The artificial flowering induction in mango tree is the most important crop management in mango orchards and requires greater attention from growers. The management involves three steps: stoppage of plant growth, branch maturation and flowering induction with nitrates. The first stage starts with the application of paclobutrazol to the soil. However, problems with the use of excessive concentrations are common and lead to the accumulation of residues in the soil. In addition, the use of paclobutrazol is not allowed in organic agriculture. Therefore, this review article aimed to compile information about the updates and efforts to solve these problems in conventional mango crops, as well as identify alternatives for its organic management. In conventional orchards, the application of fulvic acids in association with paclobutrazol, as an alternative to the single use of paclobutrazol, was identified as a way to improve the absorption of the product by plants and, consequently, reduce the concentrations and residues in the soil. Researches involving pruning, girdling, fertilization and irrigation should be developed as an alternative to the use of paclobutrazol for the organic crop system of mango cultivars in tropical and subtropical regions.

Global mango production generates significant agricultural and industrial waste, including non-standard fruits and peels. Herein, flours obtained from the immature fruits of four mango cultivars (Haden, Keitt, Parwin, and Tommy Atkins) were characterized for their physicochemical properties with the goal of valorization as an ingredient in functional food products. Regardless of cultivar, the peel flours represented excellent sources of fiber, with notable calcium, magnesium, manganese, carotenoids, and antioxidant contents as well as high percentage of large particles and good water retention capacity. Pulp flours exhibit high starch content, light color, and fine granulometry. The mango cultivars strongly interfered with the differentiation of the mango peel and pulp flours. The results presented herein show that understanding the characteristics of flours obtained by processing different parts of the fruits of various cultivars can produce composite mango flours with different nutritional and technological properties, expanding their possible uses in food products and driving sustainable agricultural production in terms of efficient crop waste management.

Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit. Nonetheless, a great part of the production is lost, mainly for insect and disease incidences. Thus, cover developing banana bunches is a promising physical protection method that will improve the visual quality of the fruits, especially the rapidly growing consumer demand for healthy fruits. In fact, bags serve as protective barrier, allowing the production of free fruit damage; consequently, lowering production costs by cutting crop losses, as well as avoiding chemical materials. There is a wide variety of bag types and colours, but also, there is a scarce literature on their efficiency. This study hence aimed to evaluate the influence of coloured polyethylene bags on yield, seasonality and plant health of the ‘BRS Conquista’ bananas in subtropical high-altitude growing conditions. Treatments therefore consisted of using white, black, red and blue polyethylene bags, besides control (uncovered). Then, bags were randomly distributed in five blocks, four plants per plot. After bunch harvest, the following evaluation were proceeded: agronomic yield, the interval between bunches cover and harvest, injuries caused by thrips and the incidence of anthracnose. Results indicated that banana bunch coverings did not interfere in bunch yield. Nevertheless, white and black bags reduced the interval between bunch covers and harvest, that is, 114 and 115 days, respectively. Furthermore, white and red bags reduced the damage caused by thrips in fruits; while white, red and blue bags decreased the anthracnose incidence. This study therefore recommends the use of white polyethylene bags to cover banana bunches of the cultivar BRS Conquista, since this bag colour showed highly efficiency in controlling thrips and anthracnose incidence, besides reducing the interval between bunch cover and harvest.

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o uso de diferentes substratos no enraizamento ex vitro de microestacas de framboeseira ‘Fall Gold’. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, com três níveis para o fator substrato (vermiculita+fibra de coco, na proporção 1:1; resíduo de uva S10-Beifort® e casca de arroz carbonizada). Após 60 dias foram avaliadas: porcentagem de sobrevivência de microestacas, comprimento da parte aérea (cm), número de raízes, comprimento da maior raiz (cm), massa de matéria fresca e massa de matéria seca da parte aérea e da raiz (g). Para a porcentagem de sobrevivência, comprimento da parte aérea, comprimento da maior raiz, massa de matéria seca da parte aérea e da raiz, não houve diferença significativa entre o S10-Beifort® e a vermiculita+fibra de coco. Porém, ambos os tratamentos diferiram estatisticamente da casca de arroz carbozinada, que apresentou as menores médias. Conclui-se que para o enraizamento de microesatacas de framboeseira ‘Fall Gold’, o uso do substrato S10-Beifort® ou da mistura de vermiculita+fibra de coco são adequados.

Aim of study: To address diversification of citrus cultivars to increase the variety and profitability of orchards to adapt them to environmental changes. Area of study: State of São Paulo, a subtropical region of southeastern Brazil. Material and methods: The study evaluated the phenological intervals, thermal sum, vegetative and productive performance, and fruit quality of the sweet orange cultivars ‘Rubi’ (R), ‘Lue Gin Gong’ (LGG) and ‘Valencia Delta Seedless’ (VDS) grafted onto 'Rangpur' lime (RL) and 'Swingle' citrumelo (SC). The field experiment was conducted over consecutive growing seasons 2018-2021. Main results: The duration of the phenological intervals was little influenced by the rootstocks. The harvest time was approximately 245 days after anthesis (DAA) for R, 402 DAA for LGG, and 407 DAA for VDS, regardless of rootstock. Scion cultivars grafted onto RL showed larger canopy volumes and greater weight, length, and diameter of fruits than those of SC trees, and the combinations with SC were more productively efficient than RL due to lower canopy volume. The R scion cultivar presented superior yield performance and fruit colouration than LGG and VDS. The physicochemical quality of the fruits showed improved results with the combinations of LGG/RL, LGG/SC, VDS/RL, and VDS/SC. Research highlights: These results may be useful when planning the diversification of scion/rootstock combinations for new orchards, identifying dual-market orange cultivars for industrial processing and natural consumption, and determining the combinations that are better adapted to undesirable climatic conditions.