CLIMATIC ADAPTABILITY OF FRUIT CROPS

(A) Tropical Fruits (Grow well in warm climates)

• Climate: Grown in hot, humid regions with no frost.
• Temperature: Above 18°C year-round.
• Rainfall: Usually high.

1. Mango (Mangifera indica)
2. Banana (Musa paradisiaca)
3. Papaya (Carica papaya)
4. Pineapple (Ananas comosus)
5. Guava (Psidium guajava)
6. Sapota (Manilkara achras)
7. Custard Apple (Annona squamosa)
8. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
9. Carambola (Averrhoa carambola)
10. Persimmon (Diospyros kaki)
11. Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
12. Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)

(B) Temperate Fruits (Require chilling, grown in hilly/cool regions)

• Climate: Grown in regions with mild winters and hot summers.
• Temperature: Between 0°C to 18°C.
• Tolerate mild frost: Yes
• Chilling requirement: Low to moderate

1. Apple (Malus domestica)
2. Pear (Pyrus communis)
3. Plum (Prunus domestica)
4. Peach (Prunus persica)
5. Apricot (Prunus armeniaca)
6. Almond (Prunus communis)
7. Cherry (Prunus avium)
8. Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa)
9. Pecanut (Carya illinoinensis)
10. Walnut (Juglans regia)

(C) Subtropical Fruits (Moderate temperature, no severe frost)

• Climate: Grown in cold regions with chilling periods (dormancy).
• Temperature: Require chilling hours (0–7°C) to flower and fruit.
• Tolerate heavy frost: Yes

1. Mandarin (Citrus reticulata)
2. Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis)
3. Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana)
4. Fig (Ficus carica)
5. Litchi (Litchi chinensis)
6. Jamun (Syzygium cuminii)
7. Karonda (Carissa carandas)
8. Grape (Vitis vinifera)
9. Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
10. Aonla (Emblica officinalis)
11. Avocado (Persea americana)
12. Annona (Annona reticulata)
13. Bael (Aegle marmelos)
14. Phalsa (Grewia subinaequalis)
15. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
16. Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera)

 FRUIT MORPHOLOGY

(a) Simple Fruits

• Berry:
  Banana, Papaya, Grape, Sapota, Arecanut, Avocado
• Modified Berry:
  • Balausta: Pomegranate
  • Amphisarca: Wood apple, Bael
  • Pepo: Watermelon
  • Pome: Apple, Pear, Quince, Loquat
  • Drupe (Stone Fruit): Mango, Peach, Plum, Ber, Coconut, Cherry, Cocoa, Coffee
  • Hesperidium: Citrus fruits
  • Nut: Cashew, Litchi, Chestnut, Walnut, Pecanut, Rambutan
  • Capsule: Aonla, Carambola

(b) Aggregate Fruits

(Develop from multiple ovaries of a single flower)

• Eteario of Berries: Custard Apple, Raspberry

(c) Multiple Fruits

(Develop from a cluster of flowers — inflorescence)

• Syconus: Fig
• Sorosis: Jackfruit, Pineapple, Mulberry, Breadfruit

Rate of Respiration in Fruits

(A) Climacteric Fruits

(Sharp rise in respiration and ethylene production after harvest) These fruits ripen after harvest.

Climacteric Fruits: Mango, Banana, Sapota, Guava, Papaya, Apple, Fig, Peach, Pear, Plum, Annona

🔺 Highest ethylene producers: Apple: 25–2500 µL/L

(B) Non-Climacteric Fruits (Respiration rate remains steady; do not ripen after harvest) Citrus, Grape, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Litchi, Ber, Jamun, Cashew, Cherry, Strawberry

 Photoperiodic Response of Fruits

Long Day Plants

• Definition: Plants that require more than 12 hours of daylight to flower.
• Flowering is triggered when day length increases, typically in summer.
• These plants flower when nights are short.

Short Day Plants

• Definition: Plants that flower when they receive less than 12 hours of daylight.
• Flowering occurs when nights are longer, usually in autumn or winter.

Day Neutral Plants

• Definition: Plants that do not depend on day length (photoperiod) to flower.
• They flower regardless of the length of day or night.

Relative Salt Tolerance

Relative Acid Tolerance

Types of Dichogamy (Maturation timing of male/female parts)

Protoandry

• The male reproductive organs (anthers) mature before the female organs (stigmas).
• Prevents self-pollination.

Protogyny

• The female reproductive organs (stigmas) mature before the male organs (anthers).
• Also avoids self-pollination.

Heterodichogamy

• Two types of individuals exist in the same species:
  • One shows protoandry,
  • The other shows protogyny.
• Promotes cross-pollination between these two types.

• Pin Type: Sapota, Litchi, Pomegranate
• Thrum Type: Almond, Carambola, Litchi

Type of Pollination in Fruits

Self-Pollinated Crops

Cross-Pollinated Crops

• Monoecious: Plants that have both male and female flowers on the same individual.
• Dioecious: Plants in which male and female flowers occur on separate individual plants.
• Gynodioecious: A plant population consisting of both female-only plants and hermaphrodite (bisexual) plants.