Introduction. There has been increasing interest in the domestication potential of indigenous fruit trees. Nevertheless, our understanding of how these species’ abundance and yield of fruit is altered by ecological conditions, which is critical to foresee realistic sustainable management plans, is limited. Materials and methods. We used local ecological knowledge, presence / absence data and quantitative methods to examine the effect of ecological conditions on the distribution, abundance and yields of tamarind trees (T. indica) across three ecological regions in Benin, West Africa. Results and discussion. Rural communities’ knowledge on the species’ ecological range was congruent with scientific findings. The natural distribution of tamarind individuals was limited to the Sudanian and the Sudano-Guinean regions and their density declined with increasing moisture, being highest (2 trees·km-2) in the Sudanian region and lowest in the Guineo-Congolian region (scarce). On the other hand, fruit and pulp mass and number of seeds per fruit varied significantly, being higher in the Guineo-Congolian wetter region. However, no significant variation occurred among ecological regions for estimated overall fruit yields per tree. This might indicate that tamarind trees tend to invest in a small number of very large fruits under wetter conditions and a very large number of small fruits under dryer conditions. Conclusion. The results showed that semi-arid lands would best suit T. indica domestication. Nevertheless, its productivity could be higher under wetter conditions. Because of its affinity for gallery forests, we recommend thorough studies on its capacity to survive the increasing drought in its current ecological range.

Introduction. Pescabivona is the name of an autochthonous peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batch] population of the central west of Sicily. In a previous work, this fruit was submitted to chemical analysis, while in this paper, sensory evaluation is considered. Materials and methods. Samples of four Pescabivona landraces were harvested throughout the harvest season. A trained panel outlined the sensory profiles and the data were processed by ANOVA and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A correlation between sensory analysis and instrumental data was finally carried out. Results and discussion. The results demonstrated a high standard of quality for the four landraces studied, with some differences in aroma intensity and in some other parameters, with sweetness and aroma being highly correlated with overall liking. PCA did not clearly separate the different landraces as they have the same origin. Some correlations between sensory analysis and instrumental data were verified. The sensory liking was correlated with the main ripeness parameters, as well as with the pulp firmness. Conclusion. The data obtained contribute to outlining a complete fruit profile for product comparison and shelf-life monitoring. As previously verified for chemical parameters, the sensory evaluation indicates a substantial similarity among the landraces. The good agreement between sensory evaluation and composition makes sensory analysis a precious tool to assess quality of Pescabivona landraces.

Introduction. Although several pineapple micropropagation protocols have already been published, significant improvement could be achieved if the stages of the in vitro culture were better defined. Our work concerned several experiments aiming at the mass production of high quality plantlets. Materials and methods. Axillary buds were inoculated on an MS liquid culture medium added with NAA (2 μM) and BAP (4 μM). Regenerated shoots, divided into three classes of different sizes, were then used in further experiments. First, these shoots were inoculated in flasks containing the same MS culture medium with or without growth regulators. Then, four basic media, containing different salts and free from growth regulators were tested. In a third assay, the MS culture medium was compared with a half-diluted MS culture medium for studying the plantlet elongation and rooting stage. Results. In the MS culture medium supplemented with NAA and BAP, the highest multiplication rate (13.5 shoots) was obtained with the smallest shoots inoculated, while in the MS culture medium free of growth regulators, the highest plantlets (7.7 cm) were the result of the highest shoots inoculated and showed no vitrification. The normal MS culture medium, in comparison with the half-diluted one and the three other salt formulations, revealed a significant increase in the plantlet elongation and best general features. For acclimatization, the highest values of the survival rate (93.8% ) and fresh and dry weights were obtained with the transference of higher than 7.0 cm in vitro plantlets. Conclusion. Using the protocol described in this work, it is possible to obtain 1 million in vitro plantlets after 9 months from a single bud, with a 45 day subculture interval and an average multiplication rate of 10 shoots per bud.

Introduction Fruit quality characteristics are governed by preharvest factors, mainly climate, nutrition and plant bio-regulators, of which the latter two can easily be manipulated in the grower’s interest. Likewise, the postharvest treatments with the best performance can maintain quality during storage and distribution. Therefore, it is important to embrace a holistic approach to combine the pre- and postharvest practices in view of attaining maximum quality and satisfaction at the consumer level. Materials and methods. Various combinations of mineral nutrients (calcium and boron) and bio-regulators (salicylic acid and gibberellic acid) were applied at the pre- and postharvest stages of apple fruits to study their influence on postharvest behavior of these fruits during 60 days of storage under ambient conditions. Results and discussions Among the different treatments tried, fruits treated with either salicylic acid or calcium showed significant improvement with regards to improved physico-chemical characteristics and reduced fruit infection percentage. Integration of pre- and postharvest application of chemicals was verified as the most effective choice for the improvement of shelf life of apple fruits amongst the treatment combinations applied either at the pre- or postharvest stage. The application of salicylic acid in combination with calcium or boron renders an alternative to the use of fungicides to control decay during apple fruit storage.

Introduction. Generally, in Iran, citrus cultivars are grafted on Sour orange rootstocks. However, susceptibility of this rootstock to tristeza (CTV) has required a research program to replace Sour orange trees with other rootstocks. Materials and methods. Yield performance and fruit quality of Ruby Red and Marsh grapefruits were assessed for 5 years (1999 to 2003) in the Agricultural Research Station in Dezful (Southern Iran) according to the eight different rootstocks used: Carrizo citrange, Citrus amblycarpa, Cleopatra mandarin, King mandarin, Sour orange, Swingle citrumelo, Troyer citrange and Volkamer lemon. Results and discussion. For the 5 years studied, cumulative yields per tree and yield per trunk cross-section area were the highest on Cleopatra mandarin, Sour orange, Swingle citrumelo and Volkamer lemon, whereas trees on Citrus amblycarpa, Carrizo citrange, King mandarin and Troyer citrange were the least productive. The results showed that individual fruit weight, size and skin thickness were significantly higher for both cultivars on Volkamer lemon, compared with the other rootstocks. Fruits on the Cleopatra mandarin rootstock had the lowest weight and fruit diameter. The rootstock type also affected the fruit juice amount and soluble solid content. Fruits from cultivars which were grafted on Sour orange rootstock had total soluble solids of 9.93% and 51% of juice content, whereas on Volkamer lemon rootstock, they had 7.81% of total soluble solids and 45.3% of juice content. Total acid of the fruits from cultivars grafted on Volkamer lemon had the significantly smallest amount (1.33%). In both cultivars of grapefruits, no significant differences were observed except in the size of the fruit, fruit juice and vitamin C contents. Interactions between rootstock and cultivar were significantly different. Conclusion. Our results indicated that the yield and fruit quality of grapefruit are strongly influenced by the rootstock used. Also, the interaction between cultivars and rootstocks may be an interesting strategy for the adaptation of cultivars to different climatic areas.

Introduction. The severe impact of papaya bacterial canker in the West Indies justified launching a program to transfer the genetic resistance/tolerance identified in local germplasm to good-quality cultivars. As a first step, a germplasm collection from the Caribbean was gathered and its morphological and genetic diversity assessed. Materials and methods. The total sample included 50 accessions from the Lesser Antilles, Cuba, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Hawaii. Morphological data from a subsample of 29 accessions were submitted to analysis of variance, principal component analysis and Neighbor-Joining cluster analysis. Nine isozyme systems were tested, and the corresponding data were processed for cluster analysis and genetic parameters, including the fixation index, diversity indices and heterozygosity. Results. Eighteen of the 47 Caribbean and Venezuelan accessions exhibited hermaphroditism. Venezuelan accessions displayed the widest morphological diversity, while those from Barbados were distinguished by fruit quality. Sexual type affected leaf and flower traits. Cluster analysis shows little morphological differentiation between origins, with the relative grouping of the accessions from Guadeloupe or Barbados. Only four isozyme systems were polymorphic, producing 34 distinct zymotypes, with a relatively high heterozygosity and a particular diversity in Venezuela, Guadeloupe and Barbados. Geographic structuration appears limited in the cluster analysis among individuals; however, it is clearer when considering the six best-represented populations, with one cluster representing Venezuela, Trinidad and Barbados, and one for Guadeloupe, Martinique and Grenada. Discussion. The low level of fixation is attributed to dioecy and to the low level of selection. The relative isolation of island populations has favored geographic differentiation, albeit limited. The differentiation between the good-quality germplasm from Barbados and the tolerant populations from Martinique and Guadeloupe encourages the development of a marker-assisted introgression scheme.

Introduction. ‘Orange Red’ is an apricot cultivar released in the United States and characterised by large fruit of very good quality for both the fresh market and processing. For this reason, this cultivar is greatly appreciated in Europe, especially in France. However, its production is erratic under Mediterranean climate conditions. Materials and methods. The influence of two rootstocks (‘Manicot’ apricot and ‘GF31’ Myrobolan plum) on the productive behaviour of ‘Orange Red’ was studied under Mediterranean conditions in Murcia (Southeast Spain). Results and discussion. ‘Orange Red’ grafted onto ‘GF31’ Myrobolan flowered slightly later than those grafted onto ‘Manicot’ apricot. However, differences in the date of ripening of fruits were small. On the other hand, the percentage of flower bud retention and levels of floral fertility were higher when ‘Orange Red’ was grafted onto ‘GF31’ than onto ‘Manicot’, resulting in higher yields and fruits with a smaller weight. The increase in flower bud retention of ‘Orange Red’ grafted onto the rootstock ‘GF31’ was the main factor responsible for the increase in yield observed with this rootstock. Conclusion. Interaction between the cultivar and rootstock is presented as an interesting strategy for cultivar adaptation to different climatic areas.

Context, objective and methods. In the north of India, in the Himalayas, the high-altitude slopes [(between 1800 and 3300) m] are covered by forests where Pinus gerardiana dominates. This pine is known for its edible seeds (Chilgoza). The recent evolution of nut harvest methods means that there is danger of the disappearance of natural seedlings and the ageing of the forests. Therefore, a survey was carried out from 1998 with a hundred farmers, which was supplemented with field visits and discussions with resource people involved in the commercial chain. Results. In the 1950s, traditional harvesting rules made it possible to respect trees and to allow a small portion of seeds to reach the ground. So, in spite of particularly difficult ecological conditions, the forest was able to regenerate. During the five last decades, the roads opening have allowed an irrigated cash-arboriculture development in the valleys. The village communities have become less dependent on the Chilgoza trade and sell the nut harvest contracts to private contractors who employ foreign workers, cut many branches and practically collect all the seeds. So, regeneration has become practically non-existent. The poorest inhabitants cannot have access to this resource anymore. In town, the retail sale of Chilgoza represents a market of (100 to 300) t·year–1, at a price from (15 to 20) €·kg, i.e., a market chain from (1.5 to 6) M€·year–1. Discussion and conclusion. The authors put forward a proposal to substitute for the two private platforms (purchase and drying) of New Delhi an organization with a non-lucrative purpose, concerned with a more respectful socio-economic development of the environment. This unit would centralize Chilgoza buying, drying and storage in the production place. Then, it would ensure sales to urban sellers, at the time of the peak of market demand. This would allow for a more significant part of the market chain added value to remain in the valley; this money at the same time would make it possible to fight against poverty and to regenerate natural resources. The authors are campaigning to see that research and development projects, financed with national or international funds, come to support these proposals.

Introduction. The baobab tree’s potential overexploitation has recently been reinforced by the acceptance of baobab fruit pulp in the EU and US food markets. Despite the number of recent studies on this species, Adansonia digitata, little is known from Malawi, the main exporter of baobab fruit pulp in Africa. Materials and methods. Information on distribution and density of baobab trees present in Malawi was gathered from field surveys. The Maxent software based on the maximum-entropy approach for species habitat modelling was used together with spatial environmental data and geo-referenced records of the baobab tree to analyse its ecological preferences and potential cultivation sites. Farmers were interviewed about who was using and buying baobab fruits in different areas. Fruit and leaf morphological diversity was assessed in eight study sites selected along a latitudinal gradient. Results and discussion. The baobab tree was found to be widely distributed in southern Malawi, with variable densities. Modelling results show that this species could be cultivated in most of the southern region. A large morphological diversity in both fruit and leaf characteristics was observed, which gives the opportunity to select more desirable characters for cultivation. Conclusion. Our study showed that, while some areas of high baobab tree density could be further exploited, its cultivation, however, should be recommended in areas with low density of baobab trees in southern Malawi because there is little natural regeneration. Moreover, this study suggested that there is room for selecting baobab planting material with desirable characteristics for cultivation purposes in Malawi.

Introduction. Brazil is one of the most important producers of passion fruits. Inoculation witharbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may reduce or eliminate the need for phosphate fertilization on this crop. Weinvestigated the response of passion fruit seedlings to inoculation with AMF and phosphorus (P) supply. Materialsand methods. A greenhouse experiment was carried out in a factorial design. The seedlings were inoculated with100 spores per plant of single or mixed AMF inoculum on sterilized or non-sterilized soil which was amended with (11 or 30) mgP × dm-3 soil applied as superphosphate or used unfertilized (4 mgP × dm-3 soil). Relative mycorrhizal dependency (RMD) of passion fruit was estimated for eachtreatment of inoculation, soil sterilization, and P level, by expressing the difference between the dry mass ofmycorrhizal plants and non-mycorrhizal plants as a percentage of the dry mass of mycorrhizal plants. Results.Inoculation was effective only on plants grown in sterilized soil with (4 or 11) mgP × dm-3 soil. Plants were "facultatively mycotrophic" when associated with AMF and when receiving a supply of 30 mgP × dm-3 soil. Seedlings in unfertilized soil with 4 mgP × dm-3 soil wereexcessively dependent on the mycorrhizal association. In soil with 11 mgP × dm-3 soil, seedlingswere marginally to moderately dependent, depending upon the AMF species used. All inoculated seedlings, withoutconsidering soil sterilization, were marginally dependent in soil with 30 mgP × dm-3 soil. Insterilized soil, independently of P, they were moderately dependent. However, in the same soil, with 30 mgP × dm-3 soil, the seedlings were marginally dependent. Discussion - conclusion. The relativemycorrhizal dependency (RMD) of the passion fruit cultivar used was influenced by the species of the inoculated AMF,soil sterilization and soil P level. Passion fruit obtained significant benefit from inoculation with AMF; thus, thesefungi can be used to improve plant growth even without P fertilization.

Introduction. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of sugar and citric, malic, succinic and ascorbic acid levels on melon flavor perception, and to infer about consumers’ preferences based on instrumentally measured characteristics. Materials and methods. Fully ripened melons belonging to the ‘Branco’ (Brazilian), ‘Pele de Sapo’ (Spanish) and winter ‘Tendral’ (Portuguese) melon cultivars were analyzed using five fruits with three replicates for each treatment. Quality parameters (weight, height, diameter, solid shape, volume, internal appearance, texture and flavor), sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose), total soluble solids content, sweetness, organic acids (citric, malic, succinic and ascorbic) and sourness were measured. Results and discussion. Flavor was the most important parameter for the consumers’ decision, regarding the different melon cultivars studied. It was also detected that it correlated well with sweetness (thus, with sucrose content) and sourness. The obtained data supports that sugars and organic acids enhance human perception of specific flavor notes in melon.

Introduction. Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is a multipurpose, tropical fruit tree originating in Africa. Although the main commercial production of tamarind fruits takes place in Asia and America, tamarind plays an essential subsistence role in rural West Africa. This study highlights the importance of tamarind in traditional diets of rural communities in Benin, Mali and Senegal. Methods. Ethnobotanical field data was gathered through structured individual interviews, semi-structured group discussions, agricultural calendars and participatory mapping with 220 informants of eleven ethnic groups across four agroecological zones. Data was processed by quantitative and qualitative analytical methods. Results. Tamarind adds vitamins and minerals, as well as the traditionally appreciated sour taste, to drinks and meals. It is consumed daily and year-round by many rural West Africans. Ethnic similarities and differences in food use patterns of tamarind highlight the importance of tamarind in West African subsistence. The results include detailed descriptions of tamarind processing and traditional meal preparations of tamarind fruits, seeds, flowers and leaves. Conclusions. Documentation of local knowledge on tamarind processing and uses is needed to assist local and regional promotion and domestication efforts of tamarind to prevent a further decline in tamarind tree populations. High local use and demand for tamarind fruits and leaves in subsistence should stimulate the development of sustainable production as well as conservation efforts, in order to secure a continued harvest and satisfy local demand for this important traditional food in the future

Introduction. The subjectivity of the external criteria used for the determination of mango maturity at its harvest led to the search for additional more reliable parameters to determine the optimal harvest maturity and able to replace the external and internal morphological indices. Materials and methods. Some physicochemical characteristics, such as colour of pulp, soluble dry extract, titratable acidity and weight loss, were evaluated on fruits of the cv. Kent (Mangifera indica L.) collected in North Cote d’Ivoire. The days necessary for ripening after harvest were estimated. Measurements were correlated to five maturity stages corresponding to the fruit harvest carried out at (76, 82, 88, 94 and 100) days after flowering. On each date of harvest, batches of 52 fruits were gathered. On half of them, maturation was observed as of harvest, the other half being kept at room temperature and the ripening evaluation then being done at the end of storage. Results. According to the harvest date, the soluble dry extract values varied from 8.3 °Brix to 10 °Brix at fruit harvest, and from 14.2 °Brix to 20 °Brix after ripening of the fruits stored at ambient temperature. Titratable acidity was correlated positively with maturity stage. Time to ripen and weight loss continuously decreased with the fruit maturity. For mangos of the cv. Kent, the date of the most suitable harvest seemed to be at 94 days after flowering. Mangos collected at 100 days after flowering developed better organoleptic characteristics such as sugar content, peel aspect and pulp colour than those of the fruit harvested earlier. Conclusion. Starting from the 94th day after flowering, the mango of the cv. Kent collected under the conditions of the North Cote d’Ivoire develops its best organoleptic characteristics during ripening.

Introduction. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is the main and most valuable fruit crop of the northern mountainous region of Oman. Pomegranates are cultivated utilizing traditional farming methods including the determination of harvest dates, harvesting and postharvest handling. Materials and methods. Fruit of four native pomegranate cultivars [‘Hamedh’, ‘Malasi’, ‘Helow’ and ‘Qusum’, literally translated as sour, smooth, sweet and hard-seeded, respectively] were tagged and monitored for 3 months up to commercial harvest. Fruit length (L) and diameter (D) were measured at weekly intervals starting from 66 d after full bloom until harvest (136 d after full bloom). Results and discussion. During the time course of fruit growth and development, significant changes occurred in fruit shape assessed by the [fruit length / fruit diameter] ratio in two cultivars (‘Malasi’ and ‘Hamedh’), but not in the ‘Helow’ and ‘Qusum’ cultivars, which also had larger fruit size at harvest. The lack of obvious changes in fruit shape during growth and development of ‘Qusum’ and ‘Helow’ pomegranate cultivars indicates that the attainment of characteristic fruit shape may not be a good indicator of their maturity for harvest management. Thus, fruit harvesting based solely on size and shape is not sufficient and other physico-chemical fruit attributes should be taken into account when assessing readiness to harvest to ensure optimum income returns to growers.

Introduction. Opuntia ficus-indica fruit quality wasstudied, in the main sites for cactus pear cultivation in Italy, with the ultimate goal ofunderstanding the main sources of variability and increasing crop value. Materialsand methods. A first study was carried out in 2006 on matureOpuntia ficus-indica trees, cvs. Gialla and Rossa, grown inten commercial orchards located in the main sites for their cultivation in Italy. Treeswere managed to produce an out-of-season crop in October, through the removal of thespring flush at bloom time, during the first week of June. Trees had a similar crop[(52 ± 10) kg of fruits·tree–1], and no more than six fruits were left on eachof the fruiting cladodes. At commercial harvest time, indicated by the peel colourbreakage, 75 fruits in each orchard and 750 fruits for each site were picked, analysed andevaluated by a consumer panel. A second experiment was carried out in 2006 on 8-year-oldO. ficus-indica trees, cv. Gialla, grown in acommercial orchard. Within-tree factors, such as fruit position within the canopy, numberof fruits per tree and per cladode, and cladode dry weight were studied. Results anddiscussion. Fruit weight, shape and total soluble solid content significantlychanged with the environmental conditions, i.e., site and altitude, whileflesh percent, pH and total titratable acidity did not. Cultivars had a significantinfluence only on fruit weight and seed content. Fruit weight changed greatly within thetree, while total soluble solid content and flesh percent variability was much reduced.Fruit weight decreased with fruit number per tree and both fruit weight and total solublesolid content decreased with more than six fruits per cladode. Light interception andcladode dry weight were the main sources of fruit dry weight variability and sugarcontent, while cladode surface area was poorly related to fruit quality. The role ofcultivars in determining fruit quality did not change with site and, moreover, the sensoryanalysis was unable to discriminate for cultivar and environment.

Introduction. En Tunisie, pays grand producteur de dattes, les écarts de triage de dattes restent non valorisés malgré une valeur nutritionnelle comparable à celle du fruit de haute valeur marchande. Notre étude a eu pour objectif de tester une voie de valorisation basée sur l'extraction, à partir d’une pâte de datte, d'une boisson de datte clarifiée. Matériel et méthodes. Le schéma technologique du procédé d’extraction de la pulpe a été inspiré d'un procédé traditionnel. Une solution brute obtenue de la dilution de pâte de dattes a été traitée par voie enzymatique (pectinases, cellulases) et par microfiltration tangentielle. La composition chimique, les caractéristiques physicochimiques et les caractéristiques rhéologiques de la boisson clarifiée obtenue ont été déterminées. Résultats et discussion. La solution brute extraite des dattes après broyage, dilution et filtration a une forte teneur en sucre. Le couplage des traitements enzymatique et de microfiltration a conduit à l'élaboration d'une boisson clarifiée, modérément acide, présentant une viscosité et une turbidité relativement faibles et ayant des caractéristiques d'écoulement comparables à celles des boissons et jus de fruits connus. Conclusion. Les écarts de triage de dattes peuvent constituer un sous-produit apte à être transformé, par le biais de procédés usuels, en une boisson agréable et commercialisable.

Introduction.Barberry (Berberis aristata DC.), a small fruit,is found growing in the wild in the temperate region of northernPakistan. Materials and methods. Three different locations ofAzad Jammu and Kashmir, i.e., Topa, Banjosa andNeriyan Sharif, were explored; thirty accessions of barberry wereidentified and characterized on the basis of their growth habit,flowering, fruiting and chemical composition of fruits. Results.The accessions exhibited high diversity in their phenotypical/morphologicaltraits such as growth habit, intensity and time of flowering, fruitsetting, ripening time, productivity, and fruit shape and color.The location had a great impact on quantitative parameters. Accessionscollected from Neriyan Sharif had significantly greater plant height,higher number of branches per plant, extended flowering duration(days), took more time to maturity (days) and had high fruit setting (%),while those from Topa had large-sized leaves and fruits with greateraverage fruit weight. The nutritional composition of fruits indicatedthat the accessions from Topa had higher carbohydrate, ash, total solublesolids and Mn contents, with significantly higher juice pH, andlower acidity; while the accessions from Neriyan Sharif had significantlyhigher moisture, protein, fat, fiber, K, Ca, Na, Fe, Cu, Pb andCr contents and were highly acidic. The accessions collected fromBanjosa were almost intermediate for the quantitative characteristicsstudied. Conclusions. The results suggested that notonly the genotype but its growing location as well are the mainfactors that determine the growing habit, productivity and nutritionalcomposition of barberry fruits, and this ultimately provides importantinformation on how to make the best use of them.

Introduction. Mango (Mangifera indica L.) production is rising in various subtropical zones throughout the world. The main polyembryonic rootstocks used by growers in South-East Spain are Gomera 1 and Gomera 3 (from the Canary Islands) and the most commonly used cultivars are Osteen and Keitt (from Florida, US). In this marginal environment for mango growing, it is important to determine the different rootstock qualities in order to optimise fruit production. The objective of our study was to evaluate the performance of mango cv. Osteen and Keitt on the two aforementioned rootstocks, as measured by fruit yield, scion growth and mineral nutrition. Materials and methods. A 3-year study was conducted in a mature mango orchard (14 years old) of a total of 24 trees, where eight were grafted onto cv. Osteen, another eight onto Keitt (four trees with each of the G1-Ost, G3-Ost, G1-Kt and G3-Kt combinations) and eight were ungrafted rootstocks. Fruit yield and pomological characteristics were evaluated by measuring fruit length, width and weight. Height and canopy diameter, as well as the trunk circumference of the tree, were recorded. Throughout the study period, chemical foliar measurements were taken from all trees. Results. Fruit yield in G1-Ost and G3-Kt trees proved significantly higher than that in the others. The fruit weight and length with the G3-Kt combination were greater than those with G1-Kt. Both cultivars grafted on Gomera 3 rootstock had the highest height and canopy volume. The tree-size data confirmed the vigorous feature of the Gomera 3. The N and P foliar concentration was significantly higher for Gomera 3 than for Gomera 1 in both cultivars. The K concentration was higher in G3-Kt leaves than in G1-Kt ones, but higher in G1-Ost than in G3-Ost. The leaf Mn and Cu concentrations with G3-Kt significantly exceeded those of G1-Kt. Conclusion. The height, trunk cross-sectional area, and canopy volume and diameter proved to be the greatest with Gomera 3, reflecting the vigour of this rootstock. The combinations G1-Ost and G3-Kt registered the highest fruit yield, offering promising possibilities for boosting subtropical productivity in mango.

Introduction. Probably because pomegranate trees are established in orchards as own-rooted plants, there are no studies regarding scion-rootstock combination effects on growth, tree size, yield and fruit quality of this fruit tree. Thus, the main aims of our experiment were to study the effects of some pomegranate rootstocks on growth and yield characteristics of Iranian commercial cultivars used as scions. Materials and methods. Our research was carried out between the 1999 and 2007 growing seasons at a collection of 760 pomegranate cultivars in the Yazd Province of Iran. Rootstocks were provided via clonal propagation using stem cuttings similar in height, diameter and age (2 years old) from ‘Golnar Farsi’, ‘Torsh Ma’ moly Zabol’, ‘Yek Killoy Hoshak Saravan’, ‘Poost Syah’, ‘Khafri Poost Sefid Jahrom’, ‘Zagh’, ‘Shavar’ and ‘Malas Esfahani’. Budding materials were provided from fruit-bearing trees in good vigor, using buds on current season growth of the ‘Zagh’, ‘Shavar’ and ‘Malas Esfahani’ pomegranate cultivars. Effects of the scion-rootstock combinations were investigated on tree size, vigor and yield of pomegranate. Results. The data indicated that grafting led to higher yield than the own-rooted plants, but grafted trees showed lower vigor and tree size compared with ungrafted trees. Application of ‘Torsh Ma’ moly Zabol’ as a rootstock led to the lowest tree size and height, and the lowest rate of sunburn scald disorder. The highest yield and the lowest sucker production were obtained in plants grafted on ‘Golnar Farsi’ rootstock. Conclusion. Our results suggest that application of ‘Torsh Ma’ moly Zabol’ as a rootstock can be useful to establish a high-density plantation.

Introduction. Le jujubier, Zizyphus mauritiana Lam., est un arbre fruitier forestier très recherché pour ses fruits par les populations du Sahel. La domestication de cette espèce a été abordée à partir de techniques sylvicoles comme la mycorhization contrôlée et la fertilisation phosphatée avec des phosphates naturels (PN). Le document présente une synthèse des résultats acquis sur ces sujets. Matériel et méthodes. La dépendance mycorhizienne du jujubier et de douze autres espèces d'arbres fruitiers forestiers vis-à-vis de deux champignons mycorhiziens à arbuscules Glomus aggregatum et G. intraradices a été étudiée. Par ailleurs, la capacité de l'arbre à mobiliser du phosphore à partir de PN d'Afrique de l'Ouest a été évaluée dans un sol sableux, pauvre en phosphore assimilable et à pH faiblement acide. Des jujubiers inoculés avec G. aggregatum ont été ensuite mis au champ afin de suivre des paramètres de croissance. Résultats et discussion. Parmi les treize espèces d'arbres fruitiers forestiers étudiés, le jujubier s'est révélé être le plus dépendant de la symbiose mycorhizienne avec G. aggregatum qui agit sur sa croissance et son alimentation en phosphore assimilable. Les jujubiers mycorhizés mobilisent plus efficacement le phosphore des PN de Tilemsi (Mali) que celui des PN de Taïba (Sénégal) et de Kodjari (Burkina Faso). En pépinières, la mycorhization contrôlée a des effets bénéfiques sur la croissance de jujubiers de différentes provenances. Cet effet bénéfique de l'inoculation a aussi été observé en plantation sur des arbres de 20 mois. Conclusion. Les techniques de mycorhization contrôlée et de fertilisation avec des PN sont aptes à améliorer la croissance et la nutrition phosphatée des jujubiers en pépinières et au champ. Cependant, elles devront être testées dans d'autres sites forestiers afin d'évaluer leurs effets sur la production fourragère et fruitière des jujubiers.