Candlenut （Aleurites moluccana） is an important woody oil plant in the tropi-cal and subtropical regions. In the present study, characteristics of fruit development and changes of kernel components in candl...Candlenut （Aleurites moluccana） is an important woody oil plant in the tropi-cal and subtropical regions. In the present study, characteristics of fruit development and changes of kernel components in candlenut during its fruiting season were investigated. It indicate that in southern China the growth and development period of candlenut fruit is from March to September. The period of rapid fruit growth occurs in late March to mid-May. Proteins and fats of mature nuts are accumulated in a critical period during the mid to late fruit development cycle. The optimal period for harvest is mid-August to late September. During fruit development, seed moisture content showed a trend of gradual decrease; it dropped from the initial 96.1% at the early stages of development to 16.9% at maturity. Sol-uble protein and sugar content showed a gradual increase during the initial and mid devel-opment period; it peaked in July and then decreased gradually. Starch content showed a rapid increase and accumulation during the initial and mid development period; it peaked in June, and then rapidly dropped. However, fat content increased continuously as the fruit developed and matured, and the maximum rate of lipid accumulation occurred in the mid-dle stage of fruit development. The preliminary conclusion of this study laid a foundation for making full use of candlenut fruit, especially as biofuels.展开更多
文摘Candlenut （Aleurites moluccana） is an important woody oil plant in the tropi-cal and subtropical regions. In the present study, characteristics of fruit development and changes of kernel components in candlenut during its fruiting season were investigated. It indicate that in southern China the growth and development period of candlenut fruit is from March to September. The period of rapid fruit growth occurs in late March to mid-May. Proteins and fats of mature nuts are accumulated in a critical period during the mid to late fruit development cycle. The optimal period for harvest is mid-August to late September. During fruit development, seed moisture content showed a trend of gradual decrease; it dropped from the initial 96.1% at the early stages of development to 16.9% at maturity. Sol-uble protein and sugar content showed a gradual increase during the initial and mid devel-opment period; it peaked in July and then decreased gradually. Starch content showed a rapid increase and accumulation during the initial and mid development period; it peaked in June, and then rapidly dropped. However, fat content increased continuously as the fruit developed and matured, and the maximum rate of lipid accumulation occurred in the mid-dle stage of fruit development. The preliminary conclusion of this study laid a foundation for making full use of candlenut fruit, especially as biofuels.
