Introduction. Insect pest identification and understanding of insect pest ecological relationships constitute a basic step for any control measure needed. Some native fruit trees occur naturally in southern Mozambique and the edible fruits are sought after by local communities. Our study aimed at assessing the activity of native fruit tree insect pests during the year and their ecological relationships, providing, for the first time, a faunistic analysis of insect species affecting fruit trees in the region of Maputo, Mozambique. Materials and methods. Entomological surveys were carried out between June 2002 and December 2003 in the Districts of Manhiça, Marracuene, Namaacha and Matutuíne (southern Mozambique). Quadrangular 900-m2 plots were established in fields where Annona senegalensis, Garcinia livingstonei and Vangueria infausta native fruit trees naturally occurred. The number of individual insect pests per fruit, tree and plot was recorded to estimate ecological fauna measurements: the affinity index, association index and simultaneous constancy. Results and conclusion. A total of 1648 insect specimens, belonging to eight insect species, were found while conducting the ecological observations on Annona senegalensis Pers (Annonaceae), Garcinia livingstonei T. Anders (Clusiaceae) and Vangueria infausta Burch (Rubiaceae). Two groups of pests were observed: defoliators and insects attacking the fruits, which represented the majority. Affinity between insect species was observed, with the relationship between Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann and one unidentified species of the Cosmopterigidae family reaching the highest values. C. capitata was also found to have the highest association index with Spatulipalpia monstrosa Balinsky (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), as well as Carpophilus sp. (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and Araecerus sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). C. capitata and Araecerus sp. had the highest simultaneous occurrence in different locations. Cluster analysis also indicated that Ceratitis capitata and Carpophilus sp. had the highest similarity percentage in all samples.

Introduction. In Malaysia, Limau Madu (Citrusreticulata Blanco; Citrus suhuiensis Hort.ex Tanaka) is commercially cultivated for local consumption. Itis a loose-peel mandarin with fruits that are spherical in shapewith shiny green or greenish yellow peel. In Malaysia, Limau Maduis vegetatively propagated, thus it is presumed to exhibit minimalvariability. In our study, the genetic variability and genetic relatednessamong cultivated samples collected from different states in Malaysiawere assessed using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) primers. Materialsand methods. Thirty pairs of SSR primers derived from Citrusunshiu were screened and 22 SSR primer pairs were utilizedto assess genetic variability and relatedness among 118 cultivatedsamples. Results and discussion. The percentage of SSR transferabilityfrom C. unshiu to C. reticulata (LimauMadu) was 73.33%, which indicated that the primer sequences flankingsimple sequence repeats were conserved among these Citrus species.Most SSR loci revealed a large excess of heterozygotes. In our study,low allelic diversity was shown, with an average of 5.227 allelesper locus. Polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.048to 0.674. Based on UPGMA clustering analysis, four groups were identifiedfrom these citrus genotypes with a mean genetic distance of 0.170. Lowgenetic variability within species was probably due to vegetativepropagation or inability to detect differences among samples usingthese primers.

Introduction. The production of `Tahiti' limes in southern Brazil has increased in the last 20 years and has become a good alternative for citrus growers in regions where Citrus Variegated Chlorosis has affected sweet orange groves. One of the main goals to insure success in growing `Tahiti' limes is to apply the right techniques to induce out-of-season flowering and winter fruit harvest when the fruit prices are the highest. This experiment evaluated the effects of gibberellic acid application on fruit set of `Tahiti' lime trees related to out-of-season flowering and accumulated degree days. Materials and methods. Eight-year-old plants were treated with five concentrations of gibberellic acid [ (0, 10, 25, 50 and 100) mg$\cdot$L-1] applied during anthesis of out-of-season bloom. Accumulation of degree days for fruit set and fruit development in the conditions of São Paulo State, Brazil, were calculated. The percentage of fruit set determined by weekly counts of the number of flowers from anthesis to the maturation of the fruits were determined on each previously marked branch. Data were submitted to regression analysis. Results and discussion. In regard to fruit set, it was observed that 10 mg gibberellic acid$\cdot$L-1 was enough to retain more than 10% of fruits in relation to the number of formed flowers. Starting from anthesis, (837.7 and 1 115.2) accumulated degree days were necessary for the stabilization of the fruit set and fruit maturation, respectively.

Introduction. The genus Saissetia has 47 described species in the world, four of them in Mexico (S. oleae, S. miranda, S. neglecta and S. tolucana). These species attack different crops, including citrus, olives and ornamentals. Most introductions of natural enemies against S. oleae have been undertaken in North and South America, Australia and the Mediterranean countries. However, no natural enemy species have been purposedly introduced into Mexico against Saissetia spp. Materials and methods. During 1998–2003, samples of Saissetia spp. were collected in the States of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Guanajuato; all the emerged parasitoids were determined. Appropriate scientific publications were consulted to find out about any other Saissetia parasitoids recorded from Mexico. Results and discussion. Seventeen parasitoid species from five families of Chalcidoidea (Aphelinidae, Encyrtidae, Eupelmidae, Pteromalidae and Signiphoridae) were reared from Saissetia spp. in Mexico. Conclusions. In Mexico, the species of Saissetia prefer ornamental plants and are usually heavily parasitized by several chalcidoids. Native biological control of Saissetia spp. by different parasitoids has been effective for many years in Mexico. As a result, the species of Saissetia are not considered as primary or secondary pests of citrus and ornamentals.

Introduction. The Australian almond [Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb] improvement program commenced five years ago with the main aims of developing scion and rootstock cultivars that are better adapted to local conditions, and that provide a superior product for Australian and overseas markets. Approaches used. The program has a number of approaches including breeding, virus detection and elimination, and biotechnology. The classical hybridisation approach aimed at generation of diversity is combined with research into the more targeted techniques of plant tissue culture, genetic fingerprinting, genome mapping and transformation. Cryopreservation research is important for genebank storage, and tissue culture for micropropagation of new rootstocks and for transformation. Material is screened for Prunus Necrotic Ringspot (PNRV) and Prune Dwarf (PDV) Viruses. In addition, work has commenced into identifying Australian isolates of Colletotrichum acutatum, the pathogen causing anthracnose disease of almonds. The work is conducted in collaboration with overseas research groups, to take advantage of the long experience of these programs, and to contribute to the international effort in Prunus improvement. Outcomes from the almond project. The important outcomes achieved after the first five years of the project by the research team are listed.

Introduction. In Algeria, the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata Wiedmann constitutes the main obstacle to production and exportation of many fruits. In studies of the genetic structure differences of medfly populations, certain authors, using molecular markers, observed the existence of different patterns among the pest Mediterranean populations. A clear understanding of the source and migration of the Mediterranean fruit fly would be useful for undertaking a successful eradication or control program. For this reason, preliminary work sought to compare the genetic structure of Algerian populations of C. capitata with that of other populations situated either in the western Indian ocean or on the northwestern Mediterranean coast. Materials and methods. The study of enzyme polymorphism allowed the comparison of the genetic structure of four Algerian populations of Ceratitis capitata with one from Reunion Island and five other populations collected from the northwestern Mediterranean coast (France and Spain). Enzyme analyses were performed on ground pest adults electrophoresed on a starch gel. Fifteen loci were analyzed for each population. Results and discussion. In spite of a wide geographic distribution of the analyzed populations (from a latitude of 24° to 44° N), no gradient of allelic frequencies was observed for any of the polymorphic loci. A higher genetic variability was observed in the population of Reunion Island than in the populations of Algeria or the northwestern Mediterranean coast. No genetic differentiation was observed among the populations of southern Algeria (Djanet and Ghardaïa) and northern Algeria (Boufarik and Oran).

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. Conventional evaluation of Musa through multilocation trials has often been carried out to ascertain the yield stability and ecological range of new varieties but, for prospective growers, it is equally important to know the fruit characteristics and ripening pattern of the genotypes. Indeed, fruit characteristics determine consumers’ attitudes towards the new varieties, and the associated market value of these varieties. Materials and methods. The metric traits and ripening pattern of fruits from nine Musa hybrids and one local variety of plantain were evaluated during two cropping seasons in a sub-humid environment in Nigeria. Results. All the traits measured varied with the genotype, but cropping cycle influenced only fruit weight and days to complete senescence of fruits. The interaction between genotype and cropping cycle was significant on fruit weight, fruit length and days to attain four different ripening stages. Most genotypes had better values in the ratoon harvest than in the plant crop. Fruit length and shape of PITA 21 were comparable with those of the local check, but the index of edible proportion was highest in PITA 22. PITA 21 and PITA 26 had the longest green life and total shelf life. Conclusion. The genotypes evaluated in our study revealed different utilization potentials. Also, the better postharvest life of some of the hybrids and comparable metric traits with the local check suggested the high adoption potential of the hybrids.

Introduction. R.heudelotii (Euphorbiaceae) est un arbre fruitier des forêts denses humides, exploité par les populations locales. L’espèce est dioïque. La régénération par graines actuellement utilisée n’est pas aisée et elle entraîne une hétérogénéité génétique des descendants. Jusqu’à présent, la multiplication végétative horticole a surtout été basée sur l’utilisation de plantules issues des graines. Le but principal de notre travail a été de développer une méthode de multiplication conforme in vitro d’arbres adultes de R. heudoletii sélectionnés. Matériel et méthodes. Les boutures de 2 cm (un œil + un bourgeon axillaire) ont été prélevées sur une plante adulte de R. heudelotii, puis mises en culture, après stérilisation, sur un milieu de Murashige et Skoog dilué de moitié. Différentes concentrations de kinétine ont été ajoutées à ce milieu de base (MB) pour étudier l’effet de cette cytokinine sur le débourrement et le développement des bourgeons axillaires. De même, les effets de la benzylaminopurine (BAP) ajoutée à MB ont été parallèlement étudiés sur la prolifération des bourgeons présents au niveau des nœuds des boutures. Enfin, l’enracinement des boutures après culture soit sur milieu avec kinétine, soit sur milieu avec BAP a été testé par repiquage des boutures sur MB enrichi en acide naphtalèneacétique (ANA). Résultats. La BAP à 4,5 mg·L–1 a permis la prolifération de 91 % des bourgeons présents au niveau des nœuds sur boutures avec un maximum de 4,8 bourgeons néoformés par bouture. Cependant, l’isolement de ces bourgeons sur milieu enrichi en ANA n’a pas permis d’observer la différentiation de racines. La kinétine à 2,5 mg·L–1 a favorisé le débourrement et le meilleur développement des bourgeons axillaires (71 %). Le repiquage sur MB + 2 mg ANA·L–1 a favorisé l’enracinement de 72 % des boutures mises en cultures au départ sur MB + kinétine, avec un maximum de 6,3 racines formées par bouture. Le taux de réussite de l’acclimatation des vitroplants régénérés a été de 52,7 %. Discussion et conclusion. En utilisant la kinétine et l’ANA, un maximum de 36 vitroplants enracinés de R. heudelotii ont été régénérés en 22 semaines à partir de 50 boutures mises en culture. Ce taux de multiplication reste faible et, pour une multiplication conforme efficace de l’espèce, il devra être amélioré par la production complémentaire de vitroplants à partir de la prolifération des bourgeons obtenus sur milieu avec BAP.

Introduction. In the water-savingand income-generating agroforestry cropping systems developed andpromoted by the ICRISAT in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa, particularlyin Niger, fruits of domesticated Ziziphus mauritiana (“applesof the Sahel”) are severely damaged by fruit flies (Carpomya incompleta),and chemical pesticide application poses economic, environmentaland human health problems. In the Bio-reclamation of Degraded Lands (BDL)system, apple of the Sahel is the main high-value crop, while inthe Dryland Eco-Farm (DEF), it is grown alongside watermelon. Sclerocaryabirrea (marula plum) is presently being investigated asa dryland tree species for fruit and oil production, either in orchardsor such systems as BDL. Materials and methods. To completepreliminary results of earlier studies published elsewhere, we collectedand incubated in 2010 ripe fruits of marula plum and watermelonin Sadoré, Niger, where the above-mentioned agroforestry systemsare developed, and we recorded emerging fruit flies. We also conducteda spot-spraying experiment (using GF-120) in an apple of the Sahel orchardin Niamey in 2010; we recorded undamaged and damaged fruits and incubatedthe latter. In the same orchard, we set up in 2011 a fruit fly trappingsurvey targeting the invasive species Bactrocera invadens (Chempac®traps using methyl eugenol as the attractant). Results and discussion.The results showed that only Ceratitis cosyra emergedfrom marula plums, and only Dacus spp. from watermelon.The GF-120 spot-spraying experiment showed that C. incompleta was notattracted / intoxicated, contrary to Ceratitis spp.and Dacus spp.; the sprayed trees yielded significantly moremarketable fruits than unsprayed ones; only C. incompleta emergedfrom damaged fruit. Detection trapping revealed for the first timethe presence of B. invadens in the Sahelian zone ofNiger, including at the time of apple of the Sahel fruit production. Conclusion. This, alongside results of earlier studies,suggests a repellent effect of GF-120 on the monophagous C. incompleta species(Trypetinae), while it is attractive to oligophagous/polyphagousDacinae fruit flies; some of them (e.g., Dacus spp.)damage watermelon, which is part of the DEF system, and producefruit at the same time as the jujube tree. The prospects for harnessingthese two opposite regulation pathways are discussed.

Introduction. Figs of the variety ‘Roxo de Valinhos’ are currently cooled in a cold room at a temperature between (1 and 3) °C, and it is unknown how long it takes to cool the fruits to that temperature. The work was based on the need to determine the parameters of forced-air precooling of figs packed in a carton box used for exportation and commercialization in São Paulo State, Brazil. Materials and methods. The fruits were harvested at the harvest rami stage (3/4 of maturity) and at size “type 8”, corresponding to eight fruits per box, making up a total of 24 fruits per package. Forty-eight packages were utilized, 24 on each side to form a Californian tunnel. The airflow was 2.8 L·s–1 per kg of product, with an average velocity of the air of 2.0 m·s–1. The initial interior temperature of the fruits was 20 °C and the final temperature was 1 °C. The evolution of the fig interior temperature was registered. Results. The cooling curve was drawn and the exponential analytical model to predict the precooling parameters was made based on the experimental data. The cooling curve of fig showed a typical behavior; the average fruit temperature during precooling presented a rapid fall at the beginning of the cooling, and slowly declined when it was close to the final temperature. Conclusion. The cooling time was 110 min, the cooling coefficient was 0.0344 min–1, the Biot number was 1.3 and the convective heat transference coefficient was 23.8 °C·W–1·m–2.

Introduction. La pomme Cythère est un fruit économiquement sous-exploité au Cameroun par manque de connaissances sur les techniques de culture de l’espèce, la conservation post-récolte de son fruit et sa valeur nutritionnelle. L’objectif de notre étude a été d’analyser certains changements morphologiques et biochimiques qui se produisent au cours du développement de la pomme Cythère et de chercher à évaluer le temps s’écoulant entre la nouaison et la maturation des fruits, afin de prévoir une date probable de récolte au Centre Cameroun. Matériel et méthodes. Certains paramètres morphologiques (longueur, diamètre, volume et poids du fruit) et biochimiques (teneurs en eau, en sucres totaux, en lipides, protéines et en éléments minéraux, teneur en chlorophylles a et b) des fruits de S. cytherea ont été mesurés à partir de leur nouaison jusqu’à leur maturation. Résultats et discussion. Les valeurs des paramètres morphologiques mesurés sur le fruit ont augmenté au cours du temps et leur évolution a suivi une courbe à allure sigmoïdale. Les valeurs maximales ont été obtenues à la vingt-huitième semaine avec près de 128 g pour le poids frais, 19 g pour le poids sec, 69 mm pour la longueur, 58 mm pour le diamètre et 116 mL pour le volume. Les chlorophylles a et b ont diminué au cours du développement du fruit. La teneur des fruits en éléments minéraux a diminué avec le temps et le potassium a été l’élément le plus abondant. Sa teneur a varié de 1,6 % à 0,9 % entre la sixième et la trentième semaine après nouaison. Les sucres totaux ont augmenté avec le temps alors que les teneurs en lipides et les protéines diminuaient. Trente semaines après la nouaison, les valeurs ont été de 13,76 % de matière fraîche pour les sucres, de 0,47 % de matière sèche pour les lipides et de 0,43 % de matière sèche pour les protéines. Conclusion. La composition de la pomme Cythère donnerait à ce fruit une valeur nutritive aussi importante que celle de certains fruits tropicaux plus connus comme la banane, la mangue et l’ananas.

Introduction. Le plantain constitue une importante denrée alimentaire pour de nombreuses populations au sud du Sahara. Sa production dans les systèmes traditionnels de culture par les petits paysans est menacée par la maladie des raies noires, une maladie foliaire due à Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet responsable de pertes importantes de récolte. Pour faire face à cette maladie, des hybrides tétraploïdes de type plantain, résistants à la maladie, ont été créés au Cameroun puis sélectionnés à l’issue d’une première phase d’évaluation. Après multiplication végétative, les hybrides ainsi sélectionnés ont été évalués en station de recherche afin de déterminer leurs caractéristiques agronomiques et leur rendement potentiel en conditions de culture semi-intensive. Matériel et méthodes. De 1996 à 2000, trente hybrides sélectionnés ont été évalués, en comparaison avec leurs parents femelles, sur deux cycles de production à la faveur de trois essais mis en place suivant un dispositif expérimental en blocs de Fisher complètement randomisés avec deux répétitions de 10 bananiers chacun. Chacun des bananiers a été étudié à partir de caractéristiques agronomiques portant sur la croissance et la production. Résultats et discussion. Sept hybrides ont été sélectionnés sur la base de leur rendement potentiel élevé, de leur précocité de floraison et de leur pouvoir rejetonnant. Cependant, ce matériel végétal tétraploïde présente plusieurs défauts qui constituent un frein à leur diffusion. Certains de ces hybrides sont utilisés comme produits intermédiaires dans un nouveau schéma d’amélioration variétale au CARBAP.

Introduction. Bacterial canker, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, is a destructive disease where stone fruit trees are cultivated. The efficacy of nitrogen and calcium fertilization on bacterial canker susceptibility was evaluated in stone fruits. Materials and methods. Field experiments were conducted to study the efficacy of foliar applications of calcium nitrate, and ground fertilization with CAN-17 plus low-biuret urea foliar spray on bacterial susceptibility in ‘Riegel’ peach, ‘French’ prune and ‘Nonpareil’ almond growing in ring nematode-infested and nematicide-fumigated soils. Host susceptibility was evaluated by measuring the length of lesions developed following inoculation with P. syringae pv. syringae. Results and discussion. Foliar applications of Ca(NO3)2 significantly increased leaf nitrogen and bark calcium concentrations in peach trees growing in both fumigated and nonfumigated areas. Peach trees growing in nonfumigated areas developed significantly longer lesions than trees growing in fumigated areas. However, Ca(NO3)2 foliar applications had no effect in decreasing peach susceptibility to bacterial infection in both nonfumigated and fumigated areas. After inoculation, diseased prune trees developed significantly longer lesions than healthy trees. Leaf and bark calcium concentrations of diseased prune were significantly increased after Ca(NO3)2 foliar sprays, but again the treatments did not significantly affect prune susceptibility to bacterial infection. However, nitrogen fertilization with CAN-17 and urea significantly increased the bark nitrogen concentration of almond trees, and these trees had significantly smaller lesions than those not receiving nitrogen fertilization. Foliar application of calcium (Nutri-Cal) did not affect almond susceptibility to bacterial canker. Collectively, these data support the previous hypothesis that increased susceptibility of stone fruits to P. syringae pv. syringae under nematode infestation conditions is mediated by both nitrogen effects and nitrogen-independent effects, and application of ammonium nitrogen may have some beneficial effects in reducing stone fruit susceptibility to bacterial canker where ring nematode infestation prevails.

Introduction. Vietnam is among the world's top 20 mango producing countries.In this country, the ‘cat Hoa loc’ variety is predominant, with 17 692 ha undercultivation with an annual production of 58 471 t; it is considered to be the best mangovariety in the Mekong delta. Ripening of the fruit is typically expressed by a skin colourchange from green to bright yellow. This variety is highly prized by local and foreignconsumers, but subject to different disorders, especially fruit fly infestations. Heattreatment is a safe alternative to chemical treatments. It can impair mould developmentand control fruit infestation by destroying fruit fly eggs and larvae. It may have agreater or lesser effect on fruit physiology. If the treatment temperature and durationare incorrectly handled, skin burns may result and the internal quality of the fruit maybe affected. Materials and methods. ’Cat Hoa loc’ mangoes at the commerciallymature stage were subjected to hot air treatment (47 °C and 90% RH) of different durations[(0, 20, 40, 60, 90, 120 and 180) min from the fruit core attaining the temperature].After treatment, the fruits were stored at 25 °C and quality parameters evaluated (weightloss, peel and flesh colour, percentages of fruit with burns and rots, burn index,ripening percentage, firmness, TSS, TA, vitamin C content, pH, reducing and total sugars,and taste test). Results and discussion. For the ‘cat Hoa loc’variety, heat treatment accelerated ripening of the fruit in the initial storage periodand colour changes occurred more quickly. However, after 7 days' storage, the differencein Hue value between the treated and control fruits disappeared. Hot air treatment at47 °C of different durations [(20 to180) min] did not affect the internal colorationchanges of ‘cat Hoa loc’ mangoes, but did affect the flesh firmness. We found that, after3 d, hot air treatment at 47 °C led to significantly faster weight loss than controlfruits but this difference disappeared after 7 d. Total sugar content was not affected bythe treatment, but titratable acidity decreased more quickly in treated fruits.

Introduction. The Chinese jujubetree always presents some unfavorable performances because its vegetativegrowth is very vigorous. Our study was conducted to apply root pruning totest whether it can effectively inhibit the vigorous vegetative growthby regulating the competitive ability of the root system for waterand nutrients. Materials and methods. For our experiment,roots were cut at three different distances from the trunk (light,moderate and severe root pruning) on both inter-row sides of jujubetrees to the depth of 20 cm. Roots of control jujube trees werenot pruned. Then we determined for three years the competitive indicatorsof Chinese jujube trees including the length, number and thicknessof primary branches; photosynthetic characteristics and nutrientconcentrations of leaves; hormone contents in the jujube head, flowernumber and fruiting percentage, yield, and fruit quality. Resultsand discussion. In the early stage after root treatment,root pruning decreased lots of indicators such as concentrationsof nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in leaves, photosynthesis, transpiration,stomatal conductance, and intercellular CO2 concentrationof leaves, relative to the same indicators as the control group. Withthe gradual emergence of new roots, these indexes appeared to have adversepatterns with respect to those in the early stage after root pruning. Comparedwith the control, root pruning significantly decreased the lengthand number of primary branches and flower number, but thickenedprimary branches, enhanced fruiting percentage and increased the amountof ethylene release of the jujube head in the whole experiment.Fruit quality was improved with root pruning, as indicated by increasesin vitamin C and total sugar and a decrease in titrable acidity.No effects of root pruning were noticed on yield. From our results,we conclude that the removal of the root system at a distance ofthree times the trunk diameter (severe pruning) from the trunk isthe most effective in regulating the competitive ability of theChinese jujube tree.

Introduction. Mango productivityis low in seasonally wet-dry tropical areas where breeding programsrequire information on factors affecting productivity of mango cultivars.Specifically, our study tested a novel hypothesis that, among Australian-and Florida-bred cultivars, the greater growth of vegetatively vigorouscultivars would contribute to lower levels of fruit production in comparisonwith less vegetatively vigorous cultivars, in a wet-dry tropical environment. Materials and methods. A field experiment was conductedon trees of the cultivars ‘Kensington Pride’ and ‘Strawberry’, both polyembryoniccultivars, and ‘Haden’, ‘Irwin’ and ‘Tommy Atkins’, all monoembryoniccultivars. Results. Shoot growth was recorded overtwo years; in both years the polyembryonic cultivars produced morenew shoot length than the monoembryonic cultivars; ‘Irwin’ was theleast vigorous cultivar in both years. Across cultivars, there wasa negative relationship between normalised (by flowering intensity andcanopy area) fruit number or yield and vegetative vigour as representedby new shoot length. Conclusion. The results supportedthe hypothesis that the greater shoot growth of vegetatively vigorouscultivars contributed to lower levels of fruit production in comparisonwith less vegetatively vigorous cultivars in a tropical environment.This is the first study which demonstrates that the extent of seasonalshoot growth had a fruit production cost for mango.

Introduction. Mineral status related to micronutrients and sodium is important to obtain high yields, despite the fact that no standardized contents have been established for yellow passion fruit. Biofertilizers have emerged as an important component of the integrated nutrient supply system aiming at an environmentally better nutrient supply because they have a direct action on micronutrient uptake. In this context, the objective of our research was to evaluate the micronutrient and sodium foliar contents of yellow passion fruit plants fertilized with two different biofertilizers in Brazil. Materials and methods. A randomized block design with treatments distributed in a factorial arrangement (2 × 5) referring to two biofertilizers (simple and enriched with Zn, Mg, Mn, Cu, Co, Fe, Ca, B and Mo) and five doses of each biofertilizer [(0.0, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8 and 2.4) L·plant–1] was adopted. Results of boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc and sodium foliar contents were submitted to variance analysis, the Tukey test and regression analysis. Results and discussion. The results indicate that enriched biofertilizer promoted the statistically highest foliar contents of all elements. The biofertilizer doses applied had different effects on foliar contents of the elements studied. Conclusion. Micronutrient and sodium foliar contents of yellow passion fruit were affected by both the type and doses of biofertilizers. Simple biofertilizer promoted optimum supplies of boron and iron, while enriched biofertilizer supplied boron, iron, manganese and zinc.

Introduction. Au Cameroun, les tentatives de lutte chimique contre Trioza erytreae, psylle des agrumes, ne permettent pas de maîtriser le niveau élevé des pullulations de ce ravageur dans les vergers. La lutte biologique serait la voie la plus prometteuse pour limiter ses populations dans le pays. Matériel et méthodes. Le parasitisme du psylle a été étudié sur des bourgeons d'agrumes parasités. Les larves momifiées du psylle ont été collectées, dans un verger de la région de Yaoundé, sur des agrumes isolés et sur une rutacée endémique, Clausena anisata. Ces momies ont été suivies au laboratoire et les hyménoptères qui en sont sortis ont été identifiés. Résultats. Le parasitisme global a été de 15 % environ. L'inventaire des espèces d'hyménoptères parasitoïdes de T. erytreae a montré la présence de parasitoïdes primaires : Psyllaephagus pulvinatus (36,3 %), Tamarixia dryi (3,5 %), P. secus (3,3 %), Psyllaephagus sp. (0,6 %), P. chiangamus (0,6 %), Bethylidae (genre et espèce non connus) (0,4 %) et Coccophagus pulvinariae (0,03 %) et des hyperparasitoïdes : Aphidencyrtus (Syrphophagus) cassatus (45,3 %), Tamarixia sp. (6,8 %), Tetrastichus sp. (1,5 %), Marrieta javensis (0,2 %), Physcus sp. (0,2 %), Aphanogmus sp. (0,2 %) et Cheiloneurus cyanonotus (0,1 %). Discussion. La faune des parasitoïdes de T. erytreae est aussi riche au Cameroun qu'en Afrique du Sud. Certaines espèces sont signalées sur ce psylle pour la première fois : Aphanogmus sp., Tamarixia sp., Psyllaephagus chiangamus, Psyllaephagus sp., Psyllaephagus secus et l'espèce non décrite de Bethylidae. Conclusion. La présence naturelle de parasitoïdes primaires de T. erytreae au Cameroun est un atout intéressant pour démarrer, dans ce pays, une lutte biologique contre cet important ravageur des agrumes.