Pp. 20.

Pp. 20

Flower initiation in mango (var: “Mallika”) commenced at 21.83 ± 1.58 days after bud development and staminate : hermaphrodite flower ratio was 1:0.29. In each flower, one fertile and four staminoids were present. Staminate and hermaphrodite flowers opened during 0730-1000 hrs. and 0800-1100 hrs. and in them anther dehiscence occurred at 27.1 ± 3.1 and 29.3 ± 4.8 min. after anthesis, respectively. Fruit set (no./panicle) was 2.90 ±1.27 in unbagged and zero in bagged inflorescence. Total longevity of each flower was 81.96 ± 2.14 hrs. Forty five insect species found foraging on the inflorescence belonged to Hymenoptera (60%), Diptera (24.44%), Hemiptera (6.67%), Coleoptera (4.44%) and Lepidoptera (4.44%). Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index (H) values ranged from 1.201-1.586 during different hours of the day, with peak ‘H’ values during 0900-1100 hrs. (1.597-1.619). Highest ‘H’ value (1.551) was recorded at >90 per cent flowering stage. Berger-Parker index (d) for dominance during 25, 50, 75 and >90 percent flowering was highest for E. obliquus (d=0.40, 0.40, 0.36 and 0.34). E. obliquus, Chrysomya sp., A. florea and A. cerana indica spent 11.83, 8.33, 5.29 and 3.76 sec. on each flower, respectively. All four species spent maximum foraging time during 1000-1100 hrs. E. obliquus, Chrysomya sp., A. florea and A. cerana indica visited 36.38, 42.93, 57.33 and 69.40 flowers /5 min., respectively. Maximum bee visitation was recorded at 0600-0700 hrs. and 1700-1800 hrs. Further, E. obliquus, Chrysomya sp., A. florea and A. cerana indica visited 13.03, 18.18, 27.84 and 31.78 flowers per inflorescence. Significant negative correlation (p=0.001) was observed between the number of flowers visited per inflorescence and time spent w.r.t. all the four species.

Excerpt from The Pollination of the Mango Attacking the problem of mango sterility from several angles, as herein outlined, it has been possible to eliminate several factors here tofore generally believed to have some bearing on the question. Apparently the difficulty is not due to any morphological defect in the pollen or to defects in the mechanism of pollination. By the ex clusion of these factors and from the observation of trees in Florida and other regions during several seasons, the conclusion has been reached that the problem is a physiological one, connected with nutritional conditions as influenced by changes in soil moisture and food supply, principally the former. While such factors as lack of pollinating insects and loss of pollen through excessive rains may at times have an injurious effect upon the mango crop, '-it seems safe to assert that the question of pollination is of comparatively little importance from a practical standpoint. Experiments have been undertaken, with the cooperation of Prof. E. 'j. Kraus, to test the practicability of inducing the formation of flower buds through ringing, girdling, and banding the limbs with wire. The work of Prof. Kraus at the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station 1 with pomaceous fruits has sug gested various methods of this nature, and the results of these experi ments with the mango will be watched with interest. At various times excellent results have been reported from ringing and girdling the mango, but systematically arranged experiments along. This line have not been undertaken. It may be that ringing the mango should become a standard orchard practice, but it is'hoped that from the present experiments it will be possible to learn more concerning the physiology of fruit setting in the mango and thereby establish other orchard practices, such as cultivation or pruning, best adapted to insure commercial crops of fruit. In Cuban experiments, fertilizers very rich in potash have yielded good results in the way of increased fruit production. It is to be hoped that such experiments as these will bring to light a practicable method of encouraging the formation of fruit buds on soils or under climatic conditions which normally tend to produce vegetative growth to the exclusion of reproduction. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.