FRUITS In botanical terms, “a fruit is a reproductive structure of an angiosperm which develops from the ovary and accessory tissue, which surrounds and protects the seed.” In other words, are the means by which many plants disseminate seeds. Botanically, oranges and apples are fruits, but so are “vegetables,” like tomatoes and cucumbers. Olives, too, are classed as fruits, and so olive oil is nothing but a fruit juice. fruits Structure of a fruit A fruit primarily contains two parts: the , i.e. the outer wall of the ovary made up of three layers: exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp; pericarp the (s), in the pericarp. However, some fruits are seedless and are produced without fertilisation (parthenocarpy): e.g. banana. seed embedded Classifications of fruits There are many ways to classify fruits. Botany defines as: – only those that develop from a following fertilisation; – those whose development not only involves the ovary but also the other parts of the flower ( perianth, thalamus, inflorescence, or calyx). true fruits gynoecium false fruits 1 receptacle, According to the Indicative Crop Classification by FAO (see beginning of the unit). Into three categories: – based on seven taxa (kingdom, division, class, order, family, genus, and species); – fruit crops, vegetable crops, commercial crops, etc.; – based on growth habits (trees, herbaceous, shrubs), life cycle (annuals, perennials), origin of fruit (true, false, parthenocarpy fruit), mode of pollination (self-pollinated, cross pollinated), etc. scientific: economical: operational: Based on the number of ovaries and flowers involved in the fruit formation: – develop from a single ovary of one or more and, depending on their pericarp, are further divided into: dry fruits (e.g. walnut, hazelnut), and fleshy fruits (e.g. citrus, berries); – develop from multiple ovaries of the same flower that produces many tiny fruits tightly together. Examples are raspberries, blackberries and strawberries; – are formed from the fusion of the ovaries of many different flowers which develop closely together to form one bigger fruit. They can include pineapples, figs, and pomes. Simple fruits carpels drupes, pomes, 1 Aggregate fruits clustered Multiple fruits mulberries DO Can you find some examples of false fruits? 1 MORE The main difference between these two plant categories lies in the type of fruit they produce. Only drupe fruits produce a real fruit equipped with a skin, pulp, and stone, which encloses seeds inside. Pome fruits, on the other hand, produce pomes, known as false fruits. 1 Orchard planting Planting fruit-bearing trees requires careful study of various factors: it is important to choose the fruit trees which are best-suited to an area, especially old, local varieties; climate: sun exposure affects the rate of ripening and harvest quality; sunlight: if planted in poorly drained soil, the roots of fruit trees will rot, obstructing growth and development. Loam soils can be ideal, as they drain quickly. It is also important to avoid planting fruit trees in dense clay soil, which prevents roots from properly soil: soggy, taking hold; a common rule is to fertilise before the buds break. fertilisers: