New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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Pollination and fruit set in the tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea (Cav.) Sendt.) 1. Floral biology

D. H. LEWIS¹
J. A. CONSIDINE²

Department of Botany
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92 019
Auckland, New Zealand

¹Present address: Crop & Food Research, Private Bag 11 600, Palmerston North, New Zealand. email: lewisd@crop.cri.nz

²Present address: Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, Western Australia 6907, Australia.

Abstract  The floral biology of the tamarillo Cyphomandra betacea (Cav.) Sendt. `Oratia Round' was examined using field-grown and glasshouse-grown plants. The tamarillo exhibits a modular growth pattern, initiating a number of leaves (usually 3-4) and then a terminal inflorescence. Inflorescence structure is compound and may consist of up to 50 flowers. Flowers open sequentially along each axis of the inflorescence. Individual flowers close at night but reopen each day, for up to 5 days. The stigma is wet and although exudate was present from 3 days before to 7 days after flower opening (Day -3 to Day +7), the effective pollination period (by hand pollination) was from Day -1 until Day +1 only. An insect vector is required for pollination and both honey bees and bumble bees were observed to visit and pollinate tamarillo flowers. The tamarillo is self-compatible although the nature of pollen release onto the thorax and abdomen of bees visiting the flowers could effect both self pollination and cross pollination. No parthenocarpic fruit were set under any of the circumstances investigated here.

Keywords  tamarillo; Cyphomandra betacea; effective pollination period; floral phenology; pollination vector; self-compatibility

H98029
Received 1 July 1998; accepted 26 January 1999

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (2485K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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