Passion Fruits

Amir Rezazadeh, Mark T. Bailey, andAli Sarkhosh

In Florida, purple and yellow passion fruit have been widely cultivated by homeowners for years, and south Florida's subtropical climate allows for growing passion fruit year-round. Many factors affect longevity and productivity of passion fruit vine, including environmental stresses, pests, and disease. This document is designed to help Master Gardeners and homeowners by answering commonly asked questions about passion fruit production problems.

Mark Bailey, Ali Sarkhosh, Amir Rezazadeh, Joshua Anderson, Alan Chambers, and Jonathan Crane

Ellen Garcia, Ali Sarkhosh, andTie Liu

Tropical fruits are in high demand for their unique flavor, aroma, and their functional composition of phytochemicals with physiological benefits, deeming them “nutraceuticals.” Passion fruit can potentially be of high economic value for Florida, because of its suitability for tropical climates and its nutrient density, which has great benefits for human health. Passion fruit contains robust and essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, iron, potassium, zinc, and magnesium (Pham-Huy et al. 2008). This publication can help consumers understand passion fruit appeal and help Floridian producers and marketers understand the competitive advantages of passion fruit as an emerging industry for Florida.

Lethia R. Johnson, James P. Cuda, and Nathan Burkett-Cadena

The Featured Creatures collection provides in-depth profiles of insects, nematodes, arachnids and other organisms relevant to Florida. These profiles are intended for the use of interested laypersons with some knowledge of biology as well as academic audiences.

Fariborz Habibi, Ali Sarkhosh, Adrian D. Berry, andSteven Sargent

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) is an economically valuable tropical fruit with increasing consumer demand due to its distinctive flavor, nutritional richness, and diverse industrial applications. In Florida, passion fruit cultivation holds strong potential because of the state’s favorable climate and the fruit’s high market value. However, as a climacteric fruit, its metabolic activity continues after harvest, making passion fruit highly perishable and prone to postharvest deterioration. This publication reviews the physiological characteristics, developmental stages, and maturity indices of passion fruit, emphasizing appropriate harvesting, handling, and storage techniques to maintain fruit quality and extend shelf life. This publication provides comprehensive insights to help growers, researchers, and industry professionals reduce losses, improve marketability, and enhance the profitability of passion fruit production in Florida.

Trent Blare, Trent D. Blare, Victor Contreras, Victor Contreras, Fredy H. Ballen, Joshua D. Anderson, Jonathan H. Crane, andNicholas Haley

This publication examines the estimated costs and returns of an established purple passionfruit orchard in south Florida. The information presented in this publication was collected through field interviews with growers and industry specialists. It is based on a variety of production practices on small scale farms (1-2 acres). The information is intended only as a guide to estimate the financial requirements of running an established passionfruit planting. We estimated that the average net return of an established passionfruit (purple) plantation in south Florida is approximately $2,562/acre, or $0.92/pound.

Ali Sarkhosh, Juan David Jimenez Pardo, Jonathan Clavijo-Herrera, Uzman Khalil Chaudhry, andJonathan H. Crane

The climate of Florida is suitable for growing a variety of tropical and subtropical fruits, including passionfruit (Passiflora edulis). Passionfruit has a distinctive aroma and sweet-sour taste, and it has become highly appreciated in culinary and home gardening circles. The center of origin of passionfruit is South America, although it is also grown in other tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The cultivation of this fruit requires a solid understanding of effective propagation methods to ensure the availability of high-quality plant material. This guide covers various sexual and asexual propagation techniques, from traditional seed sowing to advanced methods such as tissue culture.