The performance of acerola (Malpighia punicifolia L.) was studied for 7 years at Castañer, located in the centre of the Coffee Region of Puerto Rico. The acerola plants were raised from seed of clone B-17. They were planted in the field in an Alonso clay soil with a pH of about 5.0. To avoid soil erosion the planting was not cultivated. However, the other cultural practices such as cutting of weeds, application of fertilizer, and so on were properly attended. The acerola trees showed great variability as to height, diameter of canopy, number and thickness of scaffold limbs, length of primary lateral branches, and number of spurs. The acerola trees started bearing well when about 3 years old. The crop was harvested from April to November, with peak production in August. The acerola trees showed great variability as to fruit yield. Over a 3-year period their average annual fruit yield varied from 205.2 to 481.1 ounces. The trees also showed great variability as to the average diameter and weight of their fruits. However, the diameter and weight of fruits harvested from the same tree on different dates did not vary much. The acerola trees displayed great variability as to vitamin C contents of their fruits. Fully ripe fruits generally had lower vitamin C contents than the partly ripe fruits from the same tree. The acerola fruits were utilized for preparing juice and jelly on a home scale. Many persons liked to eat fruits fresh, especially those of large size and lower acidity. There was no serious incidence of diseases and insect pests in the acerola planting. The present study indicates that acerola can be commercially grown in the Coffee Region of Puerto Rico, provided the fruits can be sold to some canning or other processing concern.
Seed lots from five individual tree selections of Puerto Rican coffee, Coffea arabica L., were irradiated with gamma-ray doses of 1,000 to 50,000 r, and neutron doses of 1 to 5 hours. Gamma-ray doses of 1,000 to 7,000 r raised the germination percentages of many of the seed lots and reduced those of others. Gamma-ray doses of 8,000 to 20,000 r reduced the germination percentages of all the seed lots approximately in direct proportion to the strength of the dose. Gamma-ray doses higher than 20,000 r completely inhibited the seed germination of all the seed lots. One of the seed lots had a 3-percent germination when treated with a neutron dose of 1 hour. All the other seed lots treated with neutrons failed to germinate. Gamma-ray doses of 1,000 to 5,000 r raised, and the higher doses lowered the average heights of the seedlings from the seed lots of Puerto Rican coffee selection 268. However, the radiations reduced the average heights of the seedlings from the seed lots of all other coffee selections in approximately direct proportion to the strength of the dose. Many seedlings from irradiated seed had abnormal leaves, branches, internodes, and so on. The frequency of abnormal plants and the degree of abnormality generally increased as the strength of the radiation dose increased.
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