TRAINING AND PRUNING OF PASSION FRUIT (PASSIFLORA EDULIS SIMS) IN KENYA

An observation trial was initiated at the National Horticultural Research Station, Thika, Kenya, in April 1970 to observe the economic life of passion fruit under various cultural training systems: (a) training two shoots as leaders to the wire and in opposite directions, then leaving them unpruned; (b) training one leader; (c) training two leaders; and (d) training three leaders along the wire in opposited directions, the laterals being allowed to hang down freely due to the regular removal of tendrils. The passion fruit plant bears fruit on the current season's wood and therefore, after laterals had borne their last fruits in treatments b, c, and d, the growth was renewed by pruning the unproductive laterals back to the new developing laterals, as close to the leader as possible. Pruning away the unproductive laterals, tendrils, dead laterals and dead leaves promotes a more efficient coverage of the sprays in the vines, assisting in the control of pests and diseases. This has demonstrated the importance of pruning passion fruit vines in order to help, by cultural practices, a reduction in the spread of brown spot disease caused by the fungus Alternaria passiflora.