Pouteria Sapota Research Articles

319 Flowering Phenology of Mamey Sapote [Calocarpum sapota (Jacq.) Merr.] in Florida

Flowering and fruit set characteristics were examined in the popular commercial cultivar Magaoa in an effort to elucidate the reproductive phenology of mamey sapote, Calocarpum sapota (Jacq.) Merr. [syn. Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H.E. Moore and Stearn]. Flowers opened during the night with anthesis beginning around sunset. The length of floral opening varied according to season, ranging from 6 days in winter to a single day in summer. Bursts of new flowers generally appeared in cycles of about 7 days in declining numbers of flowers per burst until all the floral buds of a particular floral bud flush had flowered. Floral buds flowered randomly along a branch with only a few flowers open at any one time. Flower position around the branch was a factor in fruit set. Flowers and small fruitlets encircled horizontal branches in great numbers, but immature fruit most often developed from flowers located on the upper branch quadrant. The lower quadrant contained the fewest immature fruit. As fruit matured, however, more upper quadrant fruit abscised until by harvest, most mature fruit were found on the lower quadrant. The observations provide new insights into the reproductive phenology of mamey sapote.

Small rodents as significant dispersers of tree seeds in a Neotropical forest

Abstract. Through seed dispersal and predation, terrestrial mammals should be an important component of the mechanisms that determine patterns of tree recruitment in tropical forests. Despite their great abundance and ubiquity in Neotropical forests, small rodents as seed predators and dispersers remain largely forgotten. To investigate the fates of seeds in a hunted primary forest in Belize, we tagged seeds of Astrocaryum mexicanum (Palmae), Ampelocera hottlei (Ulmaceae), and Pouteria sapota (Sapotaceae) and placed them into open plots, exclosures accessible only to small mammals, and exclosures accessible to medium‐sized and small mammals. The exclosure experiments and fates of the seeds show that the spiny pocket mouse, Heteromys desmarestianus (Heteromyidae), was the dominant handler of seeds of the first two species and also removed a significant proportion of the very large‐seeded Pouteria. Most of the seeds were killed immediately upon removal, but many of the seeds (3–18 %) of the first two species were scatterhoarded (dispersed and buried in the soil) by Heteromys. Some of the scatterhoarded seeds (29%) remain buried and therefore protected from predation by other animals. Agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata), a caviomorph rodent, buried 13 % of the seeds of Pouteria, and Heteromys consumed and dispersed but did not bury Pouteria seeds. Results of this study support predictions by some researchers that small rodents are dominant terrestrial granivores in Neotropical forests. The role of small rodents as seed dispersers, however, has never been fully appreciated.

Occurrence and management of fruit flies in Cuba1

In Cuba, fruit‐fly control is traditional and is sustained by phytosanitary regulations. Recent surveys have shown that Anastrepha obliqua and Anastrepha suspensa attack various fruits, especially guava and mango, whereas Toxotrypana curvicauda attacks papaya. New host plants are reported for Cuba: A. obliqua on coffee, peach and Pouteria sapota and A. suspensa on Spondias mombin and S. ciruela. Their occurrence was only occasional, and neither of these species was found on citrus. Populations of A. obliqua and A. suspensa were relatively low on guava and mango, occurring mostly in the months of May to September. Five causes are suggested for the relatively low incidence of fruit flies in Cuba: efficient natural regulation by Bracanastrepha anastrephae; predation of larvae by ants in the soil; high mortality of pupae because of surface soil temperature and generalist predators; the cropping system; and the phytosanitary control programme (with preventive approach). The results of the control programme are presented, especially for areas intended for fresh‐fruit export.

Response of the Mamey Sapote (Pouteria sapota L.) Fruit to Storage

The mamey sapote is a fruit highly appreciated by its sweet flavor. Although this crop has been cultivated in tropical America for several centuries, there is still little horticultural information about it. The fruit is very perishable and postharvest losses are usually large. The objective was to evaluate the postharvest changes in fruit quality under storage conditions. Fruit grown in Morelos, Mexico, were harvested when there was a color change from green to pink in the tissue just below the fruit cortex. Fruit were stored at 10 °C or kept at 20 °C (65% RH) or ambient temperature (Mean daily temperature = 27 °C) for 24 days or until fruit deteriorated. After storage at 10 °C, fruit were kept at 20 °C to allow for fruit ripening. Fruit kept at 27 °C ripened 3 days after harvest, while those at 20 °C ripened 5 days after harvest. Fruit at 10 °C showed little physical or chemical changes over the storage period. Ripening included fruit softening, a change in pulp color from a yellow or pale pink to an intense pink color, and an increase in SSC. No change in fruit cortex color was detected as ripening progressed. Ripe fruit showed a 30% to 35% of SSC, and a firmness (resistance to penetration) of 7 N. In overripe fruit, pulp color turned brown. Fruit stored at 10 °C and then ripened at 20 °C showed an irregular ripening, with portions of the fruit with a high firmness and others with a low firmness. This irregular ripening was more severe on fruit stored at 10 °C for 14 days than those stored for 7 days. This disorder was probably a result of chilling injury.

Response of Mamey Sapote (Pouteria sapota) Fruits to Postharvest Exogenous Ethylene Applications

There are very few postharvest studies about the mamey sapote fruits. The lack of appropriate harvest indexes for this crop result in fruits having a wide variability in maturity after harvest. Fruit skin shows no apparent changes in color as maturity progresses. Another complication results from harvesting the fruit with long poles, which restricts the harvester from touching the fruit to evaluate fruit softening. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of exogenous ethylene applications to fruits on increasing the uniformity of fruit maturity. Fruits were harvested every 2 weeks over a 4-month period. Fruit harvest was initiated 8 weeks before the estimated ripening day. Fruits were treated by immersion for 1 min in an ethephon solution at 0, 500, or 1000 mg·liter–1 and stored at 20°C (65% RH) for 4 or 8 days. After the storage period, fruits were analyzed for fruit firmness, color (external and internal), pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, ascorbic acid, and starch. Postharvest exogenous applications of ethylene stimulated postharvest ripening of the mamey sapote fruits. Ripening was associated to fruit softening, a change in pulp color from a pale pink to an intense pink color, and an increase in SSC. Fruit response to exogenous ethylene applications was small in immature fruits and increased as fruits approached the ripe stage, and decreased again in over-ripe fruits. In conclusion, postharvest applications of ethylene increased both fruit earliness and maturity uniformity in fruits.

The Natural Host Plants of Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae) in a Tropical Rain Forest of Mexico

The relationships between Anastrepha species and their host plants are recorded and analyzed from a study carried out in a natural tropical community of Mexico (Estacion de Biologia Tropical Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz). We sampled fruits of 55 plant species of the tropical rain forest and found the following associations: Tapirira mexicana Marchand was infested with A. sp. and A. obliqua (Macquart); Spondias radlkoferi J. D. Smith with A. obliqua; Tabernaemontana alba Mill. with A. cordata Aldrich; Quararibea funebris (Llave) Vischer with A. crebra Stone; Inga sapindoides Willid. with A. distincta Greene; Brosimum alicastrum Sw. and Pseudolmedia oxyphyllaria J. D. Smith with A. bahiensis Costa Lima; Psidium guajava L. with A. striata Schiner and A. fraterculus (Wiedemann); Citrus aurantium L. and C. maxima (Burm.) Merrill with A. ludens (Loew); Chrysophyllum mexicanum Brandegee ex Standley, Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H. Moore & Stearn and Pouteria sp. with A. serpentina (Wiedemann). Also, we found the species A. hamata (Loew), A. leptozona Hendel and A. minuta Stone, whose hosts in the Los Tuxtlas region are still unknown. We sampled infestation rates in 10 of the 13 host plants. Of the 3704 fruits examined, 23.1% were infested. We encountered 2290 larvae, of which 1600 pupated. Parasitoids or adult flies emerged from 85% of these. Infestation percentages of the different fruit species were highly variable, ranging from 1.5% for P. oxyphyllaria to 66.7% for Pouteria sapota. The mean number of larvae per fruit usually was between 1.25 and 2.59, and in only the largest and heaviest fruits (such as C. aurantium, P. sapota and P. sp.) were there more than 9.0 larvae present. Some fruit characteristics affecting the degree of infestation are discussed, and the possible existence of a diapause period in some Anastrepha species is noted.

HURRICANE ANDREW DAMAGES TROPICAL FRUIT CROPS IN SOUTH FLORIDA

On 24 August, 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida's tropical fruit production area with sustained winds of 230 kph and gusts exceeding 280 kph. Damage included defruiting, defoliation, limb and trunk breakage, windthrowing (uprooting), sunburning and the stripping of bark from the trunks and limbs by flying debris. In general, older and taller trees were more severely damaged than younger and shorter trees. Selective limb removal, topping and other pruning practices that reduced overall tree height and opened up the canopy greatly reduced the occurrence of windthrow and severe breakage. Severe damage occurred on lime, mango, passion fruit, lychee and longan; damage was moderate on atemoya, avocado, banana, mamey sapote, papaya and sugar apple; and light damage occurred on carambola and guava. The full extent of injury cannot yet be determined as additional losses will occur due to the direct trauma of the hurricane, insects and diseases, cold temperatures and drought.

Tropical Fruit Pest Management Strategic Plan (PMSP)

A Pest Management Strategic Plan was held in Homestead, Florida on March 31, 2003. Participants developed strategic plans for avocado, banana, carambola, guava, lychee, longan, mamey sapote, mango, papaya, passionfruit, sapodilla, and sugar apple. There are several areas of action which seem to be common to the tropical fruits in general. First, there has been change in water flow in the area due to the Everglades restoration plan. Saturated conditions are exacerbating existing fungal diseases and causing new problems to surface. Secondly, there is a lack of education with regard to flower predation and disease control during bloom. There are also a number of fruit quality issues which must be addressed both pre and post-harvest. Finally, insect problems are often specific to a crop, except for pests such as scales and mealybugs, which have wide host ranges, and are recognized as problems for most of the tropical fruits. This document is CIR 1442 one of a series of publications of the Pesticide Information Office, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, UF/IFAS. Published November 2003.
 https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi062

Florida Crop/Pest Management Profile: Mamey Sapote and Sapodilla

This document is CIR 1414, one of a series of the Pesticide Information Office, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published September 2002.

THE IDENTITY OF ACHRAS ZAPOTA L. AND THE NAMES FOR THE SAPODILLA AND THE SAPOTE

SummaryAchras zapota L. (1753) is to be typified by Sapota fructu ovato, majori Plumier (1703), which is shown by Plumier's unpublished description and drawing to be a form of the sapodilla or naseberry. If a broad generic concept is adopted, the correct name for the sapodilla is Manilkara zapota (L.) P. van Royen, for the sapote Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H. E. Moore & Stearn. If a narrow generic concept is adopted, the correct names are respectively Achras zapota L. and Calocarpum sapota (Jacq.) Merrill.