The relationship between the foliar area and the fruit growth is an important theme because affects the tree productivity and fruits quality. In this work was evaluated the effect of the foliar area on the growth of the Salustiana's sweet orange fruits. Girdled shoots of 12 months were used with a single terminal fruit and several leaves-fruit ratios. It was evaluated, weekly, the fruit growth and the leaves starch contents during 42 days. The fruit growth, evaluated in the stage II, depended on the available leaf area per fruit, provided that 30 leaves were enough to guarantee its growth. The starch reserves in the leaves depended on the available leaf area per fruit and they reduced with the increase in the diameter and dry and fresh weight of the fruits.
source-sink relationships; girdling; Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck; starch
