
Pepino
Resource by Plusfarm
The Pepino melon (solanum muritacum) is an
herbaceous Andean fruit grown mainly for its juicy and aromatic fruits. It has
leaves resembling those plants and if left un-pruned grows into a low dense
bush and has more a scrambling nature like a determinate tomato. It originated
from the South America but can thrive well in tropical climate of Kenya and its
soils. The fruit is typically a bright green or yellow green and often has some
red or purple striations. The flesh is golden yellow when ripe with a narrow
seed cavity. The melon is entirely edible; skin, flesh and seeds. The fruit is
very sweet and juicy.
Varieties
Variety |
Characteristics |
Snowball |
The plant develops white curds. The curds are smooth and firm. The texture of the cauliflower is fine. They are sweet to taste with a unique flavor. The leaves are extra-large in this variety which protects the curd. |
Purple of Sicily |
The amazing color makes it all the more palatable to your taste. What’s surprising is that, apart from the striking color, it changes to green when you cook it. It has got this sweet, delicious flavor which you will love. |
Cheddar |
Orange
colored. The color is due to the fact that they contain lots of carotenes.
Carotene is essential to keep your eyes healthy. The cheddar variety is very easy to cultivate. The light orange hue of the curd changes to a deeper shade when cooked. These varieties produce heavier curds and have more density. |
Romanesco |
This variety of cauliflower plants yields light green curds. The curds grow in a spiral shape and at maturity join together to form a large spiral which makes them look fantastic. |
Plusfarm Kenya |
Feeding Africa Sustainably |
Cultivation
Ecological
requirements cool season
crop tolerant to conditions areas with an altitude range of 1500-3000 M
ASL.for optimal performance, a temperature range of 12°C-24°C is suitable.
Production is affected by relatively high temperatures. Rainfall requirement annually is between 800-1200mm. The plant should be planted at a spacing of 2-3 feet. |
Soil requirements The plant requires well-drained loam soils with a pH
of 6.5-7.5. The plants should also be well watered and weeded. The soil depth requirement is 30 cm. Pepino plants may be grown in sandy, loamy, or even heavy clay soils, although they prefer alkaline, with an acid. Pepinos should be planted in sun exposure and in moist soil. |
Crop Management The crop also
adapts well to greenhouse cultivation, training the plants up to 2 m tall,
and obtaining yields that are 2-3 times larger than those obtained outdoors. They are propagated by cuttings since they are established easily without rooting hormones. It is grown in a manner similar to its relatives such as the tomato, though it grows naturally upright by habit and can thus be cultivated as a free-standing bush, though it is sometimes pruned. Additionally,
supports are sometimes used to keep the weight of the fruit from pulling the plant down. It has a fast growth rate and bears fruit within 4 to 6 months after planting. It is a perennial but is usually cultivated as an annual. Established bushes show some tolerance to drought stress, but this typically affects yield. The plants are parthenocarpic, meaning it needs no pollination to set fruit, though pollination will encourage fruiting. |
Pests and Diseases / Commonly Used Agrochemicals
Disease and Symptoms |
Active Ingredient |
Commonly Used Agrochemicals |
Damping off and Root
Rot Wilting and stunted
growth. Brown foliage |
metalaxyl-M, mancozeb Mancozeb +
Cymoxanil |
RIDOMIL GOLD® MZ 68WG Mistress |
Anthracnose Circular black or brown
sunken lesions on fruit Wet centers of lesions
become purplish colored due to a mass of fungal spores. |
Azoxystrobin and
Difenoconazole. Mancozeb + Cymoxanil |
AMISTAR TOP® 325SC AGROMAX MZ720 WP
Wettable Powder |
Bacterial wilt Circular black or brown
sunken lesions When wet the centers of
lesions become purplish colored due to a mass of fungal spores. Water-soaked
sunken lesions |
Acibenzolar-S-Methyl
(50.0% methyl bromide,
1,3-dichloropropene, or metam sodium with chloropicrin |
ACTIGARD 50WG Soil fumigants |
Bacterial canker Scabby canker spots on
the fruits. Local lesions on fruits,
stems and leaves, does not induce systemic infection on the plant. |
Copper Oxychloride
500g/Kg |
GREENCOP 500WP. |
Bacterial soft Rot Internal tissue of the
fruit softens, turns into a watery mass and produces a foul
smell. |
Copper
oxychloride Immunomodulator |
Sulcop 50DF Enrich BM |
Powdery mildew Whitish talcum-like
powdery growth on the upper leaf surface Severely infected parts
become chlorotic and eventually die. Stunted growth is evident. |
Difenoconazole Azoxystrobin Carbendazim +
Triadimefon Azoxystrobin 250g/L |
Domain 25% EC Milestone 250SC Ransom 600WP AMITIV 250 SC |
Phytophthora blight Foliar blight, fruit
rot, and root rot spreads very fast when humidity and temperature are high.
In severe cases, wilting occurs and the crop dies within a few days. |
Dimethomorph + Mancozeb |
ACROBAT MZ Wettable
Powder Dimethomorph 90g/Kg + Mancozeb |
Fusarium wilt Vein clearing on young
leaves and dropping of older lower leaves. Turn yellow and wilt. Brownish
vascular tissues |
Prochloraz Carbendazim |
PEARL 20ml/20ltr. |
Blossom End Rot Affects the end of the
fruit which starts with softening, slight shriveling, browning, blackening
with increased shriveling, and sometimes secondary decay. |
calcium |
Use calcium containing
fertilizer AMIRAN CALMAG |
PLUSFARM
KENYA Feeding Africa Sustainably |
Pest and Symptoms |
Active Ingredient |
Commonly used
Agrochemicals |
Aphids Causes leaves to yellow
and distorted, necrotic spots on leaves and stunted shoots; Presence of
honeydew which encourages the growth of sooty mold on the plants. |
Azadirachtin |
ACHOOK 0.15% EC
Emulsifiable Concentrate; FORTUNE AZA 1,000 ppm;
NEEMARK EC 0.03%; NEEMRAJ SUPER – 3000
0.3%; NIMBECIDINE Emulsifiable Concentrate 0.03%; OZONEEM 1% EC |
Cutworms Stems of young
transplants or seedlings may be severed at soil line; presence of leaf pieces
partly pulled down into the soil and plants fall over |
Carbaryl |
HYCARB 85 WP Wettable
powder; SEVIN 85 S Wettable powder |
White flies Whiteflies excrete
honeydew, a clear, sugary liquid. This honeydew covers the lower leaves and
supports the growth of black sooty mold, which may coat the entire plant. |
Deltamethrin
Thiacloprid
Bifenthrin 25g/L |
ATOM 2.5EC Emulsifiable
Concentrate; DECIS 0.5 ULV Ultra Low volume; DECIS 2.5 EC (Emulsifiable
Concentrate); F CALYPSO SC 480
Suspension Concentrate BIFERAN 25 EC |
Nematodes damage to the roots,
leading even to the death of rootstocks of Solanaceae fruit crops |
Fosthiazate 150g/l |
NEMATHORIN® 150EC |
Flea beetle Chewing damage on leaves
results in a characteristic pitting or shot-holing. When leaves of host
plants are waxy and thick |
ACTELLIC 25 EC |
Pirimiphos-Methyl |
Leaf miner mines are usually
partially filled with frass and are irregular in shape. Tissue death (necrosis),
during serious infestations, the leaves can become skeletonized. |
Abamectin 18g/L |
AVID 1.8 EC |
PLUSFARM KENYA
Feeding Africa Sustainably |
Post Harvest
Fruits mature within 30-80 days after pollination. However, the
fruits do not mature at the same time. Fruits should be picked only when
completely mature in order to assure the highest flavour and sugar content.
Ripe flesh of the fruit is pale yellow-orange in colour. Fruits are harvested once they have fully ripened and can be stored for several days.
They can be eaten wholly and are also useful in making desserts and as addition to fruit salads. Don’t be tempted to harvest fruit before they are really yellow since they won’t have acquired full sweetness. Ripe flesh is a very pale yellow-orange in colour. Pick the ripest fruit in the cluster, and the others will continue to mature. Handle carefully since they bruise easily. They can be stored on the kitchen bench for several days, or in the refrigerator for several weeks provided the temperature is not below 5° C.