Yeasts Occurring in Souring Figs

Souring of Figs by Yeasts and the Transmission of the Disease by Insects^

Souring of the figs was not noticed in the early part of the season, but began later to a limited extent when showers occurred. When the Smyrna figs ripen the ostiolum opens wide and remains open so that a match can easily be inserted and often moderate-sized insects can enter and feed on the sugar. Some of them are caught in the sticky sap and die within the fig. When the figs are ripe and fal...

Yeasts associated with dried-fruit beetles in figs.

A species of the bacterial genus Flavobacterium is capable of synthesizing a polysaccharide or mixture of polysaccharides when grown in a medium of a-conidendrin or vanillic acid as a sole carbon source. The polysaccharide hydrolysate consists of D-galactose, D-glucose, D-mannose, D-ribose and L-rhamnose as determined by paper chromatography. This organism has the unique characteristic of growi...

Yeasts Occurring on Dates.

Dates sometimes undergo a yeast fermentation even though they appear to be sufficiently low in moisture and high in sugar content to inhibit the development of most spoilage organisms. In the packing of dates the procedures followed, as outlined by Sievers and Barger (1930) do not involve the use of preservatives or of sufficient heat to prevent yeast growth. In fact, yeast spoilage has been ob...

Yeasts Occurring on Grapes and in Grape Products in California.

Nematodes, figs and wasps.

Certain Ficus spp. are dependent on wasps for pollination. The invading wasps usually shed their wings on entering a fig through the ostiole; and during attempted or successful egg deposi t ion, transfer pollen to the female flowers and then die. A gall forms around each egg, and within the gall develops a male or a female wasp. Male wasps are the first to emerge from galls, and they then ferti...