Growth Kinetics of Vegetative and Reproductive Organs of Guava ( Psidium guajava L.) in Iguala Guerrero, Mexico

Abstract

In the Mexican tropics the guava trees can grow and produce in any season, so they can be harvested out of the period of high competition marketing (Summer). It studied the growth kinetics of leaves and fruits of guava trees at the dry tropical conditions of the State of Guerrero, in guava trees of four years old and was evaluated a non-destructive method for measuring leaf area from November to May. 100 sheets of 10 randomly selected trees were cut. It was found that leaf length X the width X 0.72581647 (conversion factor) gave an estimated leaf area which was significantly correlated with that obtained by the integrator of leaf area. Both in length and width the leaf growth kinetics were sigmoid with three growth stages: In Stage I (15 days) leaves grew 21.2% and 21.5%; in Stage II (26 days) grew 73.6% and 68%; and in Stage III (30 days). They Increased 5.2% and 10.5% in the primary and secondary sprouts. The fruit growth in its equatorial and polar diameters corresponded to a double sigmoid kinetics. In Stage I (61 days) it reached 1.9 and 2.3 cm; in Stage II (62 - 102 days) it reached 3.09 and 3.62 cm; and in Stage III (103 to 126 days) it reached 4.63 and 5.13 cm, as well as the physiological maturity of fruit.