HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit Morphology and Development

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit develops from the flowers

Flower parts - Perfect flower

Gynoecium (set of carpels)

Androecium (set of stamens)Corolla (group of

petals)

Calyx (group of sepals)

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit develops from the flowers

Flower parts - Imperfect flower

MaleFemale

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Flower typesFloral parts arrangements

Attachment of floral parts

Position of ovary

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit ClassificationSeed-bearing structure derived from a flower

Fleshy fruit Berry Drupe Pome Pepo

Dry fruit Dehiscent - splits

when ripe Indehiscent - one

carpel

Aggregate fruitMultiple fruit

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fleshy fruit: BerriesOne pistil (carpel) One or many seed

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fleshy fruit: DrupesOne seededSeed within stony endocarp

Peach, plum, apricot, cherry Skin = exocarp Eat mesocarp

Pit = endocarp

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fleshy fruit: DrupesOne seededSeed within stony endocarp

Almond Mesocarp dries and separates Endocarp is hard to soft Eat seed

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fleshy fruit: PomesLeathery carpelsEdible portion is receptacle

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fleshy fruit: PeposInferior flower, > 1 carpelReceptacle surrounds pericarp to form rind

Watermelon Cucumber Squash Pumpkin

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Dry fruit: DehiscentSplit open when ripe

Beans Peas

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Dry fruit: IndehiscentSingle carpelDoes not split when ripe

Achene One seeded, free from pericarp Strawberry, sunflower

Nut Similar to achene Enclosed by pericarp (leathery in chestnut, woody in

walnut) Husk (shuck) is fusion of sepals, bracts, bracteoles.

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Aggregate FruitMany ovulesOne flower

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Multiple fruitMany flowersAlong a common axis or inflorescence

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit development: Definitions

Maturation Process of development Leads to maturity = ability to ripen properly

Ripening Following step in fruit development Mature fruit becomes fully edible

Senescence Final step in fruit development Deterioration Leads to death

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit Growth PatternSigmoid pattern: Pomes, pecans, strawberry

Slow Rapid, cell division and expansion Slow, leveling off of growth

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit Growth PatternDouble sigmoid: Peach, plum, cherry

Slow Rapid, cell division Slow, pit hardening Rapid, cell expansion Slow

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit Growth PatternDouble Sigmoid

Late and early ripening peaches differ in length of STAGE II

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Fruit Size

Fruit size is inversely proportional to fruit number

Fruit number per tree

020406080

100120140160180200

0 200 400 600

Fruitsize

(grams)

This is why fruit is thinned.

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

What you should learn from this lab

Where a fruit comes from Flower types Fruit classification Basic fruit morphology Fruit development

Terminology Fruit growth patterns Effect of seed number Effect of thinning

ID of fruits and their seed

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Laboratory Procedure

Fruit displays Drupes/Stone fruit - 2 Pome fruit - 2 Berries Nuts Multiple/aggregate fruit

Pit and seed display Thinned vs. Unthinned

Mount pressed leaves in book

HORT 319 - Temperate Fruit and Nut Production

Laboratory Procedure Answer work sheets

Drupes/Stone fruit - 5 pts Pome fruit - 5 pts Misc. Fruit/Seed - 10 pts Thinned vs. Unthinned - 5 pts

Fruit Development Exercise on Homepage (15pts) Compare fruit development for pecan,

pear and peach Answer questions on Homepage and

submit to teaching assistant