Causes of Fruit Cracking in Jackfruit and Detailed Prevention Measures

Jackfruit is a tropical fruit. Its appearance is similar to durian, but the flesh is completely different, and its weight far exceeds that of durian. It is the heaviest fruit in the world, generally weighing 5-20 kg. Its fruit is highly prone to cracking when ripe, which is a common physiological disorder of jackfruit. So what causes the fruit cracking? How can it be prevented? Let's take a detailed look together.

1. Causes of fruit cracking

Jackfruit cracking is mainly due to the fruit being too large. When the fruit swells and ripens, the rind is relatively thin and lacks toughness. At this time, the temperature is sometimes high with frequent rain, which very easily leads to fruit cracking. Another cause is rain after a long drought or sudden clearing after prolonged rain. When the fruit is rapidly expanding, watering should be controlled. If too much water is applied, the fruit expands too quickly, and the rind cannot withstand it, causing cracking. In the early growth stage, if the climate and soil are too dry and the plant lacks water, sudden rainfall after fruit set can also cause fruit cracking. Conversely, in the early growth stage during a long rainy season, then sudden clearing will also cause fruit cracking. These two phenomena mainly occur in summer, when high temperatures and frequent rain make the climate highly variable. Another cause is fruit cracking caused by a deficiency of calcium or other trace elements.

2. Symptoms

Fruit cracking generally appears as longitudinal splitting, with a few cases of transverse splitting. After the fruit cracks, the yellow-white flesh inside is exposed. After some time, pathogens invade through the crack, and black mold-like growth appears on the flesh, until it turns black and rots.

3. Prevention measures

Targeted control should be carried out according to the various causes of fruit cracking. During the young fruit stage, increase the application of fruit-strengthening fertilizer, mainly organic fertilizer combined with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers, and increase the application of potassium, calcium, and magnesium fertilizers. In addition, soil that is too compacted or dry will affect the roots' absorption of nutrients, so fertilization can be combined with plowing. Deep plow the orchard soil to loosen it, allow the roots to spread, and improve their absorptive capacity. When the soil is deficient in calcium, apply an additional 50 kg of quicklime per mu to maintain the soil's calcium content, and foliar spraying of 0.5% calcium chloride is even more effective.

For rain after a long drought or sudden clearing after prolonged rain, preventive measures should be taken. During a long drought, water the orchard in time to avoid rapid fruit expansion and cracking caused by soil rainfall. Likewise, during prolonged rain, take good drainage and waterlogging prevention measures to avoid excessive water accumulation causing root suffocation or affecting the roots' absorption of nutrients and calcium, thereby preventing fruit cracking.

The above are the causes of jackfruit cracking and prevention measures. We hope this helps you. To learn more about jackfruit cultivation, please stay tuned to us.