Passion fruits with delicious and fragrant juice

By Our Agriculture Correspondent

PASSION FRUIT (Passiflora edulis) is a choice crop of the tropical and sub-tropical belts, and it yields a sprightly juice rich in vitamin A with sweet fragrance. A native of Brazil, passion fruit has been grown in the hills and plains of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for several decades.

The purple passion fruit, which is a precocious bearer with high quality oval-shaped fruits, is mostly confined to the cooler climes, while the yellow passion fruit with rounded fruit are raised in the plains.

The larger yellow passion fruits yield juice, which is more acidic, and when sweetened it is relished as a breakfast juice.

The purple passion fruit is susceptible to a number of diseases such as collar-rot, wilt and brown leaf spot, and to nematode attack. The yellow variety is a robust climber free from most pests and diseases.

A hybrid of purple and yellow passion fruits has been developed, and it is christened Kaveri. The high-yielding hybrid is resistant to collar rot, wilt and brown leaf spot diseases and nematodes.

Another promising variety known as "Noel's Special" has been found tolerant to Alternaria disease, and this precocious bearer comes to yield as early as one year after planting. This promising variety is however, self-incompatible, and it needs a pollinator for satisfactory fruiting.

Passion fruit is generally propagated through vegetative means, and seedlings and grafts have been found to be more vigorously growing than the cuttings. Generally, it is discouraged to go in for seedlings as there may be variability.

Cuttings of about 35 cm length with three nodes are the most sought after planting material. Quality mother plants should be selected before extracting the cuttings. The cuttings have to be planted in a suitable medium, and they take about a month to strike roots. After three months, the rooted cuttings can be planted in the main field.

An espacement of three metres by two metres is recommended for commercial cultivation of passion fruits. The rooted cuttings are planted in pits of 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm, and filled with rich organic manure.

The ideal planting time is the monsoon season, when the cloudy weather will encourage quick establishment of the young plants. Skilful trellising is an important factor in deciding the output of the crop, and the trellis should be strong enough to bear a considerable weight of the crop for five years.

The plants respond well to good nutrient management and integrated pest management practices. Liberal quantities of vermi-compost and coir-pith compost should meet the nitrogen and potassium needs of the crop, and powdered rock phosphate and phospho bacterium should be applied to take care of the phosphorus demands of the plants. Regular irrigation will keep the crop in good stead.

Systematic pruning is a must as the crop bears fruits only in the current season's growth. Pruning is done best soon after harvests in April and November-December. The fruits can be had from the tenth month of planting, and the crop will be in full bearing in 16-19 months of planting. The fruits should be plucked along with a small portion of the stem. The purple variety will yield 8 to 10 kg per vine in a year, while Kaveri will yield 16-20 kg per vine. It can yield up to 20 tonnes of fruits per hectare in a year. The fruits should be sent to the market or processing plant as early as possible to avoid loss in weight and appearance. Proper storage of the fruits in polythene bags will help in minimizing the post harvest blemish and weight loss.

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