Fruiting phenology and fruit set of carob, Ceratonia siliqua L (Cesalpinaceae)

The fruiting phenology of two female and two hermaphroditic carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) cultivars was studied in NE Spain. After flower pollination (September-November), fruit growth followed a sigmoidal curve, with an initial period of slow growth (December-March), a period of linear growth (April-June), and a final period of slow growth and maturation (June-August). Shedding of flowers and young fruits was high in October-December, and slowed down in January-February. Then, fruit drop again increased until May, and from June to August fruit shedding was almost nil. Fruit initiation was 12.6-35.0%, and fruit shedding was high (79.2-90.2% of the fruits initiated dropped before maturity). In the two female cultivars, larger inflorescences had higher rates of fruit initiation, fruit set, and seed set per flower than smaller inflorescences.