Sex expression in aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) varieties under Punjab conditions

Studies on sex expression in six aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn) varieties viz. Chakaiya, Kanchan, Krishna, NA-6, NA-7 and NA-10 were conducted in the new orchard at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The highest percentage of female flowers was observed in basal portion of the branch followed by middle portion while minimum percentage of the female flowers was recorded in the apical portion of the branch. The highest percentage of female flowers was recorded in the southern direction of the tree followed by eastern and northern side whereas minimum percentage of female flowers was recorded in western side in all the six cultivars of aonla. The percentage of female flowers was highest at the time of first bloom which decreased as the trees reached full bloom but at the time of end bloom, peach varieties recorded fairly higher percentage of female flowers than that recorded at the time of full bloom.