Pollination and breeding of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus lam.) in South Florida

Authors

Sherine El-Sawa, Florida International University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Major/Program

Biology

First Advisor's Name

Suzanne Koptur

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Richard J. Campbell

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Co-Committee Chair

Third Advisor's Name

David Lee

Date of Defense

2-23-1998

Abstract

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is a multi-purpose fruit tree, native to tropical Asia. It was introduced to South Florida in the early 1900s but has had little commercial importance. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in jackfruit as a commercial crop in South Florida, but there has been little scientific investigation conducted. The pollination mechanism was not clearly understood. This study focused on jackfruit breeding using 'Dang Rasimi' and 'Cheena' cultivars. Controlled hand-pollinations revealed that both cultivars were not apomictic. Both cultivars set fruit with self-pollination, but seed set and many fruit characters such as size, flesh percentage and edible percentage were greatly enhanced with cross-pollination. I conclude that jackfruit are outbreeding plants. Tests for pollen dispersal by wind were inconclusive. A variety of insects were collected, but few had a role in pollination. My results suggest that jackfruit are likely to have insect-assisted wind pollination in South Florida.

Identifier

FI15101281

Recommended Citation

El-Sawa, Sherine, "Pollination and breeding of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus lam.) in South Florida" (1998). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3129.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3129