of fruits per tree) vary from one year to the other, and were greater in 1997 than in 1998. Seeds from large fruits (> 40 g) are preferred for forestry plantations and those from small fruits (< 40 g) are discarded, despite a greater proportion of small fruits (63.2 %) than large fruits (36.8 %). A fruit, large or small in size, may contain one, two, three or four seeds. The germination percentage of seeds increased from 1-seeded through 4-seeded fruits both in laboratory and greenhouse conditions, and both in case of large and small fruits. Conversely, the mean seed weight and germination time decreased along this gradient, i.e. seeds from 1-seeded fruits were the heaviest and required maximum time for germination, and the seeds from 4-seeded fruits were the lightest and required minimum time for germination. The seeds from small fruits were lighter in weight, achieved lower germination percentages and required greater germination time than the seeds from large fruits in all four seeded categories. Seedlings from seeds from 1-seeded fruits survived better and with stronger vigour after 1 year of growth than seedlings from 2-, 3- and 4-seeded fruits. Further, seedling survival and vigour were greater for seeds from large rather than small fruits.

Temporal patterns of individual and group foraging behaviour in the short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx, in south India

The short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx, begins to visit fruit-bearing trees about 30 min after sunset. Individual bats often hover near or land on fruits or on nearby branches to remove whole or parts of fruits with their mouth. These bats seldom remain in the fruit-bearing trees to feed, but instead carry fruits to feeding roosts, repeating this behaviour several times throughout the night. Analysis of the temporal distribution of feeding behaviour has revealed two peaks of activity, one in the pre-midnight hours when bats fed mostly on ‘steady state’ fruits, and another during the post-midnight hours when bats fed on ‘big-bang’ fruits. Only solitary bats visited and fed on species with steady state fruiting phenologies, whereas groups of bats regularly visited and fed on species with big-bang fruiting phenologies. Thus, plant species which produce large numbers of fruits appear to promote group foraging during the latter hours of the night. It is suggested that the temporal use of available fruits in south India made it possible for C. sphinx to successfully exploit them, and thereby reduced interference competition with conspecifics.

潮風害による樹勢低下ウンシュウミカン樹における光合成産物の転流・分配特性

The distribution characteristics of 13C-labeled photosynthate and sink strength of each organ in damaged satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) trees, caused by briny wind of Typhoon No.19, November 1991, were studied during the recovering stage using naturally and artificially damaged trees. The damaged trees were separated into 3 groups, according to the degree of defoliation after the storm, that is, severe (70-80% of defoliation rate), modest (30-50%) and light damage (10-20%). The more severe, briny wind-damage the trees experienced, the more defoliation and root decay occurred. The most severely damaged trees had the highest shoot/root ratio, 2.0 the following season. Nine months after the natural damage (July, 1992), about 60% of 13C-labeled photosynthate was partitioned into fine and small roots in the most severely damaged and fruit-thinned trees. It is supposed that the photosynthate was mostly consumed to accelerate rooting and for elongation of fine and small roots. Half a month after incurring artificial damage by fruit-thinned trees in October, spring flush leaves, 2- and 3-year-old twigs, roots, and old leaves accumulated most of the photosynthates, whereas in fruit-bearing trees, regardless of defoliation rate, the crop amassed 40-50% of the dry matter and absorbed much of the 13C administered. These results indicate that the fruit which has a very high sink strength diverted photosynthates necessary for growth and respiration of fine roots. Thus, fruit-bearing is an important factor in the recovery of damaged trees.

Saccharum spontaneum(Gramineae) in Panama

Summary Saccharum spontaneum(L.), one of two species of wild sugarcane, is a highly variable species ranging broadly in its native Asia and competing vigorously on extreme and disturbance-prone sites. The species has also become invasive throughout the tropics on agricultural soils degraded by fire and overuse. In the Republic of Panama, S. spontaneumis locking vast stretches of deforested lands in an arrested succession monoculture with apparently little or no value for agriculture or native wildlife. Despite the extent of the problem, surprisingly little research has been undertaken on the species or its control. Several reforestation projects underway in Panama have proven effective in controlling the grass but operate at a small scale. However, control efforts used for other invasive species such as Imperata cylindricaand Dicranopteris linearissuggest lower cost approaches for facilitating natural forest regeneration. For example, mimicking the natural colonization of old fields by woody plants, islands of fruit-bearing trees could be planted to attract animal dispersers and gradually expand into the surrounding grasslands. On S. spontaneumfields adjacent to remnant forests, forest plantations can produce timber while also catalyzing the natural regeneration of native tree species in their understory.

Ginkgo: The Beautiful Powerhouse Tree

Ginkgo: The Beautiful Powerhouse Tree Ruth Trimble It has been said that beauty is its own reward, and the ginkgo's unique loveliness is reason enough for being, let alone the fact that it is an esoteric powerhouse which seems to hold vast promise for mankind. Ginkgo-thc hottest name going in medicinal research into natural herbs. Why the accelerated interest in this ancient tree? Can it really be the long-sought panacea for so many related ailments? Before the Ice Age the ginkgo tree covered many parts ofthe globe. Fossil records tell us that it has been around for over 200 million years. Extremely long-lived, some trees have survived as long as 4,000 years. It is highly resistant to parasites and seemingly impervious to industrial pollution. Because ofits beauty you will find it most often along streets and in parks, where it grows from thirty to fifty feet tall. New spring leaves are light and delicate, giving it the common name of maidenhair tree. During the summer the fan-shaped, bilobed leaves turn dark leathery green, then to butter-yellow in the fall. China and other Asian countries have used the kernels and roots of the ginkgo for centuries. The name "ginkgo" means silver fruit or white nuts in Chinese. The fruits are highly sought after in the Far East, and the roasted pits are considered a rare delicacy. The fruits are rarely seen in our country because both the flowers and fruits have a somewhat disagreeable odor, so usually only male trees are planted. It is the ginkgo leafupon which modern research is focusing. To be therapeutically effective, the leaves are converted into a concentrated extract since a simple decoction of the leaves is not potent enough to achieve the maximum results. However, an old Chinese remedy for the common cold is to infuse a handful of the leaves in boiling water and inhale the vapors from the steam. Ifthis is done at the very first "tickle" of a cold, it can often be warded offentirely. Ifthe symptoms persist, a frequent inhalation ofthe steam will help alleviate the discomfort and has been known to cut the duration by several days. This also works well for sinus infections, bronchial difficulties, stubborn coughs, and asthma, with-out the weird side effects sometimes experienced from the use ofthe-counter preparations. Loosening the phlegm soothes the air passages and linings, which makes breathing easier. Ruth Trimble is a native and life-long resident of Kingsport, Tennessee. Since her retirementfrom the U.S. Postal Service, she has been active in Tennessee and Virginia archaeological research, the study ofwildplantfoods and herbs at her Scott County, Virginia, hillsidefarm, and compiling and publishing herfamilygenealogy and other writings. 36 To be ready when the cold season arrives, gather a supply ofthe green leaves and dry in a warm place out of direct sunlight. When they thoroughly dry, crumple, place in a clean container, and store in a dark cupboard . Ifyou have difficulty locating a ginkgo tree from which to gather the leaves, consider raising your own. Find a fruit-bearing tree and collect the fruit when it falls from the tree after the first frost, probably in October. Wash the pulp away from the hard 1/2-inch seed kernels to prevent fungal rot during germination. Pack the seeds in moist sand in a plastic bag for eight or nine weeks at sixty-five to seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Check them often to make sure the sand stays moist. Then sow the seeds in a starting soil, covering them about 1-1/2 inches deep. Wet thoroughly, then put the pot outside for about two months. They need to be where the temperature is below forty degrees Fahrenheit, so you may want to put them in the refrigerator. Ifso, cover the pot with a plastic bag. In the spring take offthe bag and put the pot outside. Feed the newly germinated seeds lightly during the summer. Then in autumn transplant them to a well-drained section of your garden . As I lay abed early one spring morning, enjoying the cool breeze from the open window, I became aware ofa low, humming sound, which I thought was...

Chemical composition of the fruit pulp of Caryocar villosum

Caryocar villosum is a fruit-bearing tree that grows in Amazonian tropical forests. Its butter-textured, yellowish fruit pulp is much liked by the inhabitants of the region. Analysis of the main ingredients, i.e. carbohydrates, minerals and trace elements and fatty acids as well as the composition of the sterol fraction, the free amino acids, the biogenic amines and volatile compounds are presented.

Factors influencing seasonal and monthly changes in the group size of chital or axis deer in southern India

Chital or axis deer (Axis axis) form fluid groups that change in size temporally and in relation to habitat. Predictions of hypotheses relating animal density, rainfall, habitat structure, and breeding seasonality, to changes in chital group size were assessed simultaneously using multiple regression models of monthly data collected over a 2 yr period in Guindy National Park, in southern India. Over 2,700 detections of chital groups were made during four seasons in three habitats (forest, scrubland and grassland). In scrubland and grassland, chital group size was positively related to animal density, which increased with rainfall. This suggests that in these habitats, chital density increases in relation to food availability, and group sizes increase due to higher encounter rate and fusion of groups. The density of chital in forest was inversely related to rainfall, but positively to the number of fruiting tree species and availability of fallen litter, their forage in this habitat. There was little change in mean group size in the forest, although chital density more than doubled during the dry season and summer. Dispersion of food items or the closed nature of the forest may preclude formation of larger groups. At low densities, group sizes in all three habitats were similar. Group sizes increased with chital density in scrubland and grassland, but more rapidly in the latter—leading to a positive relationship between openness and mean group size at higher densities. It is not clear, however, that this relationship is solely because of the influence of habitat structure. The rutting index (monthly percentage of adult males in hard antler) was positively related to mean group size in forest and scrubland, probably reflecting the increase in group size due to solitary males joining with females during the rut. The fission-fusion system of group formation in chital is thus interactively influenced by several factors. Aspects that need further study, such as interannual variability, are highlighted.

Food Competition Between Wild Orangutans in Large Fig Trees

Orangutans are usually solitary. However, occasionally aggregations are formed, especially in large fruiting fig trees. Individuals in these aggregations may experience scramble or contest competition for food. We investigated the type and strength of food competition in large figs among wild Sumatran orangutans. Adult males foraged more efficiently than adult females and subadult males did. The availability of ripe fruit is positively related to the number of orangutans visiting a fig tree and their foraging efficiency. The number of orangutans in a fig tree did not affect patch residence time and foraging behavior, though orangutans spent more time feeding when aggregation size increased in a fig tree. Dominance relationships could be measured in a number of dyads. Differences in dominance did not affect foraging behavior. The patch residence time of subordinate individuals was reduced on days that a dominant individual also visited the fig. In conclusion, orangutans seem to adjust aggregation size to the number of available ripe fruits in a fig tree in such a way that scramble competition was absent. Contest competition determined access to large fig trees.

Habitat Partitioning Among Primates in Maracá Island, Roraima, Northern Brazilian Amazonia

I studied a primate community on a tropical rainforest island, in the northernmost area of the Brazilian Amazonia. While walking through six distinct habitats along a 12-km trail, running toward the center of the island—a remote undisturbed area—I collected data on the use of the different forest types and forest strata by the primate community and the formation of either mixed groups or species assemblages. Five species are present: Cebus olivaceus, C. apella, Saimiri sciureus, Ateles belzubuth, and Alouatta seniculus. They seemed to be habitat generalists, using most habitat types. The five species used the higher strata more significantly, probably because Maraca does not present well-defined forest floors, which could be a result of being located in the transition between the great areas of savannah and the Amazonian seasonally dry forests. The five species all formed some polyspecific associations, which involved sharing the available food resource. Mixed groups were significantly more frequent and therefore possibly more important to Saimiri, which was not the case in relation to the other four species. Assemblages, defined as the presence in the same clumped resource, without coordinated activity, of ≤ 3 primate species, were recorded primarily in fruiting fig trees. I suggest that assemblages are impelled by food constraints, forcing cofeeding in large seasonal resources, highlighting the ecological importance of figs to these primates. Linear regression models show that the number of feeding bouts in each habitat type is positively related to the number of fruiting trees exploited, but the density of these fruit trees, diversity of plant species, tree height, and total basal area of each habitat type have no relationship to feeding.

Maximum Vegetative Growth Potential and Seasonal Patterns of Resource Dynamics during Peach Growth

The maximum vegetative growth potential of two peach [ Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] cultivars that differ in the timing of resource demand for reproductive growth was determined in terms of stem extension, stem and leaf dry weight accumulation, and trunk radial increment on defruited trees. The maximum vegetative growth potentials were similar on the two cultivars indicating that the greater partitioning of dry weight to vegetative growth frequently observed on early maturing cultivars compared to late maturing cultivars is the result of a shorter period of competition between reproductive and vegetative growth, rather than a genetic difference in vegetative growth potential. On both cultivars, stem extension and leaf dry weight accumulation ceased in mid-summer, however stem dry weight accumulation and trunk radial increment increase continued through the autumn. The presence of fruit did not have a detectable effect on the final stem length, stem dry weight or leaf dry weight on the early maturing cultivar, but it reduced final stem length and dry weight by 43 and 56%, respectively on the late maturing cultivar. The presence of fruit did decrease stem length, stem dry weight and leaf dry weight on the early maturing cultivar for 1 month prior to and 1 month after fruit harvest. Fruit decreased final trunk radial increment by 42 and 77% on the early and late maturing cultivars, respectively. These reductions in vegetative growth indicate that resource partitioning to vegetative growth was reduced by competition with fruit growth. Comparison of stem relative extension rates and stem and leaf relative growth rates on fruited and defruited trees indicated that vegetative growth was resource-limited shortly after vegetative bud break on fruited trees of both cultivars. This period of resource-limited vegetative growth corresponded to a period of resource-limited fruit growth identified in an earlier study. During the period of resource-limited vegetative growth, assimilate supply was low due to low leaf area index, and carbohydrate demand was relatively high due to high vegetative and reproductive growth potentials, creating resource-limited growth conditions.