From Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 2: Edible fruits and nuts, PROSEA Foundation
by P. C. M. Jansen
Taxon
Artocarpus integer (Thunb.) Merr.
Protologue
Interpr. Rumph. Herb. Amb.: 190 (1917), non sensu Merrill.
Family
MORACEAE
Chromosome Numbers
2n = 56
Synonyms
Artocarpus integrifolia L.f. (1781, nomen illegitimum), Artocarpus polyphema Persoon (1807, nomen illegitimum), Artocarpus champeden (Lour.) Stokes (1812).
Vernacular Names
Chempedak
(En). Indonesia: chempedak, campedak (Malay), baroh (Lingga). Malaysia:
chempedak (cultivated), bankong (wild), baroh (Johor). Burma:
sonekadat. Thailand: champada.
Origin and Geographic Distribution
The
chempedak is widely distributed in Burma (Tenasserim), Peninsular
Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, the Lingga Archipelago, Sumatra, Borneo,
Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Irian Jaya. It is also cultivated in these
areas as well as in western Java.
Uses
The fleshy perianths which
surround the seeds are eaten fresh or cooked. The flesh, typically
yellow or orange, sometimes white to pinkish, is soft and mushy with a
strong and very characteristic odour. The flavour is sweet, resembling
durian and mango, and is considered by some to be superior to that of
the jackfruit. In Malaysia 2—3 perianth-balls are pressed together,
dipped in a mixture of rice-flour, sugar, milk and water, fried in oil
for 10 minutes, and eaten as a delicacy. The seeds are eaten roasted or
boiled (in salty water for 30 minutes) and have a nutty flavour. Young
fruits are cooked in coconut milk and eaten as a curried vegetable or
in soup. Young leaves are said to be used as a vegetable.
The dark
yellow to brown wood is strong and durable and used for building
construction, furniture and boats. The bark can be used to make rope
and the latex for the preparation of lime.
Production and International Trade
No
production figures are available, but in its season the fruit is
prominent and very popular in local markets. In Peninsular Malaysia the
fruit price is based on weight and specialized chempedak sellers in
Kuala Lumpur make a good income, the grower getting about MYR 1 per kg
in 1981. In an economic analysis in Peninsular Malaysia the value of
the crop on a per ha basis was estimated at MYR 7000 per ha, slightly
lower than for durian and nearly four times as much as for pineapple.
In Sarawak women carry 20—30 kg loads to markets; prices vary greatly
depending on appearance of the fruit (MYR 1.5—4 for a 2 kg fruit in
1981).
Chempedak is grown in home gardens and sometimes in mixed
orchards. The chempedak area in Malaysia in 1987 was 6130 ha sole crop
equivalent (118 trees/ha). Another source estimated that the area in
Peninsular Malaysia was nearly 1800 ha, more than half the trees being
in Kedah State.
Properties
Total fruit
weight varies from 600—3500 g. The total edible portion (perianths +
seeds) is 25—50% of fresh fruit weight. The total weight of all
perianths of a fresh fruit varies from 100—1200 g. The composition of
the fruit flesh on dry weight basis per 100 g edible portion is
approximately: protein 3.5—7 g, fat 0.5—2 g, carbohydrates 84—87 g,
fibre 5—6 g and ash 2—4 g. Water content (fresh weight basis) is 58—85%.
The
composition of the seeds, also based on dry weight, is approximately:
protein 10—13%, fat 0.5—1.5%, carbohydrates 77—81%, fibre 4—6% and ash
3—4%. Water content (fresh) is 46—78%. The number of seeds per fruit
varies from 14—131, total seed weight per fruit from 65—880 g, weight
per seed from 1—12 g.
The wood yields a yellow dye. The bark is rich in tannin, ca. 8% of its dry weight.
Description
Evergreen
monoecious tree, up to 20 m tall, seldom buttressed, bark grey-brown,
bumps on trunk and main limbs where leafy twigs are produced which bear
the fruits. Twigs, stipules and leaves with brown wiry hairs to 3 mm
long; twigs 2.5—4 mm thick, with annulate stipular scars. Stipules
ovate, up to 9 cm long. Leaves obovate to elliptic, 5—25 cm x 2.5—12
cm, base cuneate to rounded, margin entire, apex acuminate; lateral
veins 6—10 pairs, curving forward; petiole 1—3 cm long. Inflorescences
solitary, axillary, cauliflorous or ramiflorous on short leafy shoots;
male heads cylindrical, 3—5.5 cm x 1 cm, whitish-yellow, peduncle 3—6
cm long; female heads with simple filiform styles, exserted to 1.5 mm.
Fruit a syncarp, cylindrical to almost globose, 20—35 cm x 10—15 cm,
yellowish to brownish to orange-green, smelling strongly at maturity,
smooth or covered by closely set, firm, obtuse prickles or processes of
2—4 mm length; peduncle 5—9 cm long, wall ca. 1 cm thick; fruiting
perianths numerous, soft, fleshy, becoming detached from wall and core.
Pericarps (including the seeds) ellipsoid to oblong, ca. 3 cm x 2 cm,
cotyledons unequal, thick and fleshy. Germination is epigeal.
Growth and Development
Seed
viability lasts several weeks. The first few nodes of the seedling
often do not bear leaves. Young trees develop a deep taproot early. In
primary forests the growth is slow, similar to other Artocarpus
species. The shoots apparently grow continuously; there are no signs of
flushing. Seedlings start bearing after 3—6 years, clonal trees at 2—4
years of age. The number of flowers per syncarp varies from 1400—5000,
seed set varies from 0.8—7%. Whereas the female flower heads are only
found on cauliflorous shoots, most male heads are formed on shoots in
the periphery of the canopy. This may facilitate pollination by wind,
although the pollen is sticky. Insects visit the scented male
inflorescences, not the female ones which lack nectar. The growth of
the fruits is most rapid during the first weeks following stigma
emergence. Stigmas remain receptive for 1—2 weeks. Maturation time is
3—6 months, depending on genotype and climate.
Even though the
chempedak is restricted to rather equable climates, it is more seasonal
than the jackfruit. Some flowers may be found at any time of the year,
but in Peninsular Malaysia bloom tends to be concentrated around the
months of February to April and/or August to October; usually the main
harvest falls between June and August. In western Java the tree
normally flowers in July—August, the fruit ripening between September
and December. In Sarawak fruit also ripens towards the end of the year
in most years. In North Queensland, Australia, chempedak flowers mainly
in September—October and the fruit ripens in February—May.
Other Botanical Information
In
Peninsular Malaysia, a distinction between wild trees ('bankong') and
cultivated trees ('chempedak') has been made; bankong is classified as
var. silvestris Corner, chempedak as var. integer.
The wild trees would be glabrous to variously hairy (chempedak always
hairy), leaves withering green to yellowish (chempedak rich ochre to
orange), syncarps slightly smaller without any odour and perianths
without any taste. Studies in Sarawak have shown that chempedak grows
truly wild in Borneo and that no consistent differences exist, either
in morphology or composition of the fruit, between the wild and
cultivated trees. The implication is that the cultivated chempedak is
not derived from the bankong; the latter may just be an isolated form.
In
Sarawak, people distinguish and prefer 'Brunei chempedak', which
usually has larger fruit and thicker and darker orange flesh. In
Malaysia a number of selections have been cloned; among the resulting
cultivars 'CH29' shows promise because of its attractive orange flesh;
'CH26' ('Paya Jaras'), 'CH27' and 'CH28' are high-yielding cvs.
Sometimes
jackfruit and chempedak are confused. Sporadically hybrids between the
two occur, called 'nangka-chempedak' in Malaysia; one of these has been
cloned and named 'CH/NA'. In general, chempedak has smaller and
narrower fruits with thinner rind, more juicy flesh, and is darker
yellow when ripe; young plants bear scattered, reddish, wiry hairs on
leaves and twigs and mature plants usually are smaller than the
jackfruit trees.
Ecology
Chempedak
is a common tree in secondary forests and locally abundant in primary
lowland rain forest in its area of natural occurrence. It is a
long-lived sub-canopy tree. It grows up to 500(—1300) m altitude, often
on wet hillsides. It is strictly tropical and always restricted to
regions without a distinct dry season. The tree thrives on fertile
well-drained soils, but prefers a fairly high water table (0.5—2 m); it
can survive periodic flooding, even with acid swamp water (Sumatra:
Palembang, Palopo).
Agronomy
The
tree is usually grown from seed derived from nearby trees with
desirable qualities. It can be propagated vegetatively by budding or
suckle-grafting on seedling rootstocks of chempedak or other Artocarpus
species, including jackfruit. The rootstock should be 8—11 months old
at the time of budding, which may be done at any time of the year.
Young trees develop a deep taproot early, therefore both seedlings and
budlings are usually grown in containers. Light shade is essential both
in the nursery and after the trees have been planted out. Spacing in
orchards is 12—14 m.
Fruits are attacked by fruit flies but can
easily be protected by bagging; the bark sometimes suffers from boring
beetles. Bacterial dieback caused by Erwinia carotovora
is by far the most serious disease. Initially it affects the growing
shoots, but it spreads downwards and eventually kills the tree. In
Malaysia chemicals, including trunk injection with antibiotics, are
being tested to control the disease.
Harvesting is simple because
the fruits are produced on the trunk and the main branches. In
Peninsular Malaysia the fruit is often bagged on the tree or a loose
basket of palm leaves is woven around fruits which are almost fully
grown, resulting in a distinctive lattice pattern on the ripe fruit.
The function of this basket is not clear; it is said that the bags
protect against rodents, bats and fruit flies and attract ants which
keep other insects (e.g. wasps) away. There are no yield records, but
chempedak is considered a prolific bearer and yields may be similar to
those of jackfruit trees.
Prospects
If
the durian is the most characteristic fruit of South-East Asia,
chempedak is a good second. Both the smell and the taste of the fruit
are rather overwhelming and for the uninitiated it is easier to
appreciate dishes made of the seeds.
The crop is restricted to the
wetter parts of South-East Asia but in those parts it is generally more
popular than the jackfruit. Yet there is not a single report of
chempedak being grown outside South-East Asia, except Australia,
whereas the jackfruit has spread all over the tropics.
To tap the
potential of the chempedak more attention to clonal material and the
fickle seasonality of the crop appear to be the first steps. A study of
tree phenology (growth pattern, leaf change, periods of bloom and
fruiting, etc.) e.g. of some Malaysian cultivars, could clarify the
behaviour of the cultivars in relation to seasonal weather. At the same
time more information on fruitfulness and fruit quality can be
gathered. Once the seasonality of a cultivar is better understood, ways
of regulating the harvest time may be explored.
Literature
Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaysia. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. pp. 518—519, plate 157.
Jarrett, F.M., 1959. Studies in Artocarpus and related genera, III. A revision of Artocarpus subgenus Artocarpus. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University 40: 329—334.
Koorders,
S.H. & Valeton, Th., 1906. Bijdrage No. 11 tot de kennis der
boomsoorten op Java [Contribution No 11 to the study of tree species on
Java]. pp. 21—23.
Ochse, J.J., Soule, M.J., Dijkman, M.J. &
Wehlburg, C., 1961. Tropical and subtropical agriculture. Vol. 1.
Macmillan Company, New York. pp. 649—652, fig. 113.
Primack, R.B., 1985. Comparative studies of fruits in wild and cultivated trees of chempedak (Artocarpus integer) and terap (Artocarpus odoratissimus)
in Sarawak, East Malaysia, with additional information on the
reproductive biology of the Moraceae in Southeast Asia. Malayan Nature
Journal 39: 1—39.
Soepadmo, E., 1979. Genetic resources of Malaysian fruit trees. Malaysia applied Biology 8(1): 33—42.
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