Flowering and Fruit set in Jack Fruit

• There is always a higher proportion of male than female inflorescences.
• The spike can easily be identified when small, as the length and diameter of female inflorescences are larger than those of males.
• The surface of a young male spike is smooth while that of the female is granular.
• Male and female inflorescences develop more or less simultaneously but male spikes tend to reach maturity 3-5 days before the female ones.
• Fruit setting can be improved by hand pollination. Fruit set is normally 70-75% through open pollination. The fruits develop during Spring (February) or Summer (June).

Maturity indices

• Rind changes color from green to yellow or greenish yellow
• Spines become well-developed and well-spread and yield to moderate pressure
• Last leaf on the footstalk turns yellow, and
• Fruit produces a dull hollow sound when tapped by a finger.

Harvesting and yield

• First fruiting take place 6-8 years after planting.
• The fruits mature towards the end of summer in June.
• The yield of jackfruit varies widely with the type and climate condition. The trees produce a few fruits to as high as 250 to 300 fruits/tree/year.
• Harvesting is carried out by cutting the peduncle with a sharp knife and by traditional methods, such as the use of ropes and sickles for upper fruit harvesting and hand picking for lower fruits.
• They should be harvested into a sack or lowered by a rope to avoid damage.