Quick Guide to Environmental Factors Impacting Subtropical and Tropical Fruit Crops in Florida

Introduction

Commercial tropical fruit crop acreage is expanding in Florida outside the traditional extreme south Florida and coastal counties. This largely results from the significantly warmer climate, less frequent freezing events, and less severity and duration of freezing events throughout the state, especially south-central counties. In addition, as the loss of citrus acreage continues, citrus growers and entrepreneurs are seeking alternative crops to remain in business. The successful establishment and maintenance of tropical and subtropical fruit crops in Florida depend on the crop’s tolerance to critical abiotic factors, including tolerance to flooded or waterlogged soil conditions, its ability to withstand high soil and irrigation water salinity, and its high and low temperature ranges for growth, flowering, and production. This publication aims to provide commercial growers, Extension faculty, and urban residents with a quick guide to understanding the impacts of environmental factors on subtropical and tropical fruit crops grown in Florida.

High and Low Temperature Ranges for Growth, Flowering, and Production

Selection of a fruit crop for a specific area should consider the potential high and low extreme temperatures, as well as the general mean temperatures of the area, the known ideal optimum temperatures, and the tolerance for extreme high and low temperatures of the proposed fruit crop.

The optimum growing temperature range is the range of temperatures at which a plant grows best. In many instances, these are the ideal year-round temperatures for the crop (e.g., Annona, dragonfruit, mamey sapote, and papaya). In contrast, some fruit crops (e.g., lychee, longan, and mango) have optimum vegetative growth and fruit development temperatures but optimize their flowering and fruit production only after exposure to environmental conditions that cause them to go dormant (called quiescence). Usually, exposure to cool or cold non-freezing temperatures and/or drought conditions during the fall and winter months induces quiescence.

Temperatures for Flowering

Fruit trees generally need a period of dormancy to flower and fruit successfully. Dormancy can be defined as a period of no active (visible) stem growth. Dormancy for many tropical and subtropical fruit crops occurs in response to cool temperatures (above freezing but below species or cultivar-specific thresholds). Technically, this dormancy is termed quiescence (i.e., environmentally imposed dormancy). The length of dormancy requirement varies between and within fruit crop species. For example, ‘Keitt’ and ‘Tommy Atkins’ mango trees require a longer period (two to four months) of dormancy to flower well compared to ‘Edwards’ and ‘Haden’ cultivars (approximately one to two months). Lychee, in particular, needs a long period of dormancy (two to five months) to flower and fruit well and also requires exposure to cool temperatures (upper 40s to lower 60s) just before or during panicle emergence. Because of the generally warmer climate brought on by global climate change, lychee now rarely flowers or fruits well in Miami-Dade County, and trees repeatedly flush vegetatively because shoot growth is not suppressed by cool temperatures. In contrast, summer high temperatures greater than about 92°F may cause flower abortion in passionfruit. Therefore, careful study of the optimum temperatures for growth, flowering, and fruiting, as well as tolerance to high and low temperature extremes, should be investigated when selecting a fruit crop.

Chilling and Cold Tolerance

Historically, attempts to commercially produce (or at least trial) many tropical and subtropical fruit crops in north, central, and south Florida have shown that successful tropical fruit production was limited to southeastern (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach [southeastern end of Lake Okeechobee, eastern-to-central Palm Beach County]) and southwestern (Lee County [Pine Island primarily] and Manatee County [Bradenton area]) coastal areas of the state. There are other coastal counties where small plantings of tropical and subtropical fruit crops are grown (e.g., Martin, Indian River, and Brevard Counties). While some tropical and subtropical fruit crops have been harmed by periodic freezing temperatures in these areas, most are severely damaged or killed outside these regions. Indisputably, the general climate has warmed throughout central and south Florida over the past 20 years, and the frequency and/or duration of freeze events have decreased. This has led to new interest in expanding tropical and subtropical fruit production in Florida outside of its historic range. Currently, the acreage of cold-sensitive fruit crops such as guanábana (soursop), caimito, and sugar apple has expanded in Miami-Dade County. Production of these crops has been successful in the area, despite brief cold (e.g., temperatures of 32°F–37°F) and chilling (i.e., temperatures below ~55°F) temperature events, which have caused some crop damage (e.g., defoliation, some dieback). In contrast, the acreage of three slightly less cold-sensitive fruit crops, guava, dragonfruit, and passionfruit, has recently expanded along coastal areas from Sarasota and Brevard Counties south.

Freezing Temperatures

There are four components to freeze events: 1) the duration (how long an event is at or below 32°F), 2) the frequency (how often the events occur), 3) the depth of the freezing temperatures (the lowest temperature experienced), and 4) when the freezing or chilling temperatures occur (e.g., during bloom or dormancy). For example, chilling temperatures (i.e., above freezing but below ~45°F in 2022 in Homestead) occurred during the mango flowering period, resulting in a drastically reduced fruit set and harvest. Despite the climate warming trend over the past 20 years, freeze events can and do still occur (even in Miami-Dade County). Most disconcerting is the lack of grower planning for potential freeze and/or frost events. Planning includes the establishment of appropriate irrigation infrastructure (e.g., high volume systems) or the establishment of a bedded planting with high-capacity pumps to move water between tree rows (ditch) and to drain the water off quickly. For tropical and subtropical fruit crops, there is limited experience with the use of microsprinkler systems with or without tree trunk covers for young tree freeze protection, and many new plantings only have microsprinkler systems with low pumping capacity that can only irrigate parts of the grove at one time. For more information, see EDIS publication HS1375, “Irrigation System Descriptions for Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Crops in Florida.” Prior to purchasing land and/or establishing an irrigation system, producers need to investigate the availability and quality of the water in their water management district. Some areas do not permit the use of high volumes of water, thus limiting the options for cold/freeze protection with water. Producers should know the rules of their district and plan accordingly before establishing a new grove.

Constant Winds

Some fruit crop species are sensitive to constantly windy conditions, which are sometimes called trade winds. Although the wind speeds may not be great (e.g., 10 to 15 mph or less), they can reduce young carambola, caimito, and Annona tree, passionfruit vine, and papaya plant establishment and growth through their negative effect on leaf water loss, nutrient uptake, and mechanical plant damage. Planting these fruit crops in wind-protected or low-wind-speed areas vastly improves their crop growth and production.

Tolerance of Flooded or Waterlogged Soils

Higher elevation areas are less prone to flooding than lower elevation areas. The potential frequency and duration of soil flooding or saturation increase in low-lying areas or in areas with a hardpan several inches to several feet down in the soil profile. Flatwoods areas are particularly vulnerable, and the citrus in these areas are planted on beds to elevate the tree roots above moderate flooding depths. Bedding, land contouring, and passive drainage systems should be considered prior to establishing a tropical or subtropical fruit grove in these areas. Also, sufficiently large pumps to move water in and out of drainage ditches should be established prior to planting. Subtropical and tropical fruit crops vary in their tolerance to constantly saturated soil conditions and flooding. In general, flooding is more damaging when combined with high-temperature periods or if the tree has fruit. For example, guava and sapodilla are considered flood-tolerant (i.e., they can survive several days to a few weeks); however, their growth and fruit production may be reduced, and root diseases may result in tree damage or death. Mango, lychee, longan, and carambola are moderately flood-tolerant, but growth and production may be reduced, and root disease may cause tree decline or death. In contrast, avocado, papaya, and passionfruit do not tolerate constantly wet or flooded soil conditions and may be severely damaged or killed after 48–72 hours of overly wet soil conditions. One strategy to reduce avocado tree damage after flooded soil conditions is to prune trees (i.e., remove one-third to half of the canopy) immediately after the flooding event to reduce the canopy demand for water and nutrients. For more information on the flood tolerance of tropical and subtropical fruit crops, see EDIS publication HS957, “Managing Your Tropical Fruit Grove Under Changing Water Table Levels.”

Saline Soils and Water

Very few fruit crops tolerate saline soils and/or water. For example, guava and dragonfruit are considered tolerant to saline soil and water conditions, whereas avocado, mango, and passionfruit are not. For more information on the management of saline soil and/or water, see EDIS publication AE572, “Saltwater Intrusion and Flooding: Risks to South Florida’s Agriculture and Potential Management Practices.” In some coastal areas (e.g., Pine Island), there is potential for saltwater intrusion into the aquifers and wells, and there are no economic or effective cultural practices to mitigate or prevent crop damage from saline irrigation water. Desalination of saline contaminated soils requires fresh water, and desalination of brackish water for irrigation is expensive. In areas prone to storm surges (from tropical storms or sea level rise), bedding and passive and/or active drainage infrastructure should be established ahead of planting to help reduce the potential for soil contamination by saline water.

Drought Tolerance

Tropical fruit trees vary in their drought tolerance; however, the growth, production, and fruit quality of even drought-tolerant species may be reduced. For example, mangoes and sapodillas reportedly tolerate several days to weeks of drought, but this may be affected by tree size and the extent of their root system. In contrast, papaya and banana do not tolerate even short-term drought conditions (i.e., they survive a few days of drought, but it may lead to leaf drop and yield reduction), which may result in dramatic delays and reduced flowering. For more information on the drought tolerance of tropical and subtropical fruit crops, see EDIS publication HS957, “Managing Your Tropical Fruit Grove Under Changing Water Table Levels.” Optimally, orchards should have an appropriately designed and managed irrigation system to avoid prolonged soil drought conditions, especially from flowering to the harvest period.

The following tables summarize important environmental factors that producers should consider prior to establishing an orchard for commonly planted tropical or subtropical fruits.

References by Crop and Environmental Factor

References

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