Effect of crop and canopy positions on dwarf cashew flowering pattern

Abstract

AbstractFlower emission pattern in the dwarf cashew tree (Anacardium occidentaleL.) is essential for understanding the possible differences in the number, distribution over time, and/or proportion of the types of flowers affecting the reproductive dynamics of the species during the flowering. Our study aimed to explain the flowering pattern of the dwarf cashew tree, especially the emission and development of the male and hermaphrodite flowers and the influence of the flower distribution in the canopy for fruit production. Therefore, the canopy quadrants (north, south, east, and west) in two flowering seasons and two years (2018 and 2019) were considered. In each bloom, 120 panicles (one per quadrant of each plant) were randomly selected and monitored, in a randomized block design with 10 genotypes and three blocks, where each plant represented a repetition. There were significant differences in the effects of crop and canopy positions on the dwarf cashew tree. The dwarf cashew tree showed similar fluctuations in the average and cumulative number of flowers over time, regardless of flower type, but with a different pattern in the emission of male and hermaphrodite flowers. Male flowers required more time for anthesis during the harvests. Also, the northern quadrant of the crown had a greater quantity of flowers hermaphrodites, possibly due to a higher incidence of radiation because of the predominant path of the sun in the region. However, fruit production in the quadrants showed greater trends in the east and west quadrants, indicating that the flowering and fruiting patterns diverged.