Influence of Seasonality in the Production and Quality of Annona squamosa L. Fruit of Different Sizes

Abstract

<jats:p>Sugar apple fruit are widely appreciated because of their flavor and functional qualities. However, the final value of the fruit varies according to its physical, physicochemical, and organoleptic qualities. The production and attributes that make up the quality of fruit can be influenced by climatic seasonality in both seasons (dry and wet). Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate whether the production and quality of fruit production of different size classes of <jats:italic>A. squamosa</jats:italic> L. in two seasons are affected by climatic seasonality. The experiment consisted of a randomized block design, with 4 blocks and 10 plants per block. The variables evaluated were number of fruit per hectare, production, and yield. The postharvest evaluation of the fruit consisted of a completely randomized experimental design, in a 3 × 2 factorial scheme, which referred to the three sizes and two seasons, and evaluated fruit length and diameter; firmness; fruit, bark, and seed weight; number of seeds; soluble solids; hydrogen ionic potential (pH); titratable acidity (TA); and ratio. The 2014 season had larger fruit in relation to those of the 2015 season; conversely, it showed a lower number of fruit per plant, production, and yield, besides inferior organoleptic quality. Fruit of size class 2 stood out in the 2014 season because of their physical characteristics. However, they had inferior organoleptic quality when compared with fruit of the same size collected during the 2015 season. Fruit of size class 3 (≥8.1 cm) had greater firmness, providing longer durability and shelf life.</jats:p>

‘LeahReese’: A New Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa L.) Cultivar

“…Mean fruit mass was 638.73 g, peel mass was 282.14 g, and seed mass was 39.30 g, with a mean of 90 seeds. Compared with other sugar apples, 'LeahReese' is generally larger (Crane et al, 2016;Moura et al, 2019Moura et al, , 2021Neto et al, 2010;Pinto et al, 2005;Silva et al, 2007). The fruit has an mean of 50.43% pulp, 25.48 Brix, a pH of 5.01, an acidity of 0.228 g citric acid/40 g of pulp, and a Brix-to-acid ratio of 119.04 (Table 1).…”

“…Without hand-pollination, fruit set of 'LeahReese' is usually less than 0.1% (Crane, 2018). Furthermore, incomplete pollination results in asymmetric tuberculate fruit, which is of limited marketability (Lau et al, 2017;Moura et al, 2019). Therefore, during the late-Aprilthrough-June flowering period in 2017 and 2018, 'LeahReese' flowers were hand-pollinated during the morning.…”

Determining the preliminary performance of selected Annonaceae cultivars in subtropical conditions

“…However, despite their easy adaptation to climatic conditions, species and cultivars show variations in their phenological phases due to climate differences (Moura et al, 2020; Alves Rodrigues et al 2018;Liu et al 2015;Mendes et al 2017;Moura et al, 2019a;Pereira et al, 2014a). These seasonal variations influence each species, genotype, and cultivar even among orchards of differing production regions e.g., Florida in contrast to Ecuador (Camargo et al, 2011;Moura et al, 2020Moura et al, , 2019bOlesen & Muldoon 2012;Oliveira et al, 2018;Rivero et al, 2017).…”

“…Both sugar-apples and atemoyas have excellent physicochemical qualities, with changes in chemical composition during fruit ripening (Moura et al, 2021(Moura et al, , 2019bSantos et al, 2016), which makes their taste and aroma more pleasant. The value of annona varies according to the internal and external quality of the fruits.…”

“…The value of annona varies according to the internal and external quality of the fruits. Fruit quality characteristics such as taste and odor, texture, nutritional value, size, symmetry, mass, color, firmness, sweetness, acidity, physical and physiological defects among others are influenced by the long-and short-term environmental conditions of the orchard (Moura et al 2021;Moura et al 2019b), therefore, the phenological knowledge of cultivars is extremely important.…”