The growth and development of lateral branches of Coffea arabica L. in Rhodesia

In order to modify dry matter production and distribution and thus provide information on source-sink relations, defoliation, darkening, ringbarking and fruit-thinning treatments were applied to primary branches when the fruits were in the pinhead stage. Fruit thinning had little effect on primary extension growth but it did increase the production of secondary shoots, suggesting that the presence of fruit not only affects competition for assimilate but may have a more direct effect on tree morphology by influencing the release from dormancy of lateral buds to form shoots. Primary extension growth evidently depends on the localized supply of assimilates from adjacent leaves. Old leaves may contribute to this growth if insufficient new leaf is present. Darkening of the new extension growth resulted in complete cessation of growth shortly after the treatment was applied. Treatments on their own did not effect the growth of fruit but a combination of ringbarking and defoliation or darkening reduced individual fruit mass. When branches were ringbarked, fruit-thinning resulted in the fruits accumulating dry matter faster. This evidence suggests that fruits were able to draw assimilate from sources in the same branch and from elsewhere. Within a treatment fruits grew at very variable rates. Fruit shedding, which occurs mainly in the early fruit expansion phase, was not related to the level of fruit-set and therefore is unlikely to be due to insufficient assimilate

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	58084 Clowes, M. St. J., 131727 Wilson, J.H.H.
Format:	biblioteca
Published:	1977
Subjects:	COFFEA ARABICA, FISIOLOGIA, RAMIFICACION, ETAPAS DE DESARROLLO DE LA PLANTA, ABSORCION DE SUBSTANCIAS NUTRITIVAS, FRUTO, ANATOMIA DE LA PLANTA, CRECIMIENTO DE RAMAS, CRECIMIENTO DE FRUTOS,
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