Passion fruit farming in Senapati District, Manipur

Dr. Thohe Pou *

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is round to oval, yellow or dark purple when it becomes ripe. The fruit is grown to eat or for its juice; interior is juicy - filled with numerous seeds. There are two types of varieties - the purple passion fruit is native from southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina.

The origin of yellow form is unknown but it is believe to be originated from Amazon region of Brazil, or is a hybrid. But Cytological studies have not borne out the hybrid theory. Passion fruit is now cultivating commercially for its fruit in many countries of the world.

Pic1: Purple Passion fruit

It is now widely grown in India, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Brazil, southern Florida, Hawaii, Australia, East Africa, Israel and South Africa. In Brazil the purple passion fruit is preferred for consuming fresh and the yellow for juice processing and the making of preserves.

Pic2: Yellow Passion fruit

The purple passion fruit is commonly cultivated in Australia. Now the countries like Australia and Brazil had a well-established passion fruit industry with large scale juice extraction plants. In India, some of the farmers had started commercially cultivation in Nashik, Maharashtra and Senapati District, Manipur (North east India).

Distribution in India: Passion is found in Nashik, Maharashtra and Senapati District, Manipur but till now this exotic fruit is not easily available in Indian market. The exact year of passion fruit coming to Senapati District, Manipur is unknown but the passion fruit is grown in most of the gardens in Mao-Maram and Poumai Naga dominated areas since 1970s.

The passion fruit plantation for commercial purpose in Senapati District commenced only in 2000AD, when the Passion Fruit Industry was started at Mao by Daikho Mao.

Today, almost every household in Mao-Maram and Poumai Naga region cultivate passion fruit for commercial purpose. The passion fruit is now sale in the market in Nagaland and Manipur but due to lack of road transportation and marketing facilities, it does not export to other states of India.

Seasons and Harvesting: Passion fruit is cultivated from July-December in Senapati District, Manipur. However the leaves of passion fruit are harvesting and used as Herbal medicine throughout the year.

Food Uses: In different countries, passion fruits are used for different purposes. In India - Senapati district, Manipur, the indigenous people of the Nagas use passion fruit leaves tea leaves and salad. They also make 'Khecheeri' with rice and passion fruit leaves.

In some countries, passion fruits are sweetened and diluted with water or other juices (especially orange or pineapple), to make cold drinks. In South Africa, passion fruit juice is blended with milk and an alginate; in Australia the pulp is added to yogurt.

Passion fruit juice also used in making sauce, gelatine desserts, candy, ice cream, sherbet, cake icing, cake filling, meringue or chiffon pie, cold fruit soup, or in cocktails. The seeded pulp is made into jelly or is combined with pineapple or tomato in making jam.

Swiss processors have marketed a passionfruit-based soft drink called "Passaia" for a number of years in Western Europe. Costa Rica produces wine sold as "Parchita Seco."

Pic:3 Leaves and flowers

Medicinal Uses: The fermented passion fruit juice is becoming popular in every household in Senapati District and used as digestive herbal medicine. Passion fruit leaves and fruits are commonly use by the gastric patient in Manipur and Nagaland.

In Manipur or Nagaland, it is not proved scientifically but experiencing from consumption, they came to realise that the leaves and fruits are very good for digestion and other gastric problem. However, still they do not have other knowledge that passion fruit and leaves are good for B.P, Asthma, cancer etc.

Gastric cancer: Currently a revival of interest in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in Europe, in the use of the glycoside; Italian chemists have extracted passiflorine from the air-dried leaves of P. edulis. In Madeira, the juice of passion fruits is given as a digestive stimulant and treatment for gastric cancer.

Reduction of Asthma: "We now have two scientific publications indicating passion fruit has a beneficial effect on two very common but very different human diseases - hypertension and asthma - and that's very exciting." A study by Watson and his co-workers showed that the consumption of purple passion fruit peel extract can reduce asthma symptoms. Powdered passion fruit may hold a cure for asthma.

Anti-cancer effect: Researchers at the University of Florida have found that yellow passion fruit extracts can kill cancer cells in vitro. The photochemical which are responsible for this anti-cancer effect are carotenoids and polyphenols.

Blood Pressure (B.P): A passion fruit extract can cut down severe wheezing and coughing among asthma patients and help reduce blood pressure, a new study published in the journal Nutrition Research, has found.

In a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, only about a fifth of the people receiving purple passion fruit skin extracts had wheeze as a symptom, compared to nearly 80 percent of the placebo group. In another trial, passion fruit treatment significantly decreased blood pressure.

Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion (Purple passionfruit, pulp and seeds)*

Calories	90	Phosphorus	64 mg	Ascorbic Acid	30 mg
Moisture	75.1 g	Iron'	1.6 mg	Niacin	1.5 mg
Protein	2.2 g	Sodium	28 mg	Calcium	13 mg
Fat	0.7 g	Potassium	348 mg	Riboflavin	0.13 mg
Carbohydrates	21.2 g	Vitamin A	700 I.U.	Thiamine	Trace
Fiber	?	Ash	0.8g

*According to U.S. Dept. Agr. ARS.

Medicinal Properties: The juice but mainly the leaves of passion fruit contain the alkaloids, including Harman, which has blood pressure lowering, sedative and antispasmodic action. The passion fruit leaves are used in many countries as medicines.

The flower of passion fruit has a mild sedative and can help to induce sleep. Passion flower has been used in the treatment of nervous and easily excited children, bronchial asthma, insomnia, nervous gastrointestinal disorders and menopausal problems. Passion flower is sometimes used as a mild hallucinogen.

Passion fruit cultivation and availability: Passion fruit is mostly cultivated in Senapati District, Manipur (India). The valuable medicinal passion fruit plants are unknown to many people in India. The potentiality of commercial cultivation in India is still untapped till today in many states in India.

The soil moisture and climatic condition is quite suitable in Senapati District, but still the farmers need to explore for commercial cultivation. In Senapati district, about 100 sq. km comes under passion fruit cultivation and it is available to export to other States of India and abroad.

However due to non availability of the marketing facilities and traders, it is locally consumed or rotten in their farm houses.

References:

• http://www.homelycapers.com/2008/how-to-grow-passionfruit/
• http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/passionfruit.html
• Ajay Desai, Harkishan Nagar, Nashik, Maharashtra, INDIA.
• http://www.phytochemicals.info/plants/passion-fruit.php
• http://www.topnews.in/health/powdered-passion-fruit-may-hold-cure-asthma-22541
• http://www.passionfruit.org.nz/Varieties.htm
• Pictures from passionfruit.org
• http://www.vegfed.co.nz/about/6_quality.cfm
• http://www.passionfruit.org.nz/Composition.htm

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* Dr. Thohe Pou contributes to e-pao.net regularly . The writer can be contacted at thohepou(at)gmail(dot)com . This article was webcasted on November 10, 2008.

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