738 (PS 7) EFFECT OF TRELLIS TYPES ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF PASSION FRUIT

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo, Uganda from September 1990 to March 1992, using two local purple types of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sim) and Kawanda Hyhrid. There were 18 experimental rows, each 72.0 m long with 4.5 m spacing between the rows. Each row had 12 pits 6 m apart with two plants per pit. Three types of trellises [control-bar (CB), T-bar (TB), and double T-bar (DTB)], each extending the entire row length, were installed on wooden poles using No. 10 wire. Fruit number and yield were significantly higher for Kawanda Hybrid than the local purple types. The fruit yield for Kawanda Hybrid ranged from 16.84 MT/ha (CB) to 22.05 MT/ha (TB). Kawanda Hybrid fruit yield for TB and DTB was about 30.0% higher than that of CB. The mean fresh fruit weight was about 40.0 g for the purple types and 63.3 g for Kawanda Hybrid. The mean pH of fruit juice was 2.7 for Kawanda Hybrid and 3.1 for the local purple types. Mean total soluble solids in juice were 15.9%.