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Performance evaluation of seventeen common fig (Ficus carica L.) cultivars introduced to a tropical climate

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Abstract

Common fig (Ficus carica L.), an economically-important fruit species widely cultivated in the Mediterranean Basin, is gaining increasing interest in the tropical and subtropical regions. A vast genetic diversity of common fig is available; however, systematic studies of cultivar performance in a particular new environment are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of 17 common fig cultivars grown under the Malaysian tropical climate. Evaluation was based on 15 parameters relevant to fruit yield, fruit quality and pest susceptibility. The results showed variable performance among the cultivars tested; 10 cultivars performed well for orchard establishment. Cultivar ‘A134’ produced the highest fruit yield per plant (3410 g) compared to the average yield of the cultivars studied (2500 g). Cultivars ‘Fen Chan Huang’ and ‘Wuhan’ produced the highest number of fruits per plant, 119 and 82 fruits, respectively. Mealybug infestation and ostiole-end splitting are major limitations to fig cultivation in Malaysia. Cultivar ‘Longue d’Aout’ was the most susceptible to mealybug infestation; whereas cultivar ‘B110’ was the most resistant. Above 60% of the fruits of cvs. ‘Brunswick’ and ‘Qing Pi’ had split ostiole; however, this was less than 20% in cvs. ‘Longue d’Aout’ and ‘Alma’. This study facilitates successful farming of figs in Malaysia and provides insights for future development programs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thanked University Kebangsaan, Malaysia (UKM) for providing research facilities and fund. This study would not have been possible without the cooperation of the staff and practical students of Living lives and future crop centre, UKM. This project is financed under Grant FRGS/1/2019/TK02/UKM/01/2 and the Dean’s Foundation of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China (BZ201902).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Malaysia

    M. Moniruzzaman, Nurina Anuar & Zahira Yaakob

  2. Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    M. Moniruzzaman

  3. Departments of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, 1706, Bangladesh

    A. K. M. Aminul Islam

  4. Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Hassa, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    J. M. Al-Khayri

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  1. M. Moniruzzaman
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  2. Nurina Anuar
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  3. Zahira Yaakob
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  4. A. K. M. Aminul Islam
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  5. J. M. Al-Khayri
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Contributions

M. Moniruzzaman, Zahira Yaakob, A. K. M. Aminul Islam designed the experiment. M. Moniruzzaman performed the experiments and drafted the manuscript. M. Moniruzzaman, Nurina Anuar, J.M. Al-Khayri finalized the manuscript. All authors agreed on final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Zahira Yaakob.

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Communicated by Ikjo Chun.

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Moniruzzaman, M., Anuar, N., Yaakob, Z. et al. Performance evaluation of seventeen common fig (Ficus carica L.) cultivars introduced to a tropical climate. Hortic. Environ. Biotechnol. 61, 795–806 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-020-00259-1

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