Analysis of purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) growth under ecological conditions of the Colombian lower montane rain forest

Abstract

High-Andean fruits are considered important for their domestic consumption and exportation potential. Among them, purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) is largely accepted in European markets. However, its short shelf life, worsened with the limited knowledge of the species lead to rapid fruit deterioration. An important contribution to the development of this crop is fruit growth mathematical modeling, which allows estimating harvest related issues, in order to define applicable agronomic management protocols. Periodic destructive sampling was employed to investigate fruits of known age corresponding to ten purple passion fruit materials from the Colombian departments of Antioquia, Putumayo and Nariño. The fruits were analyzed for dry weight, polar and equatorial diameters, thermal time (TT) and relative growth rate (RGR). In order to assess fruit growth, some nonlinear models were fitted using time after flowering (DAF) to predict dry weight and polar and equatorial diameters. For each response, the best fitting model was chosen according to homogeneous distribution of residuals, higher coefficient of determination for prediction (R 2 prediction), and smaller Mean Square Error and PRESS values. RGR was used to identify and describe fruit growth stages, while the TT was employed as a complementary measure to compare fruit ripening stages. The studied parameters were satisfactorily explained by Weber's Monomolecular model. Based on the models adjusted for fruit growth, it can be concluded that harvest must be carried out between days 85-90 after full bloom.

Crecimiento y caída de frutos en curuba (<i>Passiflora tripartita</i> var. mollissima)

“…As in our study, Franco et al (2014) used RGR values to determine that the fruits of Passiflora edulis have three growth phases with periods and duration that differ from those found for P. tripartita in our work, since despite their relationship, each species is genetically different and grows in different climates. Franco et al (2014) mention that the identified phases for fruit growth are related to the development of the seeds of P. edulis, and in addition, in the first 35 d after flowering an expansion of the intercellular spaces occurs within the fruits of P. edulis. Beadle (1993) mentions that, in general, fruit growth can be represented by curves that depict absolute and relative growth rates, allowing one to forecast fruit size and growth, which facilitates the optimization of crop management.…”

“…As in the present work, Arjona et al (1991) found a sigmoid curve for the diameter of the fruits of Passiflora edulis and P. incarnata. Franco et al (2014) also report that the growth dynamics of the polar and longitudinal diameter of P. edulis fruits are sigmoid. Stikić et al (2015) mention that the dynamics of fruit growth usually occurs in sigmoid form, in which the increase in fruit diameter is represented as a function of time.…”

“…Fruit growth represents an important element directly related to crop productivity and therefore, management of relevant techniques related to harvesting, storage and marketing. Franco et al (2014) point out that the mathematical modelling of fruit growth in Passiflora edulis is an important RESUMEN El crecimiento es un aumento irreversible en el tamaño de los órganos de las plantas que puede implicar cambios en su forma, y está acompañado de procesos como la morfogénesis y la diferenciación celular. La expresión matemática del crecimiento del fruto en plantas cultivadas es una herramienta que permite estimar aspectos relacionados con la producción, y además contribuye a definir protocolos aplicables al manejo agronómico del cultivo.…”

Caracterización de la gulupa (Passiflora edulis Sims var. Edulis) producida en el municipio de Cajamarca – Cañón de Anaime, Tolima Colombia

“…La pasiflora tiene presente muchos metabolitos secundarios como fenoles, leucoantocianidinas flavonoides, triterpenos y alcaloides, todos presentes en la cáscara, y que tienen gran relación con la actividad antioxidante del fruto es sus procesos de maduración (Franco, 2013). En sus jugos, la gulupa tiene un gran potencial de actividad antioxidante debido a los contenidos de ácido ascórbico y carotenoides que aumentan en su proceso de maduración y poscosecha, el contenido de neutralización del Radical ABTS•+ está entre los 300 y 400 µmol Trolox/100 g de fruto fresco, fenoles entre 200 y 300 mg de ácido gálico/100 g fruta y DPPH entre 90 y 100 de µmol Trolox/100 g de fruto fresco y FRAP de 36 a 40 mg ácido ascórbico/100 g muestra (Franco et al, 2014;Moreno et al, 2014;Rudnicki, 2007).…”

Seed Structural Variability and Germination Capacity in Passiflora edulis Sims f. edulis

“…Despite its importance, the purple passion fruit remains poorly investigated agronomically as well especially compared to the yellow passion fruit, which is more prevalent throughout tropical lowland areas of Brazil, Central America, and the Caribbean (Cerqueira et al, 2014;Marostega et al, 2017). Although purple passion fruit is now found in the highland tropics of Africa and sub-tropical regions, its original range was in mid to higher altitude elevations of the Andes (Franco et al, 2014).…”