A Detailed Guide to the Growing Environments and Growth Processes of Mangoes, Apples, and Bananas
Mangoes, apples, and bananas are the most common fruits in our everyday lives, so where exactly do these fruits grow? What is their growth process like?
Where do mangoes grow?
Mango trees are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, Southeast Asian countries (India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia), the Middle East, Australia, southeastern Africa, Hawaii, South America, and within China (Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, China). Mangoes are not very demanding about soil; from low-lying land that never waterlogs to higher slopes, from acidic laterite to saline coastal beach land, there are examples of successful mango cultivation on all types of soil. However, for commercial mango production, the best soil is of medium fertility.
The growth process of mangoes
Shoot growth habit: mango shoots grow in flushes. The bud is wrapped by bracts; when growth begins, the bracts split open first, the shoot extends, the leaves unfold, and the bracts then fall off. The middle and lower leaves are alternate with relatively large spacing between them. Generally, seedlings and young trees produce 6-8 flushes per year, young fruiting trees produce 2-4, and mature trees 1-2. Shoots that emerge from March to May are spring shoots, from June to August are summer shoots, from September to November are autumn shoots, and from December to February are winter shoots. In Hainan, autumn shoots are the main fruiting mother branches. But spring and summer shoots can also become fruiting mother branches; under good conditions, the winter shoots produced by some cultivars in December to January can also flower and fruit. From bud break to the cessation of shoot growth and leaf maturity takes 15-35 days. Summer and autumn shoots take a shorter time, while winter shoots take longer. Shoot growth and root growth proceed alternately.
Flowering and fruiting habits
(1) Flower bud differentiation: under normal conditions, mango flower bud differentiation in this province begins from late October to November. When flower-inducing agents are used, differentiation can occur at any time. From flower bud differentiation to the opening of the first flower of the inflorescence takes 20-39 days, but after the first flower opens the inflorescence continues to elongate. Moderately low temperatures and drought favor flower bud differentiation; high temperatures favor the formation of bisexual flowers.
(2) Flowering: mango trees flower naturally from December each year to January-February of the following year, sometimes as early as November or as late as March of the following year, with peak bloom around the Spring Festival. A single inflorescence takes 15-25 days from the opening of the first flower to the completion of blooming of the entire inflorescence, and the flowering period of one tree is about 50 days. Mango flowers include bisexual flowers and male flowers. Bisexual flowers have normally developed stamens and pistils and can undergo normal pollination, fertilization, and fruit set; male flowers have no pistil and cannot set fruit after opening. In most cultivated varieties, bisexual flowers account for more than 15%. A single flower takes about 1.5 days from petal opening to stigma withering.
(3) Fruit development: after flowering and fertilization, the ovary begins to swell, and after about 1.5 months it rapidly enlarges; in the 10-15 days before harvest, growth becomes extremely slow or stops, and at this time the fruit mainly thickens, fills out, and gains weight. From flowering and fruit set to green-ripe fruit, early-maturing varieties need 85-110 days, mid-maturing varieties 100-120 days, and late-maturing varieties 120-150 days. During fruit development there are two obvious peaks of fruit drop: the first at about two weeks after flowering, mainly small fruits that were poorly fertilized turning yellow and dropping, with a relatively large amount of fruit drop; the second at 4-7 weeks after flowering, where apart from a small portion being poorly developed malformed or aborted fruits, more are caused by insufficient nutrients and water. After 2.5 months post-flowering, physiological fruit drop rarely occurs again; by 80-85 days, only wind damage, fruit cracking, or pests and diseases cause fruit drop. The fruit harvest period is from May to July, varying by variety and region.
Where do apples grow?
A total of 25 provinces in China produce apples, and by regional distribution they are mainly concentrated in three major production areas: the Bohai Bay, the northwestern Loess Plateau, and the old course of the Yellow River. The Bohai Bay area (including Shandong, Hebei, and Liaoning) accounts for 44% and 49% of the national total area and output; the northwestern plateau area (Shaanxi, Gansu, and Shanxi) accounts for 34% and 31%; the old course of the Yellow River area (Henan, Jiangsu, and Anhui) accounts for 13% and 16%; the southwestern highlands account for 4% and 1%; and other areas account for 15% and 3%.
The growth process of apples
1. Select high-quality apple saplings for planting and grafting.
Generally, planted saplings must grow for 4-5 years before they grow up and bear fruit. It truly makes one wait a long time. In between, there are annual tasks such as pruning, fertilizing, spraying, and irrigation, none of which can be omitted.
2. The saplings formally flower and bear fruit after about 5 years.
The apple flowering period varies greatly depending on the climate in each place; in Shaanxi it is basically between April and May. One always assumes that after flowering comes fruiting, but in reality farmers still have many things to busy themselves with. After the flowers have fully opened, a round of manual flower thinning must be carried out.
3. Patiently wait for the fruit to set.
After the petals fall, the fruit grows day by day. After the fruit has formed, another round of thinning is needed to remove excess and small fruits. This also reduces the burden on the tree itself, so that it does not bear too much this year and bear no fruit next year.
4. When the fruits have grown to about the size of jujubes, another busy period begins. The apples are bagged.
5. October is the apple harvest period.
Where do bananas grow?
1. Bananas originated in tropical and subtropical regions and like high temperatures and are intolerant of frost. Throughout the entire growth and development period, the temperature is required to be above 24°C, not exceeding 35°C in summer, and not lower than 15°C in winter.
2. The banana is the fruit of the plant Ganjao of the Musaceae family. It originated in southeastern Asia.
3. In China, it is also cultivated in Taiwan, China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou, with the most in Taiwan, China and Guangdong.
4. Many people think bananas grow on trees; the banana is actually a corm-like stem of a plant called the banana tree. Its peel contains a large amount of vitamin B, but nowadays people often peel off the banana skin and eat the starch mixture inside, which actually has little nutritional value; this is a complete waste. The vast majority of banana trees grow on the excrement of mammals, have a low demand for temperature, and are extremely dependent on flies to help with pollination.
The growth process of bananas
1. Plant the small saplings; after fifteen days the banana has grown to a small size. This is the banana in its childhood.
2. Bathed in the sun, the small banana grows very fast; in about 20 days it has grown to its present appearance, 1.5 tall. This is the banana in its adolescence.
3. When it has grown to about 2.5 m, the banana has reached youth; it is easy to manage, as long as there is water nearby.
4. When it grows to ten meters tall, it has reached its young adult stage.
5. When the early-stage flower bud of the banana grows out, the banana has reached middle age.
6. After a month, the flower bud has fallen off and the banana has taken initial shape; if this bunch grows fully, it weighs 60-100 jin. Of course, the stalk in the middle can also be sold at any time.