Vol. 76 No: 5

Title:
Phenology of strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum) in Réunion Island

Authors:
F. NORMAND and R. HABIB

pp: 541-545

Abstract:
The phenology of wild stands of strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum Sabine) was studied at 100, 480 and 720 m over 2 years in Réunion Island. The shoots bore flower buds at the basal nodes, and vegetative buds at the apicalnodes. Trees produced vegetative growth from September to December, flowers from November to January and fruit from February to June. Shoot growth was earlier at 100 and 720 m the first year, but were synchronized in the second year. Flowering and fruiting were also earlier at 100 m. The intervals between shoot emergence and flowering, and flowering and fruit maturity were strongly related to temperature, with base temperatures of 5.58C and 2.6°C, and heat units requirements of 675 and 2,5528C d, respectively. The number of shoots, flowers and fruit per branch varied across sites and years, unrelated to temperature. However, production was significantly higher at 720 m. Production was much lower after a hurricane. Flowering (y) was related to shoot production per branch (x) (log(y)-1+1.33.log(x); r2 = 0.78), whereas the fruit set rate was highly variable between trees (26-100%). The number of fruits per branch (1-6) was possibly related to poor shoot growth or fruit set, but unrelated to the timing of the phenological events. It is expected that commercial orchards would be more productive than feral stands.

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