1. Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

2. Principles of Agricultural Science – Plant
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Principles of Agricultural Science – Plant
The Role of Fruit Unit 7 – Sexual Reproduction Lesson 7.3 Fruit, Nuts, and Monkeys
The following presentation examines various types of fruits, the function they serve, and their value to humans.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

3. A fruit is a ripened ovary
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Fruit Defined
A fruit is a ripened ovary
The wall of the ripened ovary is called a pericarp.
A pericarp has two or three layers:
Exocarp or Epicarp (skin or shell)
Mesocarp (fleshy fruit)
Endocarp (seedcoat)
Fruit are separated into two types:
Dry
Fleshy
Definition of fruit, pericarp, epicarp, exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp can be reviewed at this time. The two categories of fruit types, dry and fleshy, will be discussed in the next several slides.
NOTE: These terms are fully defined in the Plant Glossary.
Endocarp
The inner layer of a multiple-layered pericarp, e.g., the shell of a cherry stone.
Epicarp
The outermost layer, or exocarp, of a fruit.
Exocarp
The outer skinlike region of the fruit pericarp.
Fruit
Botanically, the matured ovary of a flower and its contents including any external part that is an integral portion of it.
Mesocarp
The layer between the endocarp and the epicarp of a multiple-layered pericarp. In stone-fruits, it is thick, fleshy, and edible.
Pericarp
The outer layer of the ovary wall around the seeds. It sometimes consists of three separate structural layers: the endocarp, the mesocarp, and the epicarp.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

4. The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Dry Fruits
Achene – one-seeded, hard thin shell, such as a sunflower seed
Achene
Any small, dry fruit having but one seed whose pericarp does not burst when the fruit is ripe.
Refer to Plant and Soil Science: Fundamentals and Applications (Parker, 2010) pp for a complete listing of fruit types.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

5. Common Dry Fruits (Continued)
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Dry Fruits (Continued)
Grain – one-seeded, very thin seed covering, such as grasses and cereal grains
Grain
The seed of the cereal crops.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

6. Common Dry Fruits (Continued)
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Dry Fruits (Continued)
Nut – hard-shelled one seeded fruit, such as a walnut
Nut
An indehiscent, one-celled and one-seeded, hard and bony fruit, as the acorn of Quercus.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

7. Common Dry Fruits (Continued)
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Dry Fruits (Continued)
Pod – legumes that have multiple seeds, such as peas and beans
Pictured are peas and beans humans commonly use for food. The fruit, pods in this case, are green because they are not mature. Once they mature they will dry out and split open.
Pod
Technically, a dry, many-seeded fruit that splits open, such as a pea pod or bean pod; a legume.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

8. Common Dry Fruits (Continued)
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Dry Fruits (Continued)
Samara – two-seeded winged fruit, such as from a maple tree
The last of the dry fruits. As you can see from the visual characteristics, fruits come in various forms unlike common misconceptions that a fruit is always a fleshy, edible tissue. The “wings” of a maple seed allow the seed to be carried by the wind to have a better chance to germinate and survive.
Samara
A single-seeded, winged fruit, whose wing helps in seed dissemination, like that of the maple, ash, and elm.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

9. The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Fleshy Fruits
Berry – one or more flesh covered carpels, such as a blueberry or pepper
Berry
Any small pulpy fruit, as the raspberry, strawberry, ect.; usually edible.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

10. Common Fleshy Fruits (Continued)
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Fleshy Fruits (Continued)
Drupe or stone fruit – one-seeded, outer flesh covering, with hard endocarp layer, such as a peach or coconut
Pictured on this slide is the peach and the coconut. The coconut is actually the seed. The flesh has been striped from the endocarp and only the fibers of the flesh remain on the endocarp, which is called a husk. Coconuts are buoyant in order to float across the oceans to establish on a beach in some tropical area.
Drupe
A single-seeded, fleshy fruit that does not split open, e.g., cherry, peach, plum, or olive. Also called a stone fruit.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

11. Common Fleshy Fruits (Continued)
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Fleshy Fruits (Continued)
Pepo – tough outer covering with fleshy inside, such as melons and cucumbers
Pepo fruits will have several carpels unless they have been bred to be seedless – like some watermelon varieties available today.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

12. Common Fleshy Fruits (Continued)
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Common Fleshy Fruits (Continued)
Pome – multiple seeds contained in the center of flesh surrounded by a thin outer skin, such as an apple or pear
Pome
A fleshy fruit having several seeds instead of a stone, such as an apple, pear, and quince.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

13. What function does fruit serve?
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
What function does fruit serve?
Protection for the seed
Provides nutrients to young seedling
Seed dispersal
Three reasons why fruit are essential to plants.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

14. Seed Dispersal Plants use several dispersal mechanisms: Animals
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Seed Dispersal
Plants use several dispersal mechanisms:
Animals
Feed on fruit
Force
Seed pods burst or shatter
Insects
Carry seeds to burrows
Water
Rain and water bodies transport the seed, such as the coconut
Wind
Seeds have adapted special anatomical features to catch the wind, such as the dandelion
Activity Dependency of Animals will explore seed dispersal in connection to animals. It is important to note the five methods of seed dispersal for future reference.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

15. What role does fruit play in agriculture?
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
What role does fruit play in agriculture?
Provides marketable products for human consumption
Assists with plant identification and classification
See the next slide for statistics.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

16. Career and SAE Opportunity
The Role of Fruit
Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant
Unit 7 – Lesson 7.3 – Fruits, Nuts, and Monkeys
Career and SAE Opportunity
The USDA reports the following statistics for fruit and nut production in the United States for 2006.
Total fruit and nut production
30.2 million tons
Value of fruit and nut crops
$16.7 billion
US fruit consumption
per person
275.9 pounds
US nut consumption
3.36 pounds
These statistics include production and consumption values and shows the impact on support industries for fruit and nut production.
These industries include transportation, production supplies, labor management, equipment manufacturing, and marketing.
Several opportunities exist for students to benefit from the production of fruit and nut production as either a future career or Supervised Agricultural Experience project.
The National Council for Agricultural Education CASE Project – AFNR
Copyright 2009

17. References
Parker, R. (2010). Plant and soil science: Fundamentals and applications. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.
Schooley, J. (1997). Introduction to botany. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers.
United States Department of Agriculture. (2007). Fruit and tree nuts situation and outlook yearbook Retrieved February 11, 2008, from