Productivity and fruit quality of yellow passion fruit cultivars with or without artificial pollination

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of artificial pollination on productivity and fruit quality of yellow passion fruit cultivars. Seven commercial cultivars of yellow passion fruit were evaluated in two experiments carried out in Tangará da Serra, MT, Brazil, in a randomized block design with five replicates and plots consisting of two rows of four plants. In the first experiment, pollination was natural, whereas in the second it was artificial, performed twice a week. Planting was done on January 11, 2010, and harvests occured from July 2010 to March 2011. Artificial pollination increase the productivity of all cultivars, but their response to the technique varied. When artificial pollination was used, the cultivars FB 100, FB 200 and BRS Ouro Vermelho had a higher productivity than IAC 275, IAC 277, BRS Sol do Cerrado e BRS Gigante Amarelo. Artificial pollination increases productivity, fruit mass, diameter and length of fruit, and pulp percentage, and it reduces peel thickness. Strong genotype by environment interaction may be occurring, as for the productivity of the evaluated cultivars.