This site is rather slow this time of year. I will try to answer and hope that someone with more experience will chime in.

Is your tree grafted? It almost sounds as if the scion (top of the tree) died and the root stock is still alive and taking over. That would mean the tree is no long the biriba but whatever rootstock was used to graft your biriba.

Tj

hi tj, i should have mentioned it. no, it´s not grafted, just a seedling tree.

the A. squamosa (planted in the ground) did loose all its leaves and some branch tips /main stem is intact, though (this one also sent some suckers/new twigs from the main stem, not as strong as those from the biriba, though). the squamosa did flowered but didn´t set any fruit.

i´m perplexed. cheers.

My annonas loose their leaves in "winter" here in PR, but they have all gotten new leaves by now. Some do loose branches in this process.
Mine all all planted in the ground and I have yet to see a sucker plant.
Sorry not to be of much help.

hi rayan, thanks for your answer. I just checked the "stump" and is indeed pretty much all dead, and just kept a portion of it to serve as an stake for the almost 2m tall "sucker".

Interestingly, the potted squamosas are leafed (not pretty foliage, may drop them eventually) and the single one planted in the ground is leafless but did sent new branches from the main trunk. also A. reticulata, purpurea and montana are leafed.

perhaps the young potted biriba suffered a combination from both the long winter plus the lack of fruit removal. lesson learned.

Hi Patusho,

I noticed similar behavior in my potted biribas.
I am conviced the problem is an imbalance between the
size of the aerial part and the root system.

When the roots cannot feed the plant anymore, the tree sacrifices branches and even the main stem. If you plant it
in the ground, the problem will likely disappear.

hi siafu, will plant it any time soon and see what happens.

saludos.

Biriba and other rollinias frequently show random branch die-back- not sure why though. To lose the main leader is suspicious of damage to it. Check near the origen of the dead part for any small holes indicative of twig boring beetles. They attack annonas. pomegranates, dogwood and others. Paul