Pomology (Fruit Production)
Domain 5 examines fruit production: climate adaptation, propagation, training and pruning, flowering management, fruit drop and maturity.
Groups and examples
- Tropical: mango, banana, sapota, papaya, pineapple.
- Subtropical: citrus, guava, pomegranate, grape.
- Temperate: apple, pear, peach; strawberry is a short-day herbaceous perennial.
Canopy and flowering management
- Training builds the frame; pruning balances vegetative and reproductive growth.
- Pomegranate bahar treatment: ambe (January-February), mrig (June-July), hasta (September-October); the choice follows water availability and market price.
- Grape needs two prunings, forward and back, to schedule the crop.
- Pre-harvest fruit drop is reduced by growth regulators such as NAA, plus adequate moisture and nutrition.
Worked example
A pomegranate orchard has assured irrigation, and the farmer wants a winter market window. Reasoning: hasta bahar (September-October flowering) is induced by withholding water and then irrigating, giving harvest in February-March when prices are higher; ambe bahar flowers earlier but demands more summer water. Water stress is the induction tool, not a hormone alone.
Marks-losing traps
- Confusing training with pruning.
- Calling banana a tree or a biennial.
- Using ethephon as a pomegranate flower inducer without the water-stress step.
- Applying the same pruning season to grape and mango.