Review on the ecophysiology of important Andean fruits: Passiflora L.

Abstract

The development of Andean fruit crops is viewed as an important and healthy contribution to global food consumption but ecophysiological studies on these fruit trees are scarce. 96% of approximately 520 Passiflora L. species are distributed in the Americas, especially in Colombia and Brazil. Many of these species originated on the edges of humid forests in tropical valleys. The four species: yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Degener), sweet granadilla (Passiflora ligularis Juss.), purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. edulis Sims) and banana passion fruit (Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima (Kunth) Holm-Niels & P.M. Jørg) are widely cultivated in Colombia, and their ecophysiological findings are described in this review. The demands, in terms of temperature (°C) and altitude (masl) are, for yellow passion fruits: 15-28 °C and 0-1,300 masl; sweet granadillas: 15-23 °C and 1,800-2,600 masl; purple passion fruits: 15-22/12-14 °C (day/night) and 1,600-2,300 masl; and banana passion fruit: 13-16 °C and 1.800-3.200 masl; all of them have high requirements for solar radiation, a minimum of 7 h of sunshine per day, to encourage flowering and fruit quality. Cloudy days decrease growth, flower bud induction and flower opening. Temperature and photosynthetic active radiation are the climatic factors that have the greatest effect on plant development. Relative humidity between 60 and 80% supports effective pollination and fecundation. Passiflora L. crops do not support long periods of waterlogging, with a maximum of 4 days for yellow passion fruit. Climatic events such as prolonged rain, intense droughts, strong winds and hail are harmful for these plants.