LENTICEL HYPERTROPHY OF FLOODED MANGO TREES

One-year-old potted `Peach' mango (Mangifera indica L.) trees were flooded at soil temperatures of 15, 22.5 or 30°C. Hypertrophied lenticels were observed after 5-6 days at 30°C and 6-8 days at 22.5°C, but were not observed after 30 days at 15°C. Cells of hypertrophied lenticels were more spherical and randomly arranged than those of nonhypertrophied lenticels, resulting in increased intercellular airspace. Lenticel hypertrophy also occurred on sterns of trees which were kept moist from intermittant misting, and on excised and intact stem sections. Therefore, formation of hypertrophied lenticels in mango occurs independently of root anaerobiosis and is dependent on floodwater temperature.