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The strawberry guava : weed or new fruit species for wet areas ? The example of the Reunion Island

Normand F.. 2000. In : ISHS. International Symposium on Tropical and Subtropical Fruits, Cairns, Australia, 26 november - 1 December 2000. Symposium booklet and abstracts. s.l. : s.n., p. 44-44. International Symposium on Tropical and Subtropical Fruits, 2000-11-26/2000-12-01, Cairns (Australie).

The strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum Sabine) is a shrub naturalised in several subtropical areas where it is not cultivated but often considered as an invasive plant. In the Reunion Island, a French overseas territory located in the Indian Ocean, the red fruit subspecies cattleianum is a major invader in disturbed wet areas. Its sweet and aromatic fruit are appreciated by the inhabitants. Gathering activities in the wild supply processing industries, which gives some economical importance to this species. As strawberry guava thrives well in wet areas where the farming potential is low, its cultivation can become a means to provide additional incomes to farmers. to secure the supply with fruit to industries and to develop the market. Very little information about cropping techniques being available from the literature, a domestication program has been engaged. Variability among plants is of very limited extent so that there was no need to start with a selection program. On farm trials have been established at different elevations and both technical and economical data have been recorded. This paper presents some results about the influence of some ecological and agronomic (planting material, tree spacing, fertilisation) factors on plant growth, yield and fruit quality, as well as data on pests and diseases, post-harvest handling techniques, production costs and market features. Strawberry guava appears as a promising fruit crop in wet areas with an increasing market for fresh and processed fruit. The need for further studies for a more effective management of yield and fruit quality is stressed.
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