scholarly journals Floral Phenology of Upper Amazon Cocoa Trees: Implications for Reproduction and Productivity of Cocoa

ISRN Agronomy ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Adjaloo ◽  
W. Oduro ◽  
B. K. Banful
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
Tropical Plants ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Floral Phenology ◽  
Phenological Cycle ◽  
June July

A study of the floral phenology of cocoa trees was carried out between 2006 and 2008 at Kubease in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, using one hundred cocoa trees from ten farm plots. The objective was to assess the contribution of floral phenology to the productivity of cocoa. Cocoa like all tropical tree species exhibited seasonally-related phenological patterns involving overlapping cycles under both intrinsic and extrinsic controls. However, unlike most tropical plants, flowering was in the rainy season. The production of new pods or cherelles increased during the major rainy season (June, July, and August), but was evenly distributed from the minor to the dry season. Production of small and medium pods peaked in August whereas production of large pods peaked in October. There was a positive correlation between new pod production and pods abortion (r = 0.69; n = 100; P < 0.05). Temperature, light intensity, and rainfall positively affected production of floral buds and production of open flowers. However, rainfall had the greatest influence on the phenological cycle of the cocoa plant. The floral phenological pattern also coincided with the activity of the main pollinators of cocoa which resulted in enhanced reproductive capacity for increased production of cocoa.

scholarly journals Variation in Onset of Leaf Unfolding and Wood Formation in a Central African Tropical Tree Species

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhely Angoboy Ilondea ◽  
Hans Beeckman ◽  
Joris Van Acker ◽  
Jan Van den Bulcke ◽  
Adeline Fayolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Cambial Activity ◽  
Wood Formation ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Congo Basin ◽  
Leaf Phenology ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Tropical Tree Species

A diversity of phenological strategies has been reported for tropical tree species. Defoliation and seasonal dormancy of cambial activity inform us on how trees cope with water stress during the dry season, or maximize the use of resources during the rainy season. Here, we study the matching between leaf phenology (unfolding and shedding) and cambial activity for Prioria balsamifera, a key timber species in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In particular, we (i) evaluated the seasonality of cambial activity and synchrony of phenology among trees in response to climate and (ii) identified the seasonality of leaf phenology and its relation with cambial phenology. The study was conducted in the Luki Man and Biosphere Reserve, located in the Mayombe forest at the southern margin of the Congo Basin. Historic defoliation data were collected every ten days using weekly crown observations whereas recent observations involved time-lapse cameras. Cambial pinning was performed on ten trees during 20 months and radius dendrometers were installed on three trees during 13 months. Tree rings were measured on cores from 13 trees and growth synchrony was evaluated. We found that P. balsamifera defoliates annually with a peak observed at the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season. The new leaves unfolded shortly after shedding of the old leaves. The peak defoliation dates varied across years from September 12 to November 14 and the fraction of number of trees that defoliated at a given time was found to be negatively correlated with annual rainfall and temperature; during the dry season, when precipitation and temperatures are the lowest. Wood formation (radial growth), was found to be highly seasonal, with cambial dormancy occurring during the dry season and growth starting at the beginning of the rainy season. Individual ring-width series did not cross date well. The within species variability of leaf phenology and cambial rhythms provides indication about resistance of the population against climatic changes.

scholarly journals Metabolome-Wide, Phylogenetically Controlled Comparison Indicates Higher Phenolic Diversity in Tropical Tree Species

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 554
Author(s):  
Guille Peguero ◽  
Albert Gargallo-Garriga ◽  
Joan Maspons ◽  
Karel Klem ◽  
Otmar Urban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Secondary Compounds ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Tropical Plants ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Antagonistic Interactions

Tropical plants are expected to have a higher variety of defensive traits, such as a more diverse array of secondary metabolic compounds in response to greater pressures of antagonistic interactions, than their temperate counterparts. We test this hypothesis using advanced metabolomics linked to a novel stoichiometric compound classification to analyze the complete foliar metabolomes of four tropical and four temperate tree species, which were selected so that each subset contained the same amount of phylogenetic diversity and evenness. We then built Bayesian phylogenetic multilevel models to test for tropical–temperate differences in metabolite diversity for the entire metabolome and for four major families of secondary compounds. We found strong evidence supporting that the leaves of tropical tree species have a higher phenolic diversity. The functionally closer group of polyphenolics also showed moderate evidence of higher diversity in tropical species, but there were no differences either for the entire metabolome or for the other major families of compounds analyzed. This supports the interpretation that this tropical–temperate contrast must be related to the functional role of phenolics and polyphenolics.

Development and characterization of 15 microsatellite loci for Cariniana estrellensis and transferability to Cariniana legalis, two endangered tropical tree species

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1001-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Corbo Guidugli ◽  
Tatiana de Campos ◽  
Adna Cristina Barbosa de Sousa ◽  
Juliana Massimino Feres ◽  
Alexandre Magno Sebbenn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microsatellite Loci ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Cariniana Legalis

scholarly journals Large differences in leaf cuticle conductance and its temperature response among 24 tropical tree species from across a rainfall gradient

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn Slot ◽  
Tantawat Nardwattanawong ◽  
Georgia G. Hernández ◽  
Amauri Bueno ◽  
Markus Riederer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Rainfall Gradient ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Leaf Cuticle

scholarly journals Diurnal and seasonal carbon balance of four tropical tree species differing in successional status

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 781-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
GM. Souza ◽  
RV. Ribeiro ◽  
AM. Sato ◽  
MS. Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Dark Respiration ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Pioneer Species ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Gross Photosynthesis ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Successional Species

This study addressed some questions about how a suitable leaf carbon balance can be attained for different functional groups of tropical tree species under contrasting forest light environments. The study was carried out in a fragment of semi-deciduous seasonal forest in Narandiba county, São Paulo Estate, Brazil. 10-month-old seedlings of four tropical tree species, Bauhinia forficata Link (Caesalpinioideae) and Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (Sterculiaceae) as light-demanding pioneer species, and Hymenaea courbaril L. (Caesalpinioideae) and Esenbeckia leiocarpa Engl. (Rutaceae) as late successional species, were grown under gap and understorey conditions. Diurnal courses of net photosynthesis (Pn) and transpiration were recorded with an open system portable infrared gas analyzer in two different seasons. Dark respiration and photorespiration were also evaluated in the same leaves used for Pn measurements after dark adaptation. Our results showed that diurnal-integrated dark respiration (Rdi) of late successional species were similar to pioneer species. On the other hand, photorespiration rates were often higher in pioneer than in late successional species in the gap. However, the relative contribution of these parameters to leaf carbon balance was similar in all species in both environmental conditions. Considering diurnal-integrated values, gross photosynthesis (Pgi) was dramatically higher in gap than in understorey, regardless of species. In both evaluated months, there were no differences among species of different functional groups under shade conditions. The same was observed in May (dry season) under gap conditions. In such light environment, pioneers were distinguished from late successional species in November (wet season), showing that ecophysiological performance can have a straightforward relation to seasonality.

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