Page 19 - FRUTAS DEL TRÓPICO

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I. REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY OF MANGO

Conceptual flowering models have been described to explain the interaction of internal and
external factors regulating vegetative and reproductive shoot initiation and induction for mango

(Davenport and Nuñez-Elisea, 1997; Davenport, 2000), Citrus sp. (Davenport, 1990; 2000)

and lychee (Davenport and Stern, 2005) growing in tropical and subtropical environments.

Although mango, citrus, and lychee display different morphologies, they seem to respond to

the same environmental cues to direct phenological changes involved in growth and develop-

ment, however, only citrus is induced to flower in specific response to water stress (Southwick

and Davenport, 1986). This presentation will focus on the physiological mechanisms of re-
productive and vegetative growth in mango, and although the events or regulation of events

described for mango also apply, in general, to citrus and lychee, the means by which to achieve

reliable flowering in these other species on an annual basis differ from that of mango.

Individual stems borne on branches of these trees spend most of the time in rest. Stems

here refer to resting vegetative structures composed of the terminal intercalary unit resulting

from the previous flush of vegetative growth (Davenport, 1990; Davenport and Nuñez-Elisea,

1997). Ephemeral flushes of shoot growth from the apical or lateral buds of these stems occur

periodically and last about two weeks before returning to the resting state. Most often, these

Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas