Passion fruit is a vigorous, shallow rooted, perennial vine that climbs by means of tendrils and can grow as tall as 20 ft (6 m or 600 cm) high and a more realistic life expectation is 3 – 5 years.
It is mainly grown for fresh market and juice extraction preferred by small scale farmers due to it being a very profitable crop. It is exported mainly to Uganda, Europe, France, Denmark and the UK making it one of the most profitable export crop or fruit.
Varieties.
The most common varieties are purple and yellow passion fruit. Let’s look at the varieties individually.
1. Purple Passion.
The Purple Passion Fruit does well in upper midland to upper highland zones, that is, 1,200 – 2,000 meters above sea level.
The purple passion fruit produces purple colored fruits of 4 – 5 cm in diameter and has quite a superior and aromatic flavor to it. It is mainly used for fresh market and juice extraction and it is very popular in the export market.
2. Yellow Passion Fruit.
The Yellow Passion Fruit does so well in the lower midland and lowland zones and it is more vigorous and produces larger fruits of 5 – 7 cm in diameter.
The Yellow Passion Fruit is more acidic and is used for juice extraction. It is quite a good fruit to farm as it is resistant to Fusarium Wilt, tolerant to Phytophtora Root Rot, Nematodes and Brown Spot. The Yellow Passion Fruit is used as rootstock for Purple Passion Fruit.
Generally, passion fruit can be eaten fresh or consumed after extracting the pulp and making juice. Passion fruit juice is a delicacy and is in high demand in the local markets.
The juice is used in a variety of products and the pulp may be added to different dishes. A wide range of cosmetic products and food flavors are derived from the fruit that is rich in Vitamins A and C.
Best Climatic Conditions For Passion Fruit Farming.
The Purple Passion Fruit grow well in altitude of 1,200 – 2,000 meters above sea level, while the Yellow Passion Fruit do well in altitudes of 0 – 800 meters above sea level.
The passion fruit needs rainfall of about 900 – 2,000 mm annually, while a growing temperature of 18 – 25 degrees Celsius for Purple Passion and 25 – 30 degrees Celsius for the Yellow Passion. The passion fruit does well in loamy soils which are deep and well drained with a pH range of 5.5 – 6.5.
LAND PREPARATION.
In the land preparation process aggressive perennial weeds such as Kikuyu grass should be eliminated before planting.
1. Holes Preparation
Dig your planting holes 45 by by 45 cm separating the top and sub-soils. Have a spacing of about 2m by 3 m , approximately having 640 plants per acre. Mix the topsoil with a debe which is about 15 kg of Farm Yard Manure and 125 grams of Triple Super Phosphate that is. Proceed to fill the hole with this mixture at least three weeks before transplanting.
2. Supporting Structures.
Number of poles per acre should be about 350 and a pole size of 2.5 meters – 3 meters high with thickness of 150 mm. You will need approximately 120kg of plain galvanized wire, a sisal twine of 10 kg and 4-5 inch nails about 5kg to construct the supporting poles for your passion fruit vines.
3. Seed Preparation
Seeds are selected from well-developed ripe fruit and the seed rate for sowing should be at least 2 seeds per bag.
After sowing ensure to weed weekly, keep watering daily in dry season. Keep maintaining your supporting structures. Discard weak rootstock, pest or diseases and affected plants weekly. Also carry out root pruning monthly.
4. Grafting
Select a young, healthy vine the same diameter as the rootstock from which to cut scions.
Cut a scion at the node in a long angle with a budding knife.
Cut about 2.5 cm slit into the rootstock vine with a grafting knife.
Slide the angle of the scion into the slit in the rootstock, pairing the two pieces up in size.
Wrap grafting tape tightly around the union.
Seal the graft union with grafting compound. The graft union should be at least 45 cm above the soil level.
Nursery Management.
Harden the improved cultivars before planting as the environment in the field after planting is less controlled than that of the nursery. Remove or reduce shade in a stepwise manner. Remove grafting tape after 8 weeks as it can strangle the scion. When the color of the leaves become dark green, remove the shade completely and don’t forget to prick out, weed and water carefully.
Raising the Seedling.
Raise seedlings under an insect proof screen house. Source seeds from recommended sources or collect healthy mature fruit of recommended Purple or Yellow Passion Fruit from parent with a history of good bearing capacity; extract seeds by fermenting for 3 days to ease separation of pulp and seed and then dry the seed under shade. Then sow the seed shallowly into prepared beds or eco bags filled with sterilized soil. Bags should be 5 by 9 inches (12.7 by 22.9 cm). Germination will start after 14 – 21 days.
Remember we have the seedlings ready for you at Richfarm Kenya; we have done the hard part for you.
Establishment.
One month after grafting, the seedlings are ready for transplanting in the field. Transplanting should be done early morning or late in the evening. It should be done at the onset of rains like now; perfect time or anytime under irrigation.
Fertilizer.
The top dressing fertilizer should be applied in two splits per year; application of 100g NPK (17-17-17/20-20-20) per plant at start of every rainy season. This could be at least four times in a year. One debe which is 15 kg of well decomposed manure per plant per year is applied before the rains begin. Spraying with foliar feed and trace elements every three months is recommended.
Staking and Trellising.
The common system of support is by use of plain wires strung on posts (trellis). The trellis should be erected immediately after transplanting. Poles for trellising should be about 3.0 meters long and 15 cm in diameter, and they are dug 60 cm deep and spaced 6 meters apart in the row. A single strand of galvanized plain wire is tightly stretched over each row of posts and fixed firmly to the end posts.
How to Increase your Passion Fruit Production Through Trellising.
Training and Pruning.
A light stick is driven into the ground close to the plant or a piece of sisal twine from the base of the young plant to the wire above. The two healthy shoots at the base of the plant are then selected and trained up the stick or the sisal strands by twining them regularly. All the other shoots below the wire and side branches that emerge are removed regularly until the shoots reach the wire.
The two shoots are then trained along the wire in opposite direction by twining and tying regularly. It should be ensured that the laterals which bear fruit hang down from the wire.
Secondary shoots and old shoots which have produced fruit and dead wood should be removed. Additionally, laterals reaching ground level should be cut off 10 – 15 cm above ground as well as entangling tendrils.
Yellow Passion Fruit
Pests and Diseases Affecting Passion Fruit Farming.
Pests.
The following are the major pests of Passion Fruits in Kenya, Aphids, Mealy Bugs and Spider mites, Thrips, Nematodes, Bugs, Broad or Yellow Tea Mite.
Management.
They are usually controlled by use of their natural enemies. Also avoid applying too much nitrogenous fertilizer, as this will make the plants juicy and attractive to aphids. Prune and destroy affected parts at the initial stage of mealy bug infestation. Use recommended pesticides by seeking guidance from Agricultural Extension Officers.
In some cases, intercropping has been found to reduce thrips infestation. Avoidance of successive planting of susceptible crops reduces the impact of thrips, that is, crop rotation.
To control nematodes rotate with cassava, cereals, maize, sweet corn, sweet potato, onions, cabbage and kale. Use of Yellow Passion which has tolerance to Nematode as root stock is highly advisable. Ensure to use clean planting materials and maintain proper field hygiene.
Diseases.
The following are the major diseases and physiological disorders of Passion Fruits in Kenya, Fusarium wilt, Passion fruit woodiness, Brown spot, Septoria spot and Phytophthora blight.
Management.
Use clean planting material; clean your pruning tools, use resistant hybrids or rootstocks of Yellow Passion Fruit. Remove diseased vines from the field and ensure you do proper weeding. Control vectors or pests (aphids). Also timely spraying with recommended fungicides is advised.
Harvesting.
The crop comes into bearing within 7 – 8 months after transplanting. The main harvest is obtained 12 – 13 months after transplanting. There are normally two harvesting peaks: July – August and December – January
Passion Fruit Harvest.
Harvesting Method.
Passion Fruit for fresh market should be picked when they have developed their characteristic color, purple or yellow. The fruits fall naturally from the vine when they are ripe: these are suitable for juice extraction.
Yields.
Average yields are about 4,000kg per acre per year. With good management and crop husbandry yields of more than 6,000 – 8,000kg per acre can be realized.
Yellow passion fruit should be stored at 7 to 10 degrees Celsius with 90 to 95 percent relative humidity for up to 2 weeks. Purple passion fruits are chilling tolerant and can be stored at 3 to 5 degrees Celsius for 3 to 5 weeks.
Post-Harvest Handling.
Fruits are harvested when they are about 75 percent turning yellow or purple. They are then packed in fiber board cartons, trays or cell packs.
For processing, the fruit is easy to process. The fruit can be processed to rich fruit juice, or mixed with orange or pineapple juices for mixed fruit juices. The seeded pulp that remains can be made into jelly, or combined with pineapple or tomato in making jam.
Market.
Passion fruit is one of the most profitable fruit to farm. One plant if carefully tended can grow vigorously yielding up to 2kg of fruit every week during the high season. That’s 10-15 kg in a year. The local market sells at Ksh. 40-100 per kg, while going for Ksh. 70-100 per kg for export, and is also dependent on the market supply and demand which is always high; this makes passion fruit farming very profitable and lucrative to venture into.
Cost per seedling- Non grafted- 60, Grafted Purple passion- Ksh. 100
Seedlings per acre - 620 plants per acre.
Spacing - 2m by 3m
Fruit price - 40-100 for local market, 70-100/kg export market, but dependent on market supply and demand too.
Yield - 4,000kg per acre per Year.
Common pests - Aphids, Mealy Bugs and Spider mites, Thrips, Nematodes, Bugs, Broad or Yellow Tea Mite.
Common diseases - Fusarium wilt, Passion fruit woodiness, Brown spot, Septoria spot and Phytophthora blight.