In this study was to determine the lower base temperature (Tb) for Alfa mango fruit, using the photothermal units (PTU) method in cerrado conditions. The meteorological data for the study were acquired from "Padre Ricardo Remetter" meteorological station located at Santo Antonio do Leverger, MT, Brazil (15,8° S and 56,1° W, 140 m), and the fruit data was acquired by sensorial evaluation of mango fruit maturation state. The Tb was determined by less variability of the coefficient of variation (cv) method applied to the PTU sum, from flowering to harvest, simulated for different values of Tb. In the period from July to November of 2007, in tree plants from of an irrigated experimental field, were marked 82 fruits in which we observed the growing and maturation. From the marked fruits were identified 13 fruits that were at harvest point, in December of 2007, after an average observation period of 112 days. For a photothermal requirement of 1878166,13 PTU was observed Tb for the fruits of 10 °C, this value is consistent with those reported in the literature, which proves the efficiency of the method that combines the action of temperature and daylength on fruit maturity and providing a more rational method than the traditional heat units method.
Maturation; mango fruit; cerrado; degree-days
