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. 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. Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. subsp. birrea est un fruitier sauvage très répandu au Burkina Faso. Bien que très apprécié par les populations rurales, il demeure non domestiqué et sous utilisé. Jusqu’à présent, les études sur la variation et la qualité des fruits se sont concentrées sur la sous espèce caffra, originaire de l’Afrique australe. Matériel et méthodes. La composition biochimique des fruits de 106 arbres de Sclerocarya birrea au Burkina Faso a été étudiée le long d’un transect Nord-Sud (gradient climatique) traversant le Burkina Faso à partir de cinq caractères quantitatifs du fruit et de la graine. Le taux en sucres totaux et en sucres réducteurs, la teneur en acidité libre totale et le rapport [acidité libre totale / sucres solubles totaux] ont été définis dans la pulpe. La teneur en lipides des graines a été déterminée. Résultats et discussion. Pour les caractères étudiés, l’analyse des résultats a mis en évidence une grande variabilité inter- et intra-population. La variabilité inter-population s’explique par le gradient climatique qui caractérise la zone d’échantillonnage. Conclusion. La variabilité de la composition des fruits de Sclerocarya birrea subsp. birrea mise en évidence pourra servir de base pour un programme d’amélioration.

Introduction. Brazil is home to a great diversity of tropical, non-traditional fruit species with a potential for consumption in natura and agroindustrial processing. The objective of our study was to evaluate the quality of 18 non-traditional fruits from Brazil belonging to the families Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Arecaceae, Clusiaceae, Malpighiaceae, Melastomataceae and Myrtaceae. Materials and methods. Samples were collected from areas of occurrence, commercial orchards and collections in Northern, Northeastern and Southeastern Brazil; they were tested for total soluble solids (TSS), soluble sugars (SS), reducing sugars (RS), total titratable acidity (TTA), pH, [TSS / TTA] ratio, starch, total pectin (TP) and soluble pectin (SP). Results and discussion. Parameters varied greatly among the species. Thus, TSS was 4.75–37.07 °Brix; SS, 1.26–17.74%; RS, 2.53–9.92%; TTA, 0.20–2.64%; pH, 2.56–5.38; [TSS / TTA], 3.26–107.70; starch, 0.12–12.65%; TP, 0.15–1.27%; and SP, 0.04–1.49%. Conclusion. Many of the 18 fruits evaluated in this study show potential for consumption in natura and agroindustrial processing.

Introduction. Costa Rica’s pepper production (Piper nigrum L.) is relatively low, but for the farmers involved it presents an interesting cash cropping activity. This paper aims to analyse whether contracts with processing firms offer an incentive for farmers to invest in pepper production and thereby increase their income. We analysed the characteristics of farmers with formal and informal contracts to see if this influences their way of producing pepper, their yields and income. The second goal of our work was to study whether market conditions (one or more buyers) influence contract uptake and pepper production. Materials and methods. A survey was conducted in 2000 among 63 farmers, 32 of whom had access to only one buyer and 31 of whom could sell to three potential purchasers. Characteristics of farmers, farms and pepper production were compared in terms of market conditions and forms of contract. A subsample of 24 farmers was revisited in 2008. Results. Overall, the effects of contracts in terms of improving access to inputs and increasing yield and productivity were limited. However, formal contracts were endorsed by income-constrained farmers, especially in the early phase of establishing themselves in the market. In subsequent phases, and under more competitive market conditions, producers seemed to prefer verbal commitments to formal contracts. In situations where a monopsony situation prevailed, there were lower yields. Conclusion. Contracts are important in the start-up phase, and competitive market conditions favour a process of moderate intensification which stimulates high returns at relatively low costs to the most established pepper producers.

Introduction. This protocol can be used as a guide for people who wish to construct their own nursery. It describes the methods for receiving, transplanting, managing and hardening young banana tissue culture plants after the weaning stage. The principle, key advantages, starting plant material and time required are presented. Materials and methods. This part describes the nursery construction, the nursery media, fertiliser and bags, the handling and transplanting of weaned plants into bags (3 steps), and the management schedule for hardening nursery plants (8 steps). Possible troubleshooting is listed. Results. All the characteristics of nursery-hardened plants in bags, ready for transplanting to the field, are formulated.