Ficus carica L., family Moraceae, perennial deciduous fruit tree, tree or shrub. Scientific name Ficus carica L..

Origin and distribution

The origin of figs are two: one is Saudi Arabia and Yemen, so far in southwestern Asia and the Mediterranean coast there are still a large area of wild fig forests; the second is Asia Minor Carica (Carica) place, now in Mesopotamia has been found in the 3000 BC figs carved stone map. Egypt in 2000 BC has been planted. About 9 to 13 centuries into France, Britain, the 16th century into Russia, the 17th century to Southeast Asian countries, introduced into Japan in 1640, the 18th century into the United States. The main producing countries are Spain, Italy, Turkey and Greece.

In Xinjiang, China, it was cultivated in the Han Dynasty, and was introduced to the areas of Shaanxi and Gansu in the Han and Tang Dynasties. Now Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong, Yunnan are cultivated, Xinjiang Atushi has a piece of fig orchard, known as "fig country".

Features and characteristics

The tree height is 3 to 4 meters, and the tree can reach 10 to 12 meters under suitable conditions. The crown is open, round or widely rounded. The bark is smooth and grayish-white. The root system is well developed, roots, stems, branches and leaves have milk ducts that can secrete white latex. Leaf blade is large, simple, rough surface, entire or with 3-7 fissures. There are 2-3 buds in the axil of one leaf, of which the small ones are leaf buds and the large and round ones are flower buds. Dioecious flowers, buried in the cryptogamous inflorescences, edible part of the receptacle hypertrophy and become a polyfloral fruit; female flowers developed into an achene buried in the receptacle interior, because the appearance of the fruit and not see the flowers, so the name "fig". Because of the different varieties, the fruit is oblate, spherical, pear-shaped, green, yellow, red, purplish-red skin, flesh is yellow, light red, crimson, fruit weight of 35 ~ 150 g. 30 ~ 40 years old trees usually yield 60 ~ 70 kg (see Figure).

The fruiting process begins 2 to 3 years after planting with nutritious seedlings, and it enters the fruiting period in 6 to 7 years, with an economic life span of 40 to 70 years. Has a year many times the fruit habit, late fall in the top of the new shoots in the leaf axil differentiation receptacle primordial body, the next year continue to differentiate, flowering and the formation of spring fruits, and in the new shoots to extend the growth of the new shoots at the same time, from the base upwards, the gradual formation of receptacles, flowering and fruiting, grow into summer fruit or autumn fruit, almost all of the new shoots can produce results, year after year, abundant production. The more to the south, the longer the nutrient growth period, the figs grown in the near-tropical areas, after the fall of the leaves soon grow new leaves, nearly evergreen fruit trees.

The fig is a subtropical deciduous fruit tree, the most like warm slightly dry climate. The average annual temperature of 15 ℃, the average summer maximum 20 ℃, the average winter minimum 8 ℃, 5 ℃ above the cumulative temperature of 4800 ℃ of the region, the most suitable for its growth and results. Cold resistance is weak, winter temperatures at -12 ℃ when the top of the new shoots began to freeze, -16 ~ -18 ℃ when the branches and trunks are severely frozen, -20 ~ -22 ℃ when the above ground frozen to death. Figs have a strong ability to sprout tiller recovery, after freezing latent buds can sprout new tips that year, to quickly restore the clusters for results. In cold areas such as Xinjiang, the use of creeping cultivation method to protect the overwintering.

The fig because of the origin of the semi-desert dry zone, the water requirements are not strict. System dry varieties like long sunshine and relatively low humidity areas, the system of candied fruit and canned varieties suitable for summer showers and higher humidity areas. Annual precipitation in the area of 400 to 800 millimeters, can be normal growth and results. Too much water, can make the fruit sugar content reduced; orchard waterlogging, often leaf drop, resulting in the death of the whole plant. Windy or rainfall during the fig pollination season, hindering the activity of fig pollinating bees. The soil requirements are not strict, in clay, sandy loam soil are well grown, in the improved saline soil can also establish fig orchards.

Main varieties

There are more than 1,000 varieties of figs, which are divided into four categories according to the structure of the floral apparatus and the pollination characteristics: ① common type fig (F.cari-ca var.hortensis Shinn.). Cultivated varieties around the world mostly belong to this category. Only female flowers are formed in the inflorescence, with unisexual fruiting habit, and edible fruits can be formed without pollination. In warm regions, two flowers and two fruits a year, that is, summer and fall fruit. ② Wild-type fig (F. ca-rica var. sylvestris Shinn.). There are three types of flowers in the inflorescence: male flowers inserted in the upper part of the receptacle; gall flowers and a very few female flowers densely inserted in the lower part. In warm places, fruiting can be continuous in a year. (iii) Smyrnian fig (F. carica var. smyrnia Shinn.). Only female flowers are present in the inflorescence, with the wild type as the pollinating tree, and fruiting by pollination by fig wasps. It produces fruit twice a year, i.e. summer and fall fruit. Many excellent varieties for drying belong to this category. ④ Intermediate fig (F. carica var. inter-media Shinn.). The first stage of inflorescence without pollination can develop and form unisexual fruiting summer fruit, close to the common type fig; the second stage of inflorescence must be pollinated in order to form the autumn fruit, close to the smith type fig.

The fig wasp is a kind of parasitic wasp not easily visible to the naked eye, overwintering in the gall flowers in the pupal stage, and then feathering in the following year to complete the pollination of figs.

Points of cultivation technology

Propagation by cuttings, pressing, dividing, sowing and other methods. Take cuttings as the main method. With dormant branches or green cuttings, the survival rate are 90 to 100%, the seedling height of the year can reach 80 to 100 cm, out of the nursery planting. Planting distance, Xinjiang using the creeping method, generally with 6 meters × 6 meters, the new development of orchards for 5 meters × 4 meters. In addition to ordinary varieties, other varieties must be configured with pollinator trees. With the main trunk of the unstratified form or natural happy shape branching, stem height 50 ~ 80 cm; shrub-shaped or creeping form in the ground 10 ~ 15 cm at the stem, retaining 4 ~ 5 growth direction of the main branches, constitute the crown. Fertilization should be carried out in spring, summer fruit and autumn fruit before rapid growth, and combined with irrigation. The main pests and diseases are mulberry borer, the larvae feeding on the trunk and large branches, and the adults can be killed manually or the larvae can be poisoned by blocking the moth holes with chemicals. Because of the spring, summer and fall fruit maturity is not the same, it is best to harvest in stages.

Economic value

The fig has a high nutritional value, fresh fruit containing 83.6% moisture, protein 1.0%, 0.4% fat, carbohydrate 12.6%. Can make jam, dried fruit, candied fruit, canned and other processed products. Roots, leaves, branches and fruits can be used as medicine. Elegant tree posture, can be used as greening species.