Content

Tropical and Subtropical Fruits

Course Name Tropical and Subtropical Fruits

Lesson 17 Production Technology of Fig
Course Revisor Name MANOJ KUNDU
University/College Name Bihar Agricultural University, Bhagalpur
Course Reviewer Name Jitendra Singh
University/College Name Agriculture University Kota, Kota

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Learning Objective:
 To learn about fig crop in details
 To receive a basic knowledge about the commercial production
technique of fig

Introduction
 Fig (Ficus carica), belongs to the family Moraceae, was originated from
Eastern Mediterranean region, having chromosome number 2n=2x=26.
 Fig is a gynodioecious species and some female type’s need pollination
while others set fruits parthenocarpically.
 Pollination is effected by a wasp, which develops inside the syconium
of male fig. This symbiotic relationship is a classic case of co-evolution
between a plant and insect.
 The fruit type of fig is multiple fruit (Syconium) while edible portion is
fleshy receptacle.

Composition of the fruit:

• Nutritious fruit with high sugar and low acid content, having 84% pulp
and 16% skin
• Reach in moisture (80.8%), protein (4%), Ca (200 mg/100 g), Fe (4
mg/100 g) and Vit A (100 IU/100 g)
• Calorific value: 260, Nutritional index: 11 (apple- 9, raisin- 8, date and
pear-6).

Economic importance
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• Consumed fresh or dried, preserved, candied or canned products

• When dried and ground, it can be used as a substitute of coffee
• Its latex is used for the coagulation of milk
• It also has different medicinal properties

Classification of fig based on pollination and fruit development pattern:

Figs have been grouped into 4 types based on sex forms of the flower and
nature of pollination. The salient features of different types of fig types are
given in below-
1. Common fig: Flowers- pistillate and fruit develop parthenocarpically
(vegetative). Eg.- Kadota, Mission, Brown Turkey, Celesta, Conadria, Black
Ischia, Turkish White, Kabul, Marseilles, Puna fig, Lucknow
2. Caprifig: Most primitive cultivated type with short styled pistillate and
functional staminate flowers. Not edible but grown because they harbour
wasp (Blastophaga psenes) which is necessary for pollination and fruit setting.
Eg. Croisic (Parthenocarpic), Excelsior, Roeding No. 1
3. Smyrna fig: Fruit development takes place only after pollination with the
pollen carried from the male flowers of caprifig by wasp. Eg. Calimyrna,
Bardajik, Stanford, Taranimt, Kassaba, Tametiout, Lob Injir (parthenocarpic).
4. San pedro fig: Intermediate type in which 1st crop (Breba) is completely
parthenocarpic while 2nd crop develop only after caprification. Eg. San Pedro,
King, Gentile, Blanquette, Dauphine, Lamperia
 In India- mostly grown fig is common fig (F. carica x indigenous spp.)

Soil
• Can grow in wide range of soil with adequate water supply at fruiting
stage
• Deep, non- alkaline clay loams soil (Alluvial clay loams/ medium black
soil) is best
• Can tolerate high level of sulphate/ chloride salt but injurious to low
level of sodium carbonate

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 Tropical and Subtropical Fruits

• Soil having a high lime helps to produce fruit with better quality
suitable for drying
• In alkaline soil- tip burn and leaf fall occurs

Climatic requirement
• It is a subtropical crop.
• Dormant mature tree can tolerate -12°C but temperature as low as
1.5-4.5 °C at active growth stage is injurious
• In India, South, West and Northern states are suitable for fig
cultivation
• Best temperature- 15.5- 21°C with dry climate, particularly at fruit
developmental stage and maturation.
• High relative humidity and low temperature at maturity may cause
fruit splitting and poor quality. Eg. Fruit harvested in march-April
under Pune condition
• Temperature above 38 °C at fruit growth may cause premature
ripening

Propagation
• Hardwood cutting of 20-30 cm long, 0.5-0.7 cm thick, taken from 1-2
years old shoot is used for commercial multiplication of fig
• Treatment of cutting should be with IBA @2000-10000 ppm
• Time of propagation –January- February (North India) and Rainy season
(South India)
• Side grafting on F. glomerata is done to impart resistance against root
knot nematode
• Micropropagation using apical shoot tip culture is helpful for rapid
multiplication

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Planting
• Rooted cutting transplanted in early spring (North India) and in
monsoon (Western India) and August-September (South India)
• Spacing: In general, 8X8 m but in India planting at 5-7 m apart give
best yield; although closer planting also adapted at 2-4 m apart (poor
quality)
• Pit (60 cm3) should be prepared 1 month before planting

Training and pruning

• For training in initial year- heading back at 30-45 cm (North India) or 1-
1.5 m (Pune condition) is advisable
• Annual pruning encourage new growth of flower bearing wood and also
improve yield and quality of the crop with increased fruit size and
weight
• In North India, severe pruning is done in December leaving 3-4 buds on
shoot of previous season growth.
• In South India, heading back to about 2 buds on each shoot of previous
season growth is done in January- February.
• Notching is also practiced in fig. It is done by giving slanting cut just
above the bud to remove a slice of bark (0.5 cm wide). It is done in July
on at 8 month old shoot. It helps to activate dormant bud present below
the slanting cut of mature shoot
• Foliar spray of HCN (1.5-2.5%) advanced the date of bud burst, increase
per cent of bud burst, length of new shoot and number of leaves as well
as early harvesting

Irrigation:
 It is a drought resistant crop
 During summer, it needs watering at 10-12 days interval
• No irrigation is required at ripening as it may cause insipid fruit and also
splitting/cracking
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• Excess irrigation at fruit development stage convert the terminal bud

into vegetative growth instead of fruit development

Manuring and fertilizer application:

 The general recommendation of fertilizers are as follows-

Age of plant Organic manure Inorganic manure (g)

(years) (kg)
FYM Oil cake N P 2O 5 K2O
1-2 15.0 0.5 75 50 50
3-5 25.0 1.0-1.5 150 100 100
Above 5 40.0 2.0 300 200 200
• In young plant fertilizers should be applied during onset of monsoon
and just after pruning while in growing plant- after pruning and 2
months later (at syconia developing stage)
Pollination and fruit setting:
• In general fig is gynodioecious
• Caprifig is monocious
• Common fig produce pistillate flower while Smyrna fig produce
hermaphrodite flower
• Indian fig (common fig) need not require pollination and hence
produce fruit parthenocarpically (Vegetative parthenocarpy).
• Smyrna fig- require pollination which is mediated by fig wasp
(Blastophaga psenes).
• During winter fig wasp stay in pollen producing caprifig and in spring
the caprifig (with wasp inside) collected and placed in small bags/wire
baskets to hang in the fruiting Smyrna type trees. The emerging wasp,
covered with pollen enter the syconia of smyrna fig and pollinate the
long styled pistillate flower.

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• Different auxins like IBA, NAA, 2,4,5-T, 4-CPA can be used as the
chemical for substitution of caprification process. Among them, 4-CPA
is most effective.

Fruit growth and development: It follows double sigmoid growth curve

Bearing habit
• It produce two crops per year-
1. Breba: Borne on previous years shoot
2. Main crop: Born on current season growth

Physiological disorders
1. Sunburn:
• It is a serious problem of newly planted young plantation.
• Symptom: cracking and bark peel off, providing easy access for fungi
and other infection.
• Cause: heavy pruning resulting exposure of trunk and branches to direct
sunlight
• Control: whitewashing the exposed part
2. Fruit splitting/cracking:
• It damage the fruit completely and makes them unfit for consumption
as it invites infection of fungal organism.
• Cause- rain at ripening and nutritional deficiency (B and Ca).

Maturity indices
• Drop down or wilting of neck from stem end
• Milky latex exuding from the stem or fruit stalk become watery

Storage: Highly perishable, can store only for 7-10 days at 0°C with 85-90%
relative humidity.