MY EXPERIENCE IN IMPROVING FRUIT WEIGHT OF DURIAN
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Durio zibethinus
FAMILY: Bombacaceae
My durian orchard is situated in Klang district, Rayong Province. In 20 acres of sandy soil, I planted 800 durian trees, half of which are bearing trees and the other 400 are young trees. They are Chanee, Monthong and Kob varieties.
Durians are sold on weight basis. It is anticipated that better fruit weight could be obtained if uniformity of fruit size could be regulated.
To produce uniform fruit size, the following steps should be undertaken. The orchard is inspected closely when durian fruits are smaller than betelnut size. Only the majority group with one uniform size will be retained on the tree while the rest are removed. The orchard is then irrigated through sprinkler system with the allocated quantity just enough for fruit development. Over-application of water will cause young leaf flush which is detrimental to the crop. After 2-3 irrigation applications, abrupt growth of fruit will be observed.
Trees without fruit thinning tend to produce fruits of 3 different sizes in the proportions of 20% large, 40% medium and 40% small with the average fruit weight of 1.5 kilograms.
Trees which have undergone fruit thinning, seem to produce uniform medium-sized fruits with an average weight of 2.7 kilograms. The fruit must be harvested at full maturity to ensure the highest quality of the product. After any significant rain occurrence, fruits should not be picked until 48 hours later to avoid wet core problem.
NOTE: The above article on Durian was obtained by Mr. John Marshall during the 1985 S.E. Asia Fruit Tour to Bangkok.
DATE: March 1987
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
