Jackfruit Production in Florida

Jonathan H. Crane, Tropical Fruit Crops Specialist, Univ. of Fla.-IFAS,

Tropical Research

and Education Center

Carlos F. Balerdi, Multi-County Tropical Fruit Crops Extension Agent, Miami-Dade

County Coop. Ext. Service

Photography

• Jonathan H. Crane, UF-IFAS, TREC

• Ian Maguire, UF-IFAS, TREC

Thanks to Fairchild Tropical Garden for allowing us to photograph their jackfruit display.

Botany and environment

• Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is in the Moraceae

• Relatives include breadfruit (A. altilis), fig (Ficus sp.), mulberry (Morus sp.), champedak (A. integer), kwai muk (A. lingnanensis)

• Origin, probably India• Distribution: India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, China,

Malaysia, Philippines, Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Bahamas, Florida, Hawaii

• Adapted to topical and warm subtropical climates

Climate and environment

• Well adapted to humid, subtropical south Florida

• Trees are moderately drought tolerant, however, irrigation is recommended during prolonged dry periods

• Trees are not tolerant of continuously wet or flooded conditions

• Low cold tolerance, leaves damaged at 32oF, branches at 30oF, and trees may be killed at 28oF

• Young trees moderately tolerant of windy conditions during establishment and early growth phase

• Mature trees observed to recover from hurricane force winds

• Salt tolerance is unknown

Soil adaptation

• Trees appear to be adapted to the sandy, sandy loam and calcareous rockland type soils found in south Florida

• Trees grow best in well-drained soils. Pick planting sites that do not flood. Plant trees on mounds or beds in marginal areas

Season of production, pollination, and crop yields

• Main season is summer and fall, usually not winter, early spring

• Jackfruit flowers are wind and insect pollinated and generally require cross pollination for satisfactory fruit production. Thus planting more than one cultivar is recommended

• Mature trees may produce from 20 to over 250 lbs per tree. Tree yields which average 150 lbs per year are considered good

Propagation• Seedage: Use only

seed from superior quality and high yielding cultivars; 3-4 years to begin bearing

• Use vigorously growing seedling rootstocks and graft when pencil-size diameter

• Side veneer, cleft and approach grafting possible; chip budding also

• Budwood may be prepared 7-14 days ahead of time by removing tip and using when buds have swelled

• Containerized trees should not be allowed to become pot-bound as this may result in poor tree establishment and growth in the field

• Larger containerized trees have been found to establish better than small trees

Side-veneer grafted

jackfruit tree

Selected characteristics of selected jackfruit cultivars

Cultivar Fruit size (lbs)

Yield (lbs) Quality

Black Gold ~22 120-200 Good, sweet, aromatic

Cheena 5-10 110-150 Excellent, very aromatic

Dan Rasimi 18-20 165-275 Mild, sweet, pleasant aroma

Honey Gold 12-12 77-110 Sweet, rich flavor and aroma

Selected characteristics of selected jackfruit cultivars

Cultivar Fruit size (lbs)

Yield (lbs) Quality

J-30 17-25 110-132 Sweet, rich flavor and aroma

Kun Wi Chan

33-40 240 Mild, pleasant flavor

Lemon Gold

~13 66-100 Sweet and aromatic flavor

NS1 9-12 ~200 Sweet, rich flavor

Plant spacing

• If allowed to, jackfruit trees may become very large trees

• Trees should be 15 or more feet away from other trees and structures

• Crowding trees may result in upright growth and less fruit production

• Trees should be pruned annually to limit tree size

Planting and early care

• Planting may be done anytime if irrigation for watering and cold protection is provided. However, it is recommended to plant during late spring/early summer

• Plant in a large excavated or augured holes

• Not recommended to use a lot of soil amendments in the planting hole

• Plant trees at same soil height as in container

• Tamp soil gently upon planting, do not pack

• Water newly established trees well

• Fertilize after new growth is initiated

Irrigation• The water

requirements of jackfruit are unknown however, for newly established trees, irrigate 2-3 times per week if no substantial rainfall occurs

• Irrigation of mature trees during prolonged dry periods is recommended; especially during the bloom to harvest period

• Irrigation is best managed by monitoring soil water content with tensiometers or capacitance probes and/or the accounting method

Fertilizer recommendations

• Young trees: when new growth begins apply ¼ lb per tree of a 6-6-6 or similar material (30% N from an organic source). Increase the rate as trees mature.

• Repeat every 6 to 8 weeks during the first year

• Apply 4 to 6 minor element sprays per year (April to Sept. is best)

• Apply chelated iron 2 to 4 times per year (April to Sept. is best)

• Mature trees (5+ years old): apply 3 to 5 lbs of fertilizer per tree 2 to 3 times per year

• Apply 3 to 4 minor element sprays per year (April to Sept. is best)

• Apply chelated iron 2 to 4 times per year (April to Sept. is best)

Fruit thinning and young tree training

• The number of fruit per tree or major limb on young trees should be limited because a heavy fruit load on young trees has been observed to cause limb decline, tree decline, tree stunting, and tree death

• Limiting the number of fruit on mature trees may increase the fruit size of remaining fruit

Training• Year 1: tip selected

shoots to promote lateral bud break

• Year 2: remove central leader to weak lateral, this will slow upward growth and promote lateral growth

• Remove vigorous uprights

•Large mature treewith excessive fruitload. •The numberof fruit borne by ayounger tree shouldbe limited by thinning.•Excessive fruit loads on young trees have been observed to cause limb dieback and/or tree decline.

Pruning mature trees

• Periodically remove (thin out) old limbs from the center of the tree to increase light penetration

• Trees may be limited in height to 8’ to 14’ and width by selective pruning

• Trees may be mechanically topped and hedged

• Mechanically pruned trees may benefit from periodic selective pruning to open up the canopy to light

• Consider removing old fruit producing shoots after harvest

Mechanical pole saw for

selective pruning

Insect pests and control

• Wood boring beetles may attack limbs (especially stressed trees)

• Various scales including lesser snow scale, coconut scale, mango shield scale, pyriform scale, and mealy bugs

• Please contact your local Agric. Ext. Agent for current control recommendations (which are limited)

Diseases

• In general, there are few disease problems

• Male flowers and fruit may be attacked by Rhizopus fruit rot (Rhizopus artcarpi) and gray mold (Botrytis cinerea)

• Trees are susceptible to Pythium root rot, Phytophthora, and Fusarium; especially under wet soil conditions

• Please contact your local Agric. Ext. Agent for current control recommendations (which are limited)

Weeds

• Compete with trees for water and nutrients• Maintain a weed-free area 4-6 ft feet from

trunk• A 2-4 inch thickness of mulch may be

applied around the trees, keep the mulch 6-8 inches away from the trunk area

Fruit maturity• Many cultivars have

35-40% edible flesh• Immature fruit (1-3

months old) are green and may be used for cooking

• Mature fruit are eaten fresh and cooked

• Determination of fruit maturity is not always easy and the harvest period varies by cultivar

• Signs of fruit maturity include skin color changes from green to light green or yellow with brown coloration; spines flatten and widen, fruit emit a strong aroma; ripe fruit emit a hollow sound when tapped

Fruit flesh/pulp and rag

Edible pulpRag

Seeds

Harvesting and storage• Fruit are clipped and

the stem end should be either wrapped with paper to make handling easier or set the fruit on its side and allow the latex to drain from the stem-end

• Fruit should be supported when picked and not allowed to drop to the ground as this causes damage

• Mature fruit may ripen in 3 to 10 days at room temperature

• Before consumption, the edible flesh is separated from the “rag”

• Store fruit at ~60oF• Fully ripe fruit flesh

segments may be stored in plastic bags and frozen for later use

Uses

• Green, immature fruit are used as a vegetable in cooking – soups, baked dishes, and fried

• Pulp of ripe fruit may be eaten fresh, dried, preserved in syrup, and cooked

• Seeds may be boiled or roasted

Nutrient value (3.5 oz)

Const.

Approx. value Const.

Approx. value Const.

Approx. value

Water 73% Cholesterol 0 g Iron 0.6 mg

Calories 94 kcal Carbohyd-

rate

24.0 g Magnesium 37.0 mg

Protein 1.5 g Fiber 1.6 g Phosphorus 36.0 mg

Fat 0.3 g Calcium 24 mg Potassium 303.0 mg

Sodium 3.0 mg Vit. C 6.7 mg Vit. A 297 IU

For more information go to http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu and

http://fruitscapes.ifas.ufl.edu

Credits• Author – Dr. Jonathan H. Crane, Tropical Fruit

Crops Specialist and Dr. Carlos F. Balerdi, Multi-County Tropical Fruit Crops Extension Agent

• Photographs – copyrighted– Ian Maguire– Carlos F. Balerdi– Jonathan H. Crane

• Some photographs taken at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Coral Gables, FL

• This presentation is copyrighted, 2005 University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences