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VOL. 6, ISSUE 3 (2021)
Phenology of Gymnacranthera canarica (King) warb in the Myristica swamps of Southern Western Ghats
Authors
S Anusha, C Anilkumar, A Gangaprasad
Abstract
Gymnacranthera canarica is a dioecious habitat-specific species restricted to the critically endangered freshwater Myristica swamps of the Western Ghats, India. Phenology and phenotypic variations of this wild nutmeg fruits and seeds along with the morphology and moisture content of different developmental stages were documented. For phenology studies, individual trees were tagged and their vegetative and reproductive phases have been monitored from 2018 -2020. The leafing phenophase – simultaneous flushing and leaf fall before the onset of rain makes G. canarica trees appear to be always leafy. Leafing, flowering, and fruiting phenophases were significantly seasonal and fruiting phenophase occurs in the months of high relative humidity (April – September). Fruit maturation occurs at the end of August and fruit falls during the first two weeks of September. High synchrony index was found in flowering, fruiting, and leafing phenophases among the population. G. canarica fruits (17.88 ± 0.16g) are large and major portion is constituted by the the rind (13.62 ± 0.14g). Single seed weighs 4.18± 0.03g with the least weighing portion represented by that of the aril (0.63 ± 0.05g). There was a significant (P˂0.001) variation among fruit and seed traits among all developmental stages of fruit. Highest coefficient of variation was recorded for aril weight (98%) being ranged 0.13 to 0.61g. However, there were significant (P˂0.001) and strong positive correlations between fruit weight and rind weight (r = 0.994) and seed weight and seed length (r = 0.964). There was an overall loss in seed moisture content, dropped from 8.15% by 30 DAF to 28.41% by 180 DAF with 41% coefficient of variation. The linear multiple regression model analysis indicated that seed weight, length, and width had a considerable effect on seed moisture content.
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Pages:489-498
How to cite this article:
S Anusha, C Anilkumar, A Gangaprasad "Phenology of <em>Gymnacranthera canarica</em> (King) warb in the <em>Myristica</em> swamps of Southern Western Ghats ". International Journal of Botany Studies, Vol 6, Issue 3, 2021, Pages 489-498
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