Lost Crops of the Incas Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation (1989) / Chapter Skim
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Naranjilla- Lulo
Naranjilla- Lulo
Pages 266-275
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From page 266... ...
254 LOST CROPS OF THE INCAS be propagated and commercialized. One, the babaco (see later)
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From page 267... ...
However, producing naranjilla is a scientific challenge; before it can achieve its potential, it needs intensive research. Despite its overwhelming popularity in the northern Andes, it has been given little serious commercial development.
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From page 268... ...
In the 1970s, a major U.S. soup manufacturer created a fruit drink based on naranjilla for nationwide sale, but it reluctantly abandoned the project because of problems in producing a large and reliable supply of fruit.
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From page 269... ...
(Most tasters express surprise that it is not a blend of several fruits.) Naranjillas are eaten only when fully ripe, at which time they yield to a soft squeeze and their rather leathery skin is bright orange or yellow (though sometimes still marbled with green)
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From page 270... ...
Seedlings begin bearing in 6-12 months; grafted plants mature even faster, flowering at 3-4 months of age and maturing fruits at 6 months. In principle, this perennial could continue bearing for years, but in the Andes and Central America plantings usually succumb to root-knot nematodes after about 4 years.
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From page 271... ...
Andean farmers mainly grow naranjilla on rainy slopes, where, as long as temperatures remain moderate, fruits are produced year-round. To prevent fungal and bacterial root infections, well-drained soils are imperative.
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From page 272... ...
Viruses, too, can be troublesome. RESEARCH NEEDS Cermplasm Collection Replicate germplasm collections should be established in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, and other countries.
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From page 273... ...
· Growing a cover crop or rotation crop of plants, such as velvet bean or Indigofera species, that help eliminate nematode infestations. · Inducing somaclonal variation in regenerated plants as a way of unmasking inherent nematode resistance that is now hidden.
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From page 274... ...
Variety quitoense is the common, spineless form found in southern Colombia and Ecuador. Variety septentrionale has spines, is hardier, and grows mainly at altitudes of 1,000~1,900 m in central Colombia and Costa Rica.
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From page 275... ...
It, too, deserves wider appreciation; a little horticultural investigation might produce a new crop as popular as the naranjilla, but suitable for cultivation in areas too warm for naranjilla. Solanum vest~ssimum Native to Colombia and Venezuela, this is another wild species with pleasantly flavored fruits.
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