Fig
Figs have been grouped into 4 types based on sex of the flower and pollination. The salient features of the fig types are given in Table 1. Only caprifig produces pollen, while other 3 pistillate types are dependent on pollen of caprifig or develop fruits parthenocarpically. Commercially-grown Indian figs belong to ‘common’ fig group and set fruits parthenocarpically.
Climate and Soil
Fig tree is a deciduous, and subtropical. It favours areas having arid or semi-arid environment, high summer temperature, plenty of sunshine and moderate winter. The plant has better threshold limit for higher temperature than for the lower. Although plants can survive temperature as high as 45°C, the fruit quality deteriorates beyond 39°C. Mature trees can withstand temperature up to 4°C, but young ones need protection. However, deciduous nature of fig allows the plant to resist temperature as low as –10°C, when in dormancy. In mild climate, plants remain evergreen, lack well-defined flowering and fruiting season, and sometimes produce long barren limbs.
Climate has an important bearing on size, shape and colour of skin and pulp. A relatively cool climate stimulates production of larger and elongated fruits. Climatic cFig (Ficus carica) is under cultivation since ancient times. Morphologically it is called as ‘syconium’, which is a vegetative, fleshy tissue, with tiny true fruits enclosed inside. Fig is a gynodioecious species and some female types need pollination while others set fruits parthenocarpically. Pollination is effected by a wasp, which develops inside the syconium of a male fig. This symbiotic relationship is a classical case of coevolution between plant and insect. Fig fruits are often consumed as dried or canned. As a fresh fruit, it has a luscious taste. Fruits have been prized over centuries for the medicinal and dietary properties. Its cultivation is mostly confined to western parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow and Saharanpur), Karnataka (Bellary, Chitradurga and Srirangapatna) and Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore).
Fig is a highly nutritious fruit. It is rich in calories (269), proteins, and calcium (higher than milk), iron and highest fibre content. Fig has nutritive index of 11, as against 9, 8 and 6 for apple, raisin and date respectively. The chemical composition and flavour of fig varies with the cultivar. The total sugar content of fresh fig is 16% and of dried is 52%. The edible portion of dried fig (100g) supplies protein (4g), carbohydrate (69g), fat (1g), calcium (200mg), iron (4mg), Vitamin A (100iu) and thiamine (0.1mg). Fig is valued for its laxative properties and is used in the treatment of skin infection. The fruits help to maintain acid-alkali balance of the body. Latex is useful to coagulate milk.
Types of fig
onditions during fruit development considerably influence the fruit quality. Very high temperatures (> 39°C) induce premature fruit ripening. High humidity results in fruit splitting, while hot breeze during ripening leads to sweet but small fruits.
Medium to heavy, calcareous well-drained, deep (about 1m) soil having pH of 7–8 is ideally suited for fig cultivation. Although it does well even on light sandy, shallow soils, deep soils encourage better root establishment. The fruits produced on fertile, light soils are better suited for drying. The crop can tolerate drought, salts (chlorides and sulphates) but is sensitive to sodium carbonate and boron salts. In general, climate rather than soil is a limiting factor for its cultivation.
Varieties
Nearly 700 varieties of fig have been listed in the world. The most popular varieties of fig are given in Table 1. Varieties vary for vegetative vigour, pollination requirement, yield, fruit size, shape, skin colour, pulp quality and colour. Large sized figs belong to ‘common fig’ group.
Table 1. Horticultural classification of fig
Type Popular varieties Flower type Mode of pollination No. ofcrops Listed varieties Other features
Edible fig
Poona Long styled pistillate flowers Fruit develops parthenocarpically* 1 470 Seeds are hollow with-out inner kernels and the embryo. Some varieties produce a small breba or first cropin addition to main or second crop
Conardia
Mission
Kadota
Brown
Turkey
Smyrna (lop injir) Calimyrna (sari lop) Long styled pistillate flowers Female wasps emerging from the spring caprifig enter Smyrna fig for oviposition and in the process effect pollination 1 116 Originated from the caprifig. The fertile seeds contribute to the excellent fruit quality
Zidi
Taranimt
San Pedro King Long styled pisitillate flowers First (breba) crop fruit develops with -out pollination but not second (main) crop 2 21 Commercially not very important, some white, large fruited types are grown in Mediterranean countries for drying
Gentile
San Pedro
Dauphine
Lampeiria
Wild fig
Caprifig(male or goat fig) Roeding 3 Short styled pistillate flowers and functional staminate flowers near the ostiole Self-fertile (persistant) syconia 3 20 A primitive type. Fruits have almost no edible value, but serves as anabode for fig wasp and Smyrna and San Pedrofigs
Samson
Stanford
Brawley
*Rarely in some environmental complex pollination is required. Pollinated figs are large-sized with coarse pulp.
Poona fig is most popular cultivar grown in India. Bangalore, Bellary, Coimbatore, Daulatabad, Dindigul, Ganjam, Hindupur, Lucknow and Saharanpur, have clearly acquired the name from the location in which they are cultivated. Most of them resemble in plant and fruit morphology to that of Poona fig. Possibly these are either clones or ecotypes and hardly they warrant varietal status. Black Ischia, Shahi, Maisram and Brown Turkey have not achieved prominence. Dinkar, an improvement over Daultabad for yield and fruit quality, is gaining commercial significance.
Some well-known fig hybrids from Califorma have performed well in comparison to Poona fig under Banglore conditions. They produce fruits parthenocarpically. Excel and Conardia figs that develop smaller canopies are suitable for high-density planting. The fruits do not split like Poona and Conardia fig. Conardia, Excel and Deanna are good for drying, canning and table purposes respectively.
Figs have been grouped into 4 types based on sex of the flower and pollination. The salient features of the fig types are given in Table 1. Only caprifig produces pollen, while other 3 pistillate types are dependent on pollen of caprifig or develop fruits parthenocarpically. Commercially-grown Indian figs belong to ‘common’ fig group and set fruits parthenocarpically.
Climate and Soil
Fig tree is a deciduous, and subtropical. It favours areas having arid or semi-arid environment, high summer temperature, plenty of sunshine and moderate winter. The plant has better threshold limit for higher temperature than for the lower. Although plants can survive temperature as high as 45°C, the fruit quality deteriorates beyond 39°C. Mature trees can withstand temperature up to 4°C, but young ones need protection. However, deciduous nature of fig allows the plant to resist temperature as low as –10°C, when in dormancy. In mild climate, plants remain evergreen, lack well-defined flowering and fruiting season, and sometimes produce long barren limbs.
Climate has an important bearing on size, shape and colour of skin and pulp. A relatively cool climate stimulates production of larger and elongated fruits. Climatic cFig (Ficus carica) is under cultivation since ancient times. Morphologically it is called as ‘syconium’, which is a vegetative, fleshy tissue, with tiny true fruits enclosed inside. Fig is a gynodioecious species and some female types need pollination while others set fruits parthenocarpically. Pollination is effected by a wasp, which develops inside the syconium of a male fig. This symbiotic relationship is a classical case of coevolution between plant and insect. Fig fruits are often consumed as dried or canned. As a fresh fruit, it has a luscious taste. Fruits have been prized over centuries for the medicinal and dietary properties. Its cultivation is mostly confined to western parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow and Saharanpur), Karnataka (Bellary, Chitradurga and Srirangapatna) and Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore).
Fig is a highly nutritious fruit. It is rich in calories (269), proteins, and calcium (higher than milk), iron and highest fibre content. Fig has nutritive index of 11, as against 9, 8 and 6 for apple, raisin and date respectively. The chemical composition and flavour of fig varies with the cultivar. The total sugar content of fresh fig is 16% and of dried is 52%. The edible portion of dried fig (100g) supplies protein (4g), carbohydrate (69g), fat (1g), calcium (200mg), iron (4mg), Vitamin A (100iu) and thiamine (0.1mg). Fig is valued for its laxative properties and is used in the treatment of skin infection. The fruits help to maintain acid-alkali balance of the body. Latex is useful to coagulate milk.
Types of fig
onditions during fruit development considerably influence the fruit quality. Very high temperatures (> 39°C) induce premature fruit ripening. High humidity results in fruit splitting, while hot breeze during ripening leads to sweet but small fruits.
Medium to heavy, calcareous well-drained, deep (about 1m) soil having pH of 7–8 is ideally suited for fig cultivation. Although it does well even on light sandy, shallow soils, deep soils encourage better root establishment. The fruits produced on fertile, light soils are better suited for drying. The crop can tolerate drought, salts (chlorides and sulphates) but is sensitive to sodium carbonate and boron salts. In general, climate rather than soil is a limiting factor for its cultivation.
Varieties
Nearly 700 varieties of fig have been listed in the world. The most popular varieties of fig are given in Table 1. Varieties vary for vegetative vigour, pollination requirement, yield, fruit size, shape, skin colour, pulp quality and colour. Large sized figs belong to ‘common fig’ group.
Table 1. Horticultural classification of fig
Type Popular varieties Flower type Mode of pollination No. ofcrops Listed varieties Other features
Edible fig
Poona Long styled pistillate flowers Fruit develops parthenocarpically* 1 470 Seeds are hollow with-out inner kernels and the embryo. Some varieties produce a small breba or first cropin addition to main or second crop
Conardia
Mission
Kadota
Brown
Turkey
Smyrna (lop injir) Calimyrna (sari lop) Long styled pistillate flowers Female wasps emerging from the spring caprifig enter Smyrna fig for oviposition and in the process effect pollination 1 116 Originated from the caprifig. The fertile seeds contribute to the excellent fruit quality
Zidi
Taranimt
San Pedro King Long styled pisitillate flowers First (breba) crop fruit develops with -out pollination but not second (main) crop 2 21 Commercially not very important, some white, large fruited types are grown in Mediterranean countries for drying
Gentile
San Pedro
Dauphine
Lampeiria
Wild fig
Caprifig(male or goat fig) Roeding 3 Short styled pistillate flowers and functional staminate flowers near the ostiole Self-fertile (persistant) syconia 3 20 A primitive type. Fruits have almost no edible value, but serves as anabode for fig wasp and Smyrna and San Pedrofigs
Samson
Stanford
Brawley
*Rarely in some environmental complex pollination is required. Pollinated figs are large-sized with coarse pulp.
Poona fig is most popular cultivar grown in India. Bangalore, Bellary, Coimbatore, Daulatabad, Dindigul, Ganjam, Hindupur, Lucknow and Saharanpur, have clearly acquired the name from the location in which they are cultivated. Most of them resemble in plant and fruit morphology to that of Poona fig. Possibly these are either clones or ecotypes and hardly they warrant varietal status. Black Ischia, Shahi, Maisram and Brown Turkey have not achieved prominence. Dinkar, an improvement over Daultabad for yield and fruit quality, is gaining commercial significance.
Some well-known fig hybrids from Califorma have performed well in comparison to Poona fig under Banglore conditions. They produce fruits parthenocarpically. Excel and Conardia figs that develop smaller canopies are suitable for high-density planting. The fruits do not split like Poona and Conardia fig. Conardia, Excel and Deanna are good for drying, canning and table purposes respectively.
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