FLORAL DIFFERENTIATION IN PERENNIAL FRUIT SPECIES

Abstract

Knowing the dates on which the process of floral differentiation begins and occurs constitutes valuable information to define the appropriate time for the application of some management practices (irrigation, pruning, fertilization, application of growth regulators, etc.) . However, despite the importance of knowing the time in which this event of the reproductive cycle occurs, the number of investigations related to floral differentiation in perennial fruit species is relatively small (Mullins, 1979); Furthermore, it is observed that most of the available information has been generated in deciduous fruit trees that develop in a temperate climate and only in isolation are studies of floral differentiation in fruit species growing in subtropical and tropical climates mentioned (Jackson and Sweet, 1972).