Fruit Morpho-Physico-Chemical Studies in Surinam cherry and Substrate Standardization for its Seed Propagation

Surinam cherry is an exotic underutilized fruit species belonging to the family Myrtaceae. It grows as a shrub and bears attractive ribbed fruits, which change colour from green to pale yellow, orange and red with advancement in maturity. The species has been introduced in different parts of India including the Andaman Islands. Comparative morphological characterization of fruits from mature orange and ripe red stages revealed significant variations in fruit length, fruit width, fruit weight and weight of edible portion per fruit. Fruit length had significantly positive correlation with fruit width, fruit weight and seed weight per fruit. Total soluble solids, pH and titratable acidity also exhibited significant variations. Effect of substrates viz. soil, vermicompost and coir pith compost on seed germination was also studied in the species. Germination pattern varied widely among the treatments. Significantly highest germination percentage was recorded when coir pith compost was used as a substrate than soil or vermicompost. Seedling growth parameters viz. shoot length, number of leaves, leaf length and width, collar thickness, number of primary roots and root thickness also exhibited significant variations among the treatments, while root length was statistically similar in all the treatments. These findings would help in popularization of Surinam Cherry in the humid tropical regions of the country.