Advanced Fig Knowledge

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Crop Definitions

The fig tree is a gynodioecious species, which means that it has two distinct forms of trees: the caprifig (male tree, which is technically hermaphroditic) and the fig (female tree). Female figs have two crops: Breba and Main. Male figs have three crops: Profichi, Mammoni, and Mamme. All crops of the caprifig host the figwasp and continue its reproductive cycle, however only the profichi crop contains pollen. This pollen is used to pollinate the Main Crop of the female fig. The development of the main crop will be altered by pollination. For Smyrna and San Pedro-type varieties, the main crop will drop and not fully develop if it is not pollinated. In common varieties, the main crop will develop with or without pollination, but pollination can significantly change the composition of the fruit. Some common varieties that have outstanding taste when pollinated have a mediocre or below average taste when unpollinated. Consequently, when comparing pollinated to unpollinated figs, it is important to know not only whether a variety is common, but also whether the fruit quality is good when unpollinated as comparted to pollinated.

Other Definitions

Caprified

Caprified means that a female fig has been pollinated. A pollinated fig is called a caprified fig. Similarly, an unpollinated fig is called uncaprified.

Parthenocarpic

This refers to the ability of a syconium (fruit) to develop without pollination. Common type figs are parthenocarpic, while smyrna type figs are not parthenocarpic. The San Pedro type fig is said to have a parthenocarpic breba crop.

W. B. Story described the usage of the term "parthenocarpic" for figs as 'unfortuate'. While this word generally means that a fruit develops without pollination, the technical definition of the term is that the fruit develops from the ovary (carpellary tissue) of the flower without fertilization; ripe caprifigs and seedless figs consist of a fruit-like vegetative structure that is entirely devoid of carpellary tissue, so botanically this is not the most accurate term. Story stated that the more accurate terms were Caducous (requiring pollination to produce fruit) and Persistent (not requiring pollination to produce fruit).

Many experienced fig growers will often use the terms parthenocarpic, non-parthenocarpic, persistent, and caducous interchangeably.

Caducous

Figs that require pollination in order to develop. Smyrna- type figs are caducous.

Intermediate

This is another name for San Pedro type figs. These varieties will develop breba crop but drop main drop unless they are pollinated.

Persistent

This means that the syconium of a fig variety is able to fully develop without pollination. Persistency is a genetic trait that can apply to either male or female figs. Persistent female figs are "Common type figs". Persistent male figs are called Persistent Caprifigs. Persistent Caprifigs are responsible for passing on the persistent trait to all offspring as described below. These types of figs are also called "parthenocarpic."

Cenocarps

These are "seedlike bodies". They develop parthenocarpically without pollination but are not true seeds and are not capable of reproduction.

Stimulative Parthenocarpy

Stimulative partheocarpy is induced by an outside stiumulous. One stimulous is entry of the female fig wasp, but others could be blowing air into the syconium, intoducing dead pollen, or invasion my other insects. Stimulative parthenocarpy is thought to be the reason why some San Pedro-type figs sometimes ripen main crop fruit without pollination, especially in the Pacific Northwest.

Vegetative Parthenocarpy

Vegetative parthenocarpy needs no known stimulus. It is a characteristic of all common type figs and all persistent caprifigs.

CAPRIFIGS (Homozygous vs heterozygous)

Caprifigs are considered male because they serve as the pollen parent, however some caprifigs have both male and female reproductive parts.
There is a dominant (GA) and recessive (ga) trait that governs whether the resulting offspring are homozygous caprifigs (GA/GA - containing only male reproductive parts), heterozygous caprifigs (GA/ga - containing both male and female parts), or figs (ga/ga -containing only female parts).
Figs (female) contain only the recessive trait, so when a fig (ga/ga) is pollenated by a heterozygous caprifig (GA/ga), the result will be 50% heterozygous caprifigs (GA/ga), and 50% figs (ga/ga).
Homozygous caprifigs contain only the dominant trait (GA/GA), so when a homozygous caprifig pollinates either a heterozygous caprifig or a fig, the result will be 100% caprifig offspring (because all offspring will contain the GA trait)
A Heterozygous caprifig can pollinate another heterozygous caprifig and produce a 25% Homozygous caprifigs (GA/GA), 50% Heterozygous caprifigs (GA/ga), and 25% figs (ga/ga).
Figs (ga/ga) cannot pollinate other figs because they only contain female parts.
Thus if left to their own devices in the wild, there will tend to a larger number of caprifigs as compared to figs.
Further reducing the probability of obtaining a common fig in the wild via natural selection is the fact that not all caprifigs or figs are persistent.

Persistent (P+) Genetic Trait

According to W. B. Story, the persistent trait is passed on genetically from the male caprifig to the offspring.
If a male has the persistent trait, it is called a Persistent Caprifig. If a Persistent Caprifig passes on its genetic material via pollination, half of the offspring will be persistent (illustrated with [P+] below), while half will be caducous/not-persistent (illustrated with [++] below). This is because the female can only pass on the caducous trait [+], while the male caprifig can pass either the persistent [P] or caducous trait [+].
In the case where the female is caducous, the female will pass along the caducous trait in all cases [+]. In the case where the female is persistent and the persistent trait [P] is passed along via the egg, the egg will not develop. Thus, regardless of whether the female is persistent or not, viable offspring will only contain the caducous gene [+]. This is called an "egg lethal" genetic trait, where the female can only pass the caducous trait in order for the egg to be viable.
Therefore, in the case where the male is persistent, the offspring will be 50% persistent and 50% caducous; and also 50% male and 50% female. Thus, in general, the offspring of a persistent caprifig will have a 25% chance of being a common-type fig (persistent female).
Regardless of whether the female is caducous or persistent, there will be no change in the resulting percentages because the female can only pass the caducous/not-persistent gene in a viable egg.
In the case where the male is not persistent, all offspring will be caducous/not-persistent, and there is a 0% chance of a common-type fig being produced.

Male/Female Combinations - Persistent (P+) & CADUCOUS (++)

P+ Female / P+ Male

Half of eggs will not be viable. Of the viable eggs, the offspring will be 50% persistent, 50% not-persistent (caducous), and 50% male, 50% female. Thus 25% of offspring will be common-type (female) figs.

++ Female / P+ Male

P+ Female / P+ Male

The offspring will be 50% persistent, 50% not-persistent (caducous), and 50% male, 50% female. Thus 25% of offspring will be common-type (female) figs. Note there is no difference in the result if the female is persistent or not.

P+ Female / ++ Male

The offspring will be 100% not-persistent (caducous), with a 50/50 male/female split.

++ Female / ++ Male

P+ Female / ++ Male

The offspring will be 100% ot-Persistent (caducous), with a 50/50 male/female split. Note, that once again there is no difference in the result if the female is persistent or not.

Hybrids

Ficus Carica is known to be able to reproduce with other species of fig trees. Ficus Palmata in particular has been known to produce hybrid fig trees. Condit reported that when caprifigs from other species are used as the pollen parents, the Symrna-type is dominant in the offspring; when persistent Ficus Carica caprifigs are used as the pollen parents, the seedling tend to be precocious but of poor quality. Interestingly, the variety Cherry Cordial is thought to be a hybrid of Ficus Palmata, and is reported to be very good caprified, but of poor quality when uncaprified.

Advanced Fig Knowledge

Crop Definitions

Other Definitions

Caprified

Parthenocarpic

Caducous

Intermediate

Persistent

Cenocarps

Stimulative Parthenocarpy

Vegetative Parthenocarpy

CAPRIFIGS (Homozygous vs heterozygous)

Persistent (P+) Genetic Trait

Male/Female Combinations - Persistent (P+) & CADUCOUS (++)

P+ Female / P+ Male

P+ Female / P+ Male

P+ Female / P+ Male

++ Female / P+ Male

P+ Female / P+ Male

P+ Female / P+ Male

P+ Female / ++ Male

P+ Female / ++ Male

P+ Female / ++ Male

++ Female / ++ Male

P+ Female / ++ Male

P+ Female / ++ Male

Hand Pollination

Hybrids

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