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Flower Morphology and Fruit Maturity of Four Minor Fruits (diospyros Peregrina, D. Discolor, Muntingia Calabura and Careya Arborea) of Tropics and Subtropics

MSA Fakir*
Department of Crop Botany, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

M M Rahman
Department of Crop Botany and Tea Production Technology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh

M M Hasan
Department of Crop Botany and Tea Production Technology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh

S Moonmoon
Department of Crop Botany and Tea Production Technology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh

MM Rahman
Department of Crop Botany, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Floral biology and morphological features are essential for crop improvement and harvesting fruit at right time. Deshi (Diospyros peregrine Gurke) and bilatigab (Diospyros discolor Gurke), china cherry (Muntingia calabura L.) and kumbhi (Careya arborea Roxb.) are minor edible fruits of tropics and subtropics. A study was conducted at the Botanical Garden of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to investigate floral morphology and maturity indices of the four fruit species during 2008 to 2011. The flowers are incomplete, regular, polysepalous and poly petalous with numerous stamens and superior ovary in deshi gab; and multicarpellary ovary in bilati gab. The flowers are hermaphrodite, complete, polysepalous, polypetalous, numerous stamen with superior ovary in china cherry and inferior ovary in kumbhi. Fruit growth study revealed that maximum dry mass accumulation in seed i.e. physiological maturity (PM) was obtained when the fruit weight (dry) also reached highest in all species. Visual indices of PM were also recorded by changes in pericarp colour. These indicated the appropriate fruit harvesting stage. Results showed that fruits may be harvested at physiological maturity by observing fruit size and visual colour change of the pericarp.

Keywords: Minor fruits, Floral biology, Physiological and harvest maturity, ‘Gab’, China cherry, ‘Kumbhi’.

Location: Botanical Garden, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Resource Development and Management

Commodity: Minor fruits

Objectives:

Little information is available on details of flower morphology and visual indices of fruit maturity for harvesting. So, the current study was carried out to investigate floral morphology (qualitative and quantitative) and harvesting maturity indices of the four fruit species, Deshi (Diospyros peregrine Gurke) and bilati gab (D. discolor Gurke), china cherry (Muntingia calabura L.) and kumbhi (Careya arborea Roxb).

Methodology:

Three each of deshi gab and bilati gab; six china cherry, and five kumbhi trees were selected in the Botanical Garden, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh (24^o 26' and 24⁰ 54' N and 90⁰ 15' and 90⁰ 30' E) to study inflorescence type, size of floral parts and fruits of china cherry from April to July of 2008, during April to July of 2008 in kumbhi, between April and June of 2011 in deshi gab, and between May and July of 2011 in bilati gab. Different coloured woolen threads were loosely fastened in the pedicel of first opening (days after tagging) to record the data. In deshi gab, tagging of flowers was started at 25th April and continued till end of May, while in bilati gab, tagging was started at 22nd May and continued up to end of June. In case of kumbhi plants, buds were tagged when the length and diameter was e”1.44 cm and e”5.12 cm, respectively. Ten opened flowers of each species were randomly collected to study the flower morphology. The flowers were carefully examined under the simple microscope and the number of sepals, petals and stamens were recorded. Cross section of the ovary was examined in the light microscope to observe the placentation and number of carpels. The length and breadth of 20 sepals and petals, stamens and styles was measured using ruler. Sepal and petal area was also estimated by L × B. At each DAT, at least 20 fruits (four replication, five in each replicate) were harvested and measured for fruit length, diameter and fresh weight of fruit. The length and diameter of fruits were measured using threads and ruler. The physiologically matured fruits were harvested by observing colour changes. The mean differences were compared by least significant difference (LSD) test (Gomez and Gomez, 1984).

Source of Information: International Journal of Minor Fruits, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Vol. 4 (2) : 18-27 December (2018)

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

In summary, inflorescence is axillary cyme, solitary or cluster of 2-7 in deshi and bilati gab; solitary or cluster of two in china cherry, and spike in kumbhi. Flowers are monoecious in deshi and bilati gab, and hermaphrodite in china cherry and kumbhi but fruits are berry in all species. In deshi gab, floral parts consist of 3-5 sepals and petals in both male and female flowers, 25-55 stamens in male and monocarpellary ovary in female; in bilati gab, sepals and stamens are 3-5 in either sex, petals are 5 in male flower but 4 in female flower, syncarpous ovary with 4 carpels; in china cherry, sepals and petals are 5-6, stamen numerous with 5-7 carpels; and in kumbhi, sepals and petals are 4 or 5, stamen numerous with 4 carpels. In deshi gab, average size of sepal was 0.95cm x 0.69 cm (length x diameter), petal was 2.0 cm x o.85 cm, and stamen was 0.54 cm long; in bilati gab, sepal was1.04 cm x 1.03 cm (length and diameter), petal was 1.78 cm x 2.32 cm and stamen was 0.46 cm long; in china cherry, sepal was 0.80 cm x 0.216 cm (length and diameter), petal was 1.14 cm x 0.86 cm and stamen was 0.481 cm long; and in kumbhi, sepal was 1.03 cm x 1.34 cm (length and diameter), petal was 4.68 cm x 2.14 cm and stamen was 5.84 cm long. Results also show that all the morphological characters of fruits were increased gradually with increasing ages (days after tagging) and fruits may be harvested at physiological maturity by observing fruit size (11.2, 35.33, 0.33and 30.25 g fruit”1 at 60, 83, 53 and 65 DAT in deshi gab, bilati gab, china cherry and khumbi, respectively) and visual colour change.

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