Tropical Fruits, Volume 1 (Crop Production Science in Horticulture, Volume 20)

Annotation. The first of two volumes, this book covers major tropical fruits such as avocado, litchi, mango, papaya and pineapple. Early chapters describe the tropics and its soils and deal with key issues such as tree management and postharvest handling, updated and expanded to include best handling practices and food safety issues and the way to address these issues in marketing. Following these are self-contained chapters on single fruits which provide in-depth studies of botany, areas of origin and distribution, descriptions of ecological requirements and world production and utilization of each fruit. Propagation & cultural practices from ancient to modern are described to show the regional differences that environmental and biological pressures exert on fruit production and fruit quality. Tropical Fruits is essential reading for students and teachers of horticulture as well as horticultural industry personnel and policy-makers. CONTENTS......Page 5 PREFACE......Page 7 1 INTRODUCTION......Page 9 2 THE TROPICS, ITS SOILS AND HORTICULTURE......Page 19 3 CULTIVATION......Page 41 4 TREE MANAGEMENT......Page 70 5 POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGY......Page 109 6 ANNONAS: CHERIMOYA, ATEMOYA AND SWEETSOP......Page 131 7 AVOCADO......Page 161 8 BANANA AND PLANTAIN......Page 193 9 LITCHI AND LONGAN......Page 229 10 MANGO......Page 260 11 PAPAYA......Page 299 12 PINEAPPLE......Page 335 REFERENCES......Page 374 A......Page 401 C......Page 402 H......Page 403 M......Page 404 P......Page 405 S......Page 407 W......Page 408 ## Abstract This book examines economically important horticultural crops selected from the major production systems in temperate, subtropical and tropical climatic areas. The general aspects of the tropical climate, fruit production techniques, tree management and postharvest handling and the principal tropical fruit crops that are common in temperate city markets are discussed. The taxonomy, cultivars, propagation and orchard management, biotic and abiotic problems and cultivar development of these fruit crops are also highlighted. CONTENTS 5 PREFACE 7 1 INTRODUCTION 9 2 THE TROPICS, ITS SOILS AND HORTICULTURE 19 3 CULTIVATION 41 4 TREE MANAGEMENT 70 5 POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGY 109 6 ANNONAS: CHERIMOYA, ATEMOYA AND SWEETSOP 131 7 AVOCADO 161 8 BANANA AND PLANTAIN 193 9 LITCHI AND LONGAN 229 10 MANGO 260 11 PAPAYA 299 12 PINEAPPLE 335 REFERENCES 374 INDEX 401 A 401 B 402 C 402 D 403 E 403 F 403 G 403 H 403 I 404 K 404 M 404 N 405 O 405 P 405 Q 407 R 407 S 407 T 408 U 408 V 408 W 408 The tropics, its soils and horticulture Cultivation Tree management Postharvest technology Annonas: cherimoya, atemoya and sweetsop Avocado Bananas and plantains Litchi and longan Mango Papaya Pineapple.