Abstract

ORDUZ-RODRIGUEZ, Javier Orlando; MONROY, Hernán Javier  and  FISCHER, Gerhard. Phenological behavior of 'Arrayana' mandarin in the piedmont of the Meta department, Colombia. Agron. colomb. [online]. 2010, vol.28, n.1, pp.63-70. ISSN 0120-9965.

Under tropical conditions the main climatic driver of citrus plant growth and development is rain precipitation, whereas in the subtropics it corresponds to seasonal average temperature variation. Thus, the detailed observation and recording of the main phenological stages of citrus trees, namely budding, flowering and fruit development, allows studying the existing relation between climatic variables and plant eco-physiological responses. The present study was conducted at research center 'La Libertad', Villavicencio (4°03' N, 73°29' W; 336 m a.s.l.), located in the eastern piedmont of the department of Meta, Colombia. In a 7 year old 'Arrayana' mandarin orchard, the relation between phenological stage of trees and monthly precipitation pattern was evaluated. The citrus trees displayed three major budding peaks (March-April, July-August and September-October). Starting 2-3 weeks after the beginning of the rainy season, the main annual flowering accompanied the sprouting of the first buds. Notwithstanding, the trees also flowered during the rainy season, when they were not under water stress.

Keywords : Citrus reticulata; ecophysiology; water stress; flower induction; lowland tropics.

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