Sweet Granadilla Passion Seedling

Sweet Granadilla Passion Seedling

Passiflora ligularis is an evergreen climbing shrub, producing stems of up to 5 m long. The stems scramble over the ground or clamber into the surrounding vegetation, attaching themselves using coiling tendrils. The leaves are ovate 8 – 22 cm long and 6 – 17 cm wide. The colour of the upper side is dark green and the underside green greyish. Younger leaves vary and can have a slight violet tone. The plant has shallow roots. The flower is 6 – 12 cm in diameter with acute sepals, a green outside, and a white inside. The petals are 3 cm long and 1 cm wide, and they are white or white with a slightly pink or violet coloring. It needs to be pollinated, which is usually done by bumblebees, honey bees, and large wasps. However, strong winds can interfere with the pollination of the flower as well as cause branch breakage, dehydration, and scarring on the fruits. The flower only flowers for a day and the pollen may not be viable in the early morning or late afternoon. The plant does not seem to be photoperiodic as it can flower around the whole year. However, if the daily average of sunlight is less than 8 hours the fruits can become a brownish colour.  The flowers have an aromatic, sweet, and musky smell.

Fruit

The fruit is initially green and becomes a yellowish orange with small white dots when ripe. It has a round shape with a tip ending in the stem. The fruit is between 6.5 – 8 cm long and 5.1 – 7 cm in diameter. The outer shell is hard and slippery and has soft padding on the interior to protect the seeds. There can be 250 – 300 seeds per fruit. These seeds are hard and black, surrounded by a gelatinous sphere of translucent pulp. The pulp is the edible part of the fruit and has a soft sweet taste. It is very aromatic and contains vitamins A, C, and K, phosphorus, iron, and calcium.

Passiflora ligularis is susceptible to various pests, diseases, and pathogens. For example, Agraulis vanillae larvae feed on foliage, leading to potential defoliation, and rodents in regions like Haiti consume seeds. Fungal pathogens such as Colletotrichum spp. and Fusarium solani can cause anthracnose and collar rot, respectively, while viral diseases like passion fruit woodiness disease significantly reduce yields. Mycorrhizal associations, common in Passiflora species, enhance nutrient uptake and provide resistance to soil-borne pathogens. Effective management includes integrated pest control, regular monitoring, the use of biological controls, and the cultivation of resistant cultivars to mitigate these challenges.