Understanding the reproductive biology of Terminalia ferdinandiana for improved fruit yields
Julian Gorman
A C , Hanna Markones A and Michael John Lawes B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, NT 0909, Australia.
B School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu–Natal, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
C Corresponding author. Email: julian.gorman@cdu.edu.au
Australian Journal of Botany 67(8) 630-637 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT19127
Submitted: 24 July 2019 Accepted: 3 February 2020 Published: 3 March 2020
Abstract
Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell., also known as the Kakadu plum, is an important food plant endemic to northern Australia. The fruit has substantial commercial demand as it contains sought-after antioxidants and the greatest concentration of ascorbic acid of any fruit known worldwide. Better knowledge of its reproductive biology is required to increase fruit production from wild stands and sustain commercial demand. Experiments demonstrate that T. ferdinandiana is andromonoecious and self-incompatible, relying on cross-pollination for successful fruit production. Wild stocks of this species are pollen limited, likely caused by pollinator satiation in dense, synchronously flowering stands. These findings indicate that enhanced fruit production requires supplementation of suitable pollinators in wild stands.
Additional keywords: andromonoecy, fruit yields, Kakadu plum, pollen limitation, pollinator satiation, self-incompatibility.
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