RARE FRUIT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES

Transcription

1 WHITMAN AND CHURNEY: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 323 anthracnose, or black rot are not likely to meet requirements for varietal release. 3. Productivity: Selections worthy of con sideration should be prolific and produce regularly. 4. Quality of fruit, type of cluster, size of berry: These three qualifications are men tioned together because they most affect con sumer appeal. Individual choices in fruit flavors differ, but attractive clusters with berries averaging at least eleven-sixteenths inch in diameter for seeded grapes are favored. 5. Color and earliness: Blue grapes have sales appeal on most markets, and grapes that reach a high soluble solids content early usual ly sell at a premium. In the Station's program emphasis is being placed on developing dark colored selections that are early. However, this does not exclude light colored selections of merit. 6. Carrying quality: Grapes in Florida should be transportable for at least a few hundred miles without shelling from the clus ter or deteriorating seriously. 7. Shelf life: The merchant, either in store or roadside stand, requires grapes that will hold up on display with an appetizing appear ance for a reasonable sales period. LITERATURE CITED 1. Rhodes, Arthur S. Diseases of grapes in Florida. Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 178: Munson, T. V. Foundations of American grape cul ture. T. V. Munson & Son, Denison, Tex Pierce, N. B. The California vine disease. U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Veg. Path. Bui. 2: Hewitt, Wm. B., Norman W. Frazier, H. E. Jacob, and J. H. Freitag. Pierce's Disease of grapevines. Calif. Agr. Exp. Sta. Cir. 353: Stoner, Warren N., L. H. Stover, and G. K. Parris. Field and laboratory investigations indicate grape degenera tion in Florida is due to Pierce's Disease virus infection. Plant Disease Reptr. 35: Crall, J. M. and L H. Stover. The significance of Pierces Disease in the Decline of Bunch Grapes in Florida. (Abst.) Phytopath. 47: ;enne'!^h Uh t Sta cfrs.68!v.12: ^Is^ 9. Stover, L. H. Blue Lake, a bunch grape for Florida home gardens. Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Cir. S-120: Williams, W. and A. G. Brown. Breeding new vari eties of fruit trees. Endeavour. XIX. 75-A47A RARE FRUIT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES William Francis Whitman1 and Mrs. Otto L. Churney2 The first meeting of the Rare Fruit Council, following the presentation of its paper at the Florida State Horticultural Society annual meeting in Miami, was held Friday evening, November 13, 1959 at the Simpson Memorial Garden Center. A one hour 16mm Hawaiian movie was the main event of the evening. Mr. Whitman's film covered in detail many of the agricultural crops of these Poly nesian Islands, including sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum), pineapples (Ananas comosus), coffee (Coffea arabica), taro (Colocasia antiquorum), papayas (Carica papaya) and bananas (Musa sp.). The importance of agriculture to the economy of this new state was stressed. At the conclusion of the meet ing santols (Sandoricum koetjape), wax jambo (Syzygium javanica), longan (Euphoria longana) and other plants were offered for distribution. At the December meeting a discussion took JPast president, 189 Bal Bay Drive, Bal Harbour 54, Fla. Recording secretary, 7770 S. W. 134th St., Miami 56. place on ways to protect plants from cold damage. Melvin Andrews, Fairchild Tropical Garden employee, related two years ago his thermometer, placed in the open four feet above the ground, registered 22 degrees F. from 12:30 a.m. until 6 a.m. His plants suf fered damage in spite of precautions. Near his location a large field of staked tomatoes were protected with complete success by the use of heaters and trucks mounted with power driven air propellers. George Mooty, with the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station, reported the Julie mango (Mangifera indica), the Carrie mango and the B-17 Barbados cherry (Mai pighia punicifolia) to be more susceptible to cold than many other varieties of the same fruits. Letters from Dr. L. B. Singh, Director, Horticultural Research Institute, Saharanpur, U. P., India, Director Chih-Foo Yang, Chia-Yi Agricultural Experiment Station, Chia-Yi, Tai wan, Formosa, D. Serpa, Facultad de Agronomia El Limon, Maracay* Venezuela and Bartolome R. Luardo, Acting Superintendent, Davao Experiment Station, Bureau of Plant Industry, Philippines were read by the Coun cil President. Typical of these letters was Dr. Singh's statement, "I gratefully acknowledge the receipt of the reprint of your paper entitled

2 324 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1960 Canned Malabar chestnuts (PACHIRA MACROCARPA) from Formosa. Photo by Wm. F. Whitman 'Rare Fruit Council Activities', which you have kindly sent to me. The informations con tained in this paper are going to be of im mense value to us over here". Dr. John Popenoe, accompanied by Dr. Carl Campbell, attended our January meet ing. Dr. Popenoe has recently joined the staff of the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station where he will be engaged in pomology as an assist ant horticulturist. Previously at the University of Alabama he had earned on experiments with the genus Prumis. Dried canned Malabar chestnuts (Pachira macrocarpa) were passed among the membership for sampling and evaluation. These salmonish-brown kernels, with yellowish-white stripes, had been for warded from the Chia-Yi Agricultural Experi ment Station in Formosa by Director Yang, who had been a Council guest in June, Roasted, these delicious tropical nuts have a flavor like the peanut, only richer tasting. The samples have remained crisp and fresh, at the time of writing, after having been canned over a year. An objection is the difficulty in removing the thin shell or husk which adheres to the seed. This deciduous ornamental trop ical nut tree, native to Mexico and Central America, was introduced into the Chia-Yi Agricultural Station in 1931 and has since been distributed to farmers. The nuts are thought to have commercial possibilities and the tree has been found well adapted to Central and Southern Taiwan. Plants for distribution at the conclusion of the meeting included the carob (Ceratonia siliqua), the mammey-apple (Mammea americana) and the white sapote (Casimiroa edulis). A report was made by Mr. Whitman at the February meeting on tests run, over a period of time, to determine any ph. level changes on a fine hammock sand soil trucked into Bal Harbour and spread over the existing calcareous bay bottom fill to a depth of several feet for the purpose of growing tropical fruits on an acid medium. In July, 1956 the ham mock sand gave a ph reading and in January, 1960 the ph. ran 6.6. This was of interest because at the time of both tests the subsoil water table, commencing at a depth of four to five feet, had a salt concentration of approximately 2520 p.p.m. The effects of salt being carried toward the soil surface by

3 WHITMAN AND CHURNEY: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 325 capillary attraction, the ph. 8 city water used for irrigation and salt laden air from the ocean two blocks away had presented the question as to whether the ph. had been raised appreci ably, which it apparently had not. The sam ples of soil and ground water were sent to the Soil Testing Laboratory, University of Florida, Gainesville where the ph. was run. Ray Rich ardson stated that small bael fruit (Aegle marmelos) seedlings were undamaged by the recent cold and George Mooty related that heavy frost at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station had killed back their mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) to near ground level in spite of being watered and surrounded by smudge pots. In March a letter from the. Upper Keys Garden Club, Key Largo was read1 expressing appreciation for the Council's participation in their recent flower show. Dwight Smith and Wesley Wilson very ably prepared the fruit exhibit for this event. The Council also heard a letter from Director Chih Foo Yang giving additional information on the Malabar chest nut. In this he stated that the fruit of the Pachira macrocarpa is a capsule with five cells containing about twenty seeds, only ten to fifteen of these being fully developed. A tree may set two hundred to five hundred fruit an nually. The unroasted kernel has almost no flavor, like that of the raw peanut. Experi ments are being made in removing the shell from the nut prior to roasting. Mr. Gregory introduced Louis Daigle, former State Plant Board inspector. The question was put to Mr. Daigle concerning the possibility of having restrictions lifted on importing mangosteen fruit from Hawaii. Arrangements had been LUCUMA HYPOGLAUCA, a new introduction fruiting at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station. This is the size of an orange with a hard outer shell. Photo by John Noonan.

4 326 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1960 made for Forester Bryan to ship this fruit Daigle suggested the Council contact the U. from Hilo but he found this impossible under S.D.A. in Beltsville. A discussion on mangocurrent U.S.D.A. Hawaiian regulations. Mr. steens followed and it was recalled that Dr. Hurricane Donna damaged many trees at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station, including this large yellow mombin (SPONDIAS LUTEA). Photo by Wm. F. Whitman

5 WHITMAN AND CHURNEY: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 327 David Fairchild had sought compatible root- hoping to locate one which would induce a stock from among the numerous Garcinias, more rapid growth under less favorable con- Partially completed pineapple (ANANAS COMOSUS) sketch by Ota Williams. The variety is Red Spanish. Photo bv Don Duffy.

6 328 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1960 ditions. Garcinia tinctoria was tried but prov ed to be no better than the mangosteen's own root system. This tree must have shade when young. As it grows larger it becomes more sun tolerant and usually will take full sunlight af ter reaching about fourteen feet in height. The tree is grown from seed and the first six inches of growth usually are the most difficult. Harold Winters, while at the Federal Experiment Station, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, found a re lationship between the weight of mangosteen seeds to germination and preliminary rate of growth. A three foot potted durian tree (Diirio zibethinus) was brought to the April meeting for display. This had been grown from seed forwarded by Dr. McDaniels to the Sub-Trop ical Experiment Station during his visit to Thailand in This tree, distinguished by a leaf with a silvery-white underside, is sus ceptible to both cold and root damage. In Formosa it has been found to sprout from the roots when killed back to ground level by cold, in a similar manner to that of the breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis). Fred Stone reported graft ing lychees (Litchi chinensis) successfully by using dormant wood with lateral buds and covering the graft with a small skirt of plastic after the union had been bound. Laymond Hardy stated that Brewster lychee seedlings frequently tend to be chlorotic and suggested the Bengal lychee as a more vigorous rootstock. The success in Hawaii of inducing ly chee fruiting by girdling limbs with a 1/16 - inch diameter pruning saw was referred to. In May new officers were elected to the Rare Fruit Council, Dr. John Popenoe of the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station taking over as the incoming president. At this time the definition, aims and objectives of our organi zation were laid down as follows; Definition: The "Rare Fruit Council of South Florida" is a group devoted primarily to the study and advancement of the lesser-known tropical and subtropical fruits which have not Longan tree (EUPHORIA longana) at Bankolc Noi Fruit Station, Thailand. Woven bamboo baskets are used for protecting fruits from bats and birds. Photo by Pairoj Pholprasio.

7 WHITMAN AND CHURNEY: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 329 yet achieved economic importance or are not Aims and Objectives: To be an active organcultivated on a large commercial scale in this ization dedicated to promoting the progress of country. tropical pomology in South Florida. Pl,PlSani? wd'a imsj PARARISIACA)' a favorite banana in the Far East. This stalk was grown on Elliott Key, Florida, rnoro cy wm. r. Whitman.

8 330 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1960 To introduce, propagate and distribute, on a free exchange basis, new species, improved varieties and clones of fruit plants from the tropical and near tropical areas of the world. (Local & International Plant Exchange). To educate the public with the merits of tropical fruits and thereby encourage and ex tend their cultivation and consumption. To collect and disseminate cultural require ments, including propagating techniques, rootstock trials and degree of intolerance to cold. To bring into bearing tropical and subtropi cal fruit trees that previously have not fruited in South Florida. To encourage fruit plant breeding and to be on the alert for mutations and chance seed lings of merit. To cooperate with any horticultural organi zation, institution or government bureau, foreign or domestic, whose field of activity either completely or partially embraces tropi cal pomology. To contribute for publication an annual paper or report, in edited form, to record the horticultural high lights of each meeting. The speaker for the evening was Dr. Taylor Alexander, Chairman of the Department of Tropical Botany, University of Miami. His subject "photoperiodism", or the effect of light on plants was both extremely interesting and informative. A highlight of the June 10th meeting was a report by incoming Council President Dr. John Popenoe, on his recent trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico where he attended an annual meet ing of the Carribbean Section of the American Society for Horticultural Science. At the Ex periment Station at Rio Piedras, there were fifty or sixty young, non-bearing mangosteens and an equal number of rambutans (Nephelium lappaceum) with male bloom. The Ma lay-apple (Syzygium malaccensis) were bear ing heavily, breadfruit and breadnut (Artocarpus altilis) were numerous. Dillenia indica lined the avenues of the campus. Also seen were durian trees, bearing jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) and the paradise-nut tree (Lect/this elliptica). Fruits of the mameyapple are attacked by fruit bats. In the food technology pilot plant, nectar of the soursop (Annona muricata), acerola and guava (Psidium guajava) were being canned. Dr. Popenoe suggested that superior clones of Spanish limes How large to make a planting hole? These were dug twelve feet wide in an alkaline area to be refilled with a suitable soil for acid loving fruit trees. Photo by Wm. F. Whitman. (Melicocca bijuga), soursops, and the Rheedia (Rheedia sp.) in Puerto Rico might be select ed for use in South Florida. Mr. Whitman told of spending the month of May in Nassau, where fruits new to the Bahamas are being introduced and tried. At the Bahamas Govern ment Experiment Station mangosteens, nut meg (Myristica fragrans) and lychee trees were observed. These young, non-bearing trees which had been obtained through the efforts of Oris S. Russell, appeared to be making good growth. Edward M. Treglown, Bahamas contractor, has extensive acreage in fruits on Farrington Road, near Oaks' Field, Nassau. His mature size trees included five species of Annonas, lychee, longan, jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora), mamey sapote (Calocarpufn mammosum) and many others. Another fruit tree hobbyist is Captain Wallace Ogilvie of Village Road, Nassau. He has received from Florida many of our best fruit clones and is currently contacting the Philippines and other tropical areas for additional pomological material. A recent publication "Some Fruits and Nuts for the Tropics" was passed around for member's inspection. This U.S.D.A. Mis cellaneous Publication No. 801 was written by Wm. C. Kennard and Harold F. Winters from observations obtained while on the staff of the Federal Experiment Station, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Fruits offered for sampling were grumichama (Eugenia dombeyi), rose-apples (Syzygium jambos), Brewster lychees, red Cattley guava (Psidium cattleyanum), pitomba (Eugenia luschnathiana), white sapote and

9 WHITMAN AND CHURNEY: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 331 wax jambu, a fruit which makes a handsome table decoration. Mrs. Frances C. Young, botanist from the Redland Fruit and Spice Park, addressed the Council in July. In this interesting discourse uncommon uses for tropical fruits were brought to light. One of these little known facts is that the green carambola (Averrhoa caramboh) makes a good polish for brass and cop per. As the meeting was about to break up Peg Gorman, an active member, came strug gling in the door with a large carton of assort ed plants that we all thought would be some wonderful new distribution. "No, not so", she said. "This is what happens when one collects seeds at the Council meetings. Please help me identify these things". In August Mrs. Lucita Wait introduced the speaker of the evening, Dr. Tuala Tamalelagi, a newcomer to Florida. Bom of Samoan par ents and raised in Fiji, he has been in the United States since 1944 and is engaged with experiments to increase the cold tolerance of subtropical and tropical fruit trees by means of chemical treatment. Zapote bianco (Lucuma hypoglauca), sl new fruit grown at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station was offered for sampling by Dr. Popenoe. This fruit, which is indigenous to Yucatan and El Salvador, makes a medium sized tree with large leaves and small flowers and the tree appears at home in South Florida's calcareous soil. The pulp, a thin layer surrounding rather large seeds, is acidulous, with an agreeable flavor. Other fruits on display were longans, mamey sapote, Ice Cream banana (Musa paradisiaca), jaboticaba, antidesma (Antidesma bunias), and the Indonesian "seedless" guava (Psidium guajava). In October Dr. Popenoe reported that the recent hurricane Donna uprooted many large mature trees at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station. Cut back and righted, they currently do not provide much frost protection for smaller trees beneath their thinned out can opy. Large trees planted out originally in blast ed holes were found more difficult to set up again than those that had been started in scarified areas. The unusually heavy rainfall at the Station for the month of September totaled approximately twenty-five inches. On Plantation Key, seventy-five miles south of Miami, L. B. dubell's extensive fruit plant ings were thought to be 50 per cent or more destroyed. Mr. Whitman, who made these ob servations, related the dubell plum (Flacourtia cataphracta), while blown over, was putting on new growth and apparently not severely hurt in spite of being partially covered by sea water during the storm. Key limes (Citrus aurantifolio) and an off-season fruiting mulberry (Morus nigra) likewise appeared to have with stood the effects of the wind and salt water. A comprehensive discussion on marcotting followed. George Mooty claimed improved re sults were obtained by using thin plastic cov ering and by girdling branches several days prior to completing the mossing. He further stated a skirt shaped newspaper covering, tied at the top and open at the bottom, pro tects the plastic from splitting due to weather ing as well as discouraging birds from peck ing holes through it. He suggested that branches which hung down, so that the moss ing was the highest point on the limb, were to be avoided as such marcots usually failed to put out roots. Aluminum foil was used for fruit trees that air-layered quickly, others usually do better with plastic wrapping. Dr. Biebel claimed to be able to make two hun dred aluminum covered marcots an hour un der ideal conditions. Mr. Whitman reported making one hundred Cattley guava air-layers with no takes. He further stated that, provid ing the girdled cambium layer is prevented from uniting, a marcotted branch will eventual ly either put out roots or die. A grumichama tree at the U.S.D.A. Plant Introduction Sta tion, Chapman Field, took two years to root, the mossing being replaced four or five times! Large limbs of certain hard to air-layer fruits, such as the Spanish lime, met with success while smaller branches failed. Mrs. Roy Williams displayed new prelimi nary fruit sketches. These showed outstanding talent and the Council is fortunate in having among its members such a competent artist. From the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station potted fruit plants were offered for distribu tion. These were San Ramon coffee, a clone originating in El Salvador, C.A., the elephant apple (Dillenia indica) and the grumichama. Since the last annual report fruit plant ship ments have been received from Dr. L. B. Singh in. India, Roem Purnariksha and Anchern Chompoophot in Thailand, Eugene E. Cruz in the Philippines, W. R. Lindsay in the Canal Zone, as well as from both John Stermer and

10 332 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1960 Forester Albert Duval in Hawaii. A series of pictures on the longan and durian were for warded by former Consul visitor Pairoj Pholprasid, from Bangkok, Thailand. Of particular interest was a shot of a longan tree with woven bamboo baskets over the fruiting panicles to offer protection from birds and fruit bats. The Council would like to take this opportunity to express its sincere appreciation to these people, as well as to the many others in tropical areas, who have given of their time and efforts. Through their cooperation many worthwhile fruit plants have been introduced into South Florida. PRELIMINARY COMPARISON OF WRAPPING MATERIALS IN GRAFTING PECANS T. E. Pope and S. E. McFadden, Jr. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Gainesville The ready availability of polyethylene and vinyl plastic films provides the plant propa gator with materials that approach the ideal for grafting operations. The moisture retention and water exclusion properties of the plastic films, coupled with the adequate pore space to allow some gas exchange, make them super ior to older graft wrapping materials. Films of two to four mil thickness are generally suf ficiently strong, pliable and elastic to anchor scions while furnishing a cover for graft wound areas that promotes callus formation. Nelson (5, 6) used vinyl plastic wrapping in grafting mangos, guavas and lychees and ob tained more satisfactory results than when other materials were used. According to Bryden (1), plastic film was superior to raffia and other tying materials for budding citrus, apricots, cherries and pecans. Black polyethy lene film was found to be superior to trans parent as a cover in patch-budding walnut and pecan (2). Good results were reported (3) in chip budding stem cuttings of roses where buds were covered with clear polyethylene film which prevented excessive wetting of the wound area under mist. Current preference for vinyl film in budding roses (4), both contain er-grown stock and misted stem cuttings, is based on ease of handling in forming a spiral wrap with the strip of film. Before flexible films became available, choice of graft wrapping materials was limited to processed natural fibers such as raffia, or to manufactured materials such as twine, tapes Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series, No of cloth or strips of rubber; many plant propa gators still use them. A wax mixture that hard ens on cooling is usually added to these ma terials either before wrapping, or applied after the wrap is in place. This wax coating pro duces a better moisture seal. Objectionable features of these conventional wraps include: (1) added labor of wax coating; (2) drying out of scions when insufficiently covered; (3) restriction of gas exchange when too heavily coated that results in a physiological break down in vital tsisues and later invasion by pathogenic micro-organisms. In this locality, pecan clones are propagated by graftage on one to three year old seedling understocks in nursery rows. Grafting of dor mant stock begins in January and extends into March. A whip and tongue graft is made just above soil level and wrapped with waxed twine. The currently used method includes a practice of covering the graft union with a mound of sandy topsoil, leaving only the top most part of the six-inch scion exposed. This mound of soil is removed after union is esta blished. Local growers consider the soil cover a necessary addition to the wax-coated wrap, to insure optimal survival of scions of all vari eties. Wraps are cut at the time the soil mound is removed to prevent girdling injury. Materials and Methods Two experiments were initiated, March 8 to 10, 1960, to compare the effects of a flexible plastic film with other wrapping materials on the survival of whip and tongue grafts using 'Curtis' and 'Stuart' scions on stocks of twoyear old seedlings from 'Stuart' pecans. A com parison of soil mounding effects on survival of grafts wrapped with the plastic film was in cluded. Experiment 1 - This experiment, using 'Curtis' scions, compared the effects of two