6 PASSION FUIT 6.121 – GROWING & SOIL

 
ORGANIC FARMING CURSE AGRO-ECONOMY
6 PASSION FUIT 6.121 – GROWING & SOIL

 
Ecological requirements
Passion fruits do well in a wide range of altitudes from 1,200m to 1,800m above sea level East of the Rift Valley and up to 2,000m above sea level West of the Rift valley.
Optimum temperature for purple passion fruit is between 18° C to 25° C and 25° C to 30° C for yellow passion fruit while the rainfall should be well-distributed, between 900 mm to 2,000 mm per year.

Excess rainfall causes poor fruit set and encourages diseases mainly leaf and fruit rusts. For good production, passion fruits do well in a variety of soils, which should be reasonably deep and fertile with soil pH ranging between 6.0 and 6.5.
In high rainfall areas, the soils should be well-drained as plants will not withstand waterlogging or flooding. Some passion fruit enterprises that were doing well in Uasin Gishu County some five years ago collapsed because of soil acidity (pH < 5.0), which reduces nutrient uptake and accelerates Fusarium wilt disease that causes rotting of roots and stems finally drying of the whole plant. Farmers are encouraged to apply manure and lime in the holes and whole field to reduce the soil acidity effects.

Planting and trellising
Passion fruit can be grown from seeds but grafting often produces improved stock. Yellow passion fruit is best for production of rootstock because of superior disease resistance while purple is good for fruit production.
Seeds germinate in four weeks after removal of the pulp and drying. Production of seedlings in plastic bags is the most used method.
Up to three seeds are planted in each bag and then thinned to one after emergence. Seedlings will require up to four months to reach a suitable transplanting growth stage. After about seven weeks of growth following transplanting, each plant should have up to four healthy lateral stems.
Transplanting should be done at the beginning of the rainy season around April-June. Passion fruit has deep roots, so soils should be well-tilled. Transplant to a field with posts having wire trellis to support the growing crop and fruits produced.
The vines are usually directed so that growth is in both directions along the supporting wires. Yields are highest following a regular fertilization regime. Old or dead shoots should be pruned. Intercropping with vegetables or other annuals is recommended to utilize free space especially when the crop is young.
Once established, the vines grow rapidly and the fruit should flower after about seven months. Ideally, young passion vines should be set in the field early in the growing season after there is no danger of drought.

Passion vines are planted 2m from one row to the other and 3m from one plant to the other. Horizontal trellises have cross-pieces at the top of each post with two to four wires strung horizontally 60cm apart along the top of each cross-piece.
Vertical trellises consist of heavy posts without cross-pieces, with two to three wires strung along the row like barbed wire fencing, attached to the posts from the top down at intervals of about 30-40cm apart.
Trellis wires should be size 9 or 10 galvanized steel. The posts need to be stout enough to withstand the weight of the vines and fruits produced throughout a season that normally includes the buffeting of strong winds. Ideally, they should be long enough to provide a trellis height of 1.5m, with 45-75 cm in the ground. Trellis rows should be oriented north-south for maximum exposure to sunlight, and the vines should be allowed to grow together along the trellises to promote cross-pollination

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KILIMO HAI CHALAANI KILIMO-UCHUMI
6 PASSION FUIT 6.121 - KUKUZA & UDONGO
 
Mahitaji ya kiikolojia
Matunda ya Passion hufanya vizuri katika miinuko mingi kutoka 1,200m hadi 1,800m juu ya usawa wa bahari Mashariki ya Bonde la Ufa na hadi 2,000m juu ya usawa wa bahari Magharibi mwa bonde la Ufa.
Joto bora zaidi kwa tunda la zambarau la passion ni kati ya 18° C hadi 25° C na 25° C hadi 30° C kwa tunda la passion ya manjano wakati mvua inapaswa kusambazwa vizuri, kati ya 900 mm hadi 2,000 mm kwa mwaka.
Mvua nyingi husababisha mkusanyiko duni wa matunda na huchochea magonjwa hasa kutu ya majani na matunda. Kwa uzalishaji mzuri, matunda ya passion hufanya vyema katika aina mbalimbali za udongo, ambao unapaswa kuwa na kina kirefu na chenye rutuba na pH ya udongo kati ya 6.0 na 6.5.
Katika maeneo yenye mvua nyingi, udongo unapaswa kuwa na unyevu wa kutosha kwani mimea haitastahimili mafuriko au mafuriko. Baadhi ya biashara za matunda aina ya passion ambazo zilikuwa zikifanya vyema katika Kaunti ya Uasin Gishu miaka mitano iliyopita zilianguka kwa sababu ya asidi ya udongo (pH <5.0), ambayo hupunguza uchukuaji wa virutubishi na kuharakisha ugonjwa wa mnyauko Fusarium ambao husababisha kuoza kwa mizizi na shina hatimaye kukauka kwa mmea wote. Wakulima wanahimizwa kuweka samadi na chokaa kwenye mashimo na shamba zima ili kupunguza athari za asidi ya udongo.
Kupanda na trellising
Matunda ya Passion yanaweza kukuzwa kutoka kwa mbegu lakini kupandikiza mara nyingi hutoa hisa iliyoboreshwa. Tunda la passion ya manjano ni bora zaidi kwa uzalishaji wa vizizi kwa sababu ya upinzani bora wa magonjwa wakati zambarau ni nzuri kwa uzalishaji wa matunda.
Mbegu huota katika wiki nne baada ya kuondolewa kwa massa na kukausha. Uzalishaji wa miche kwenye mifuko ya plastiki ndiyo njia inayotumika zaidi.
Hadi mbegu tatu hupandwa katika kila mfuko na kisha kupunguzwa hadi moja baada ya kuota. Miche itahitaji hadi miezi minne kufikia hatua inayofaa ya ukuaji wa kupandikiza. Baada ya takriban wiki saba za ukuaji baada ya kupandikiza, kila mmea unapaswa kuwa na hadi mashina manne ya upande yenye afya.
Kupandikiza inapaswa kufanywa mwanzoni mwa msimu wa mvua karibu Aprili-Juni. Matunda ya mateso yana mizizi ya kina, kwa hivyo udongo unapaswa kulimwa vizuri. Pandikiza kwenye shamba lenye nguzo zenye wire trellis ili kusaidia mazao yanayokua na matunda yanayozalishwa.
Mizabibu kawaida huelekezwa ili ukuaji uwe katika pande zote mbili kando ya waya zinazounga mkono. Mavuno ni ya juu zaidi kufuatia utaratibu wa kawaida wa mbolea. Shina za zamani au zilizokufa zinapaswa kukatwa. Kupanda mseto na mboga mboga au mimea mingine ya kila mwaka inashauriwa kutumia nafasi ya bure hasa wakati mazao yakiwa machanga.
Baada ya kuanzishwa, mizabibu hukua haraka na matunda yanapaswa kuchanua baada ya miezi saba. Kimsingi, mizabibu michanga ya shauku inapaswa kuwekwa shambani mapema katika msimu wa ukuaji baada ya kutokuwa na hatari ya ukame.
Mizabibu ya mateso hupandwa 2m kutoka mstari mmoja hadi mwingine na 3m kutoka mmea mmoja hadi mwingine. Miteremko ya mlalo ina vipande-pande juu ya kila nguzo na nyaya mbili hadi nne zilizounganishwa kwa mlalo 60cm kando ya sehemu ya juu ya kila kipande cha msalaba.
Miteremko ya wima ina nguzo nzito zisizo na vipande vya kuvuka, na nyaya mbili hadi tatu zilizofungwa kando ya safu kama uzio wa nyaya zenye miiba, zikiwa zimeunganishwa kwenye nguzo kutoka juu kwenda chini kwa vipindi vya umbali wa 30-40cm.
Waya za trellis zinapaswa kuwa za ukubwa wa 9 au 10 za mabati. Machapisho yanahitaji kuwa magumu vya kutosha kustahimili uzito wa mizabibu na matunda yanayozalishwa katika msimu mzima ambayo kwa kawaida hujumuisha kupigwa na upepo mkali. Kwa kweli, zinapaswa kuwa na urefu wa kutosha kutoa urefu wa trelli ya 1.5m, na cm 45-75 ardhini. Safu za trellis zinapaswa kuelekezwa kaskazini-kusini kwa mwangaza wa juu zaidi wa jua, na mizabibu inapaswa kuruhusiwa kukua pamoja kando ya trellis ili kukuza uchavushaji mtambuka.