Crop production: Non-structural Carbohydrates

Abstract

This chapter examines the roles of non-structural carbohydrates in mango tree reproductive development and their impact on fruit yield. It highlights how fruit development, as strong sinks, relies on sugars from both photosynthesis and remobilized starch reserves, particularly under high crop loads. The chapter explores how competition among sinks, such as individual panicles and fruit, impacts starch reserves and vegetative growth. It highlights how heavy flowering and fruiting can deplete these reserves, weakening vegetative growth and potentially leading to inter-seasonal erratic production patterns. Susceptibility to these issues varies among cultivars, reflecting a genetic component in the balance between vegetative and reproductive growth. The chapter also discusses sugar signalling and its interactions with phytohormones during key reproductive stages, including flowering, fruit set, growth and ripening. Finally, management strategies are presented to help optimize sugar synthesis and allocation, aiming to balance vegetative growth and fruiting for sustained high productivity.