Abstract:
Five large branches of a Cassia grandis tree were deflowered in its
flowering year; the consequence was that 10-20 percent of the floweringfruiting
capacity of the tree's crown was offset by one year from the
tree's normal biennial flower ing/fruiting cycle. During the following
five years, the sexual cycling of the five experimental branches returned
to synchrony with the remainder of the tree. Resynchronization
occurred through the process of the 5 branches gradually decreasing
their fruit num bers in the tree's non-fruiting years and gradually
increasing their fruit numbers in the tree's fruting years. This suggests
both independence of sexual behavior by branches and sensitivity of
branches to the ho rmonal cueing of the tree as a qhole. In Cassia
grandis, selection for strong intra-crown sexual synchrony among years
is probably based on decreased seed predation by bruchid beetles when
the tree lack.s a seed crop every other year.
