Lulo (Solanum quitoense), a new greenhouse crop for Central Europe: Reproductive phenology and yield
P 2.10 in Research in its Prime: First Results of Ongoing Research
There are several edible crops in the tropics which are still unknown in Central Europe. One of these is lulo (Solanum quitoense), whose delicious fruits are widely used in South America but quite not market in Germany. In our regions tropical fruits have to be cultivated in greenhouses, a quite expensive purpose. 2011 started a sustainable project called Klein-Eden, located in Kleintettau (Kronach), where industrial waste heat is used to heat a greenhouse. Under these frame conditions cultivation of tropical fruits could be economically and ecologically interesting.
Production of tropical crops in temperate regions might be limited by seasonal fluctuations in day length. Thus lulo’s reproductive development and yield under long (summer and additional lighting in winter) and short day (winter) conditions was evaluated. The results show that plant age until first flowering was not influenced by day length. However, in winter bloom duration was longer and splitted in two flowering periods instead of one. In addition, time from bud to fruit set was longer in winter than in summer (14 days respectively 9 days with additional lighting). Harvest occurred earliest for lulos grown in summer and more fruits were produced under long day conditions. Summing up, the lulo with its delicious fruits is suitable for greenhouse cultivation in Central Europe all year round. Yield could be enhanced in winter by additional lighting.