The effect of excluding insect pollinators on seediness of Imperial mandarin fruits

Abstract

The effect of caging trees to exclude insect visitors on the fruit density, seediness, and quality of Imperial mandarin in north-western Victoria was investigated during 1990-91.The major effect of caging was a reduction in fruit seediness, with open trees having 5-16% of fruit seedless and caged trees 80-95%. The number of seeds per fruit ranged from 0-18 and 0-5 for open and caged trees, respectively. Caging trees had no effect on mean fruit density, mean fruit weight, fruit juiciness, soluble solids and percentage citric acid. These results provided further evidence for parthenocarpic fruit development by Imperial mandarin.