Effects of defoliation on flower development in atemoya custard apple ('Annona cherimola' Mill. x 'A. squamosa' L.) and implications for flower-development modelling

The effects of different levels of carbon limitation on the flower development of custard apple were studied in two defoliation experiments. The duration of flower development was unaffected by moderate carbon limitation, but increased with severe limitation. Both moderate and severe limitation caused a decrease in flower dry weight. Some of the data collected were combined with data from an earlier study to develop a model of the dependency of the duration of flower development on temperature. The model was applied to long-term weather records from Alstonville, northern New South Wales, to illustrate the effects of late 20th century warming on the duration of flower development.