From the book
Fruits of Warm Climates
by Julia F. Morton
Cocona
Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal.
SOLANACEAE
Closely allied to the naranjilla, and similar vegetatively but with
a quite different fruit, the cocona is much less known outside its
natural range. At one time it was erroneously identified as Solanum hyporhodium A. Br. & Bouché. This binomial was dropped in favor of S. topiro HBK., which is now replaced by S. sessiliflorum Dunal. The Amazonian Indian name, cubiyú, is a term applied to several species of Solanum, but around Manaus, Brazil, cubiu pertains specifically to S. sessiliflorum.
The Indians of the Upper Orinoco call it tupiro or topiro. Some
Colombians refer to it as coconilla, or as lulo, a name more often
given to the naranjilla. It has been casually dubbed "turkey berry",
"peach tomato", or "Orinoco apple".
Plate LXIV: COCONA, Solanum sessiliflorum
Description
The
cocona plant is a much-branched, herbaceous shrub 6 1/2 ft (2 m) high,
with downy stem, densely white-hairy twigs, and ovate leaves, oblique
at the base, scalloped on the margins, downy on the upper surface,
prominently veined beneath; 18 in (45 cm) long and 15 in (38 cm) wide.
New shoots are rusty-hairy on the underside. The wild variety georgicum
has spines on stem, branches and leaves. The flowers, in clusters of 2
or more in the leaf axils, are 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, with 5 pale
greenish-yellow petals, 5 yellow stamens, and a dark-green, 5-pointed
calyx. Borne singly or in compact clusters on very short peduncles, and
capped with the persistent calyx, the fruit may be round, oblate,
oblong or conical-oval, with bluntly rounded apex; 1 in (2.5 cm) to 4
in (10 cm) long, and up to 2 1/3 in (6 cm) wide at the base. The thin,
tough skin is coated with a slightly prickly, peach-like fuzz until the
fruit is fully ripe, then it is smooth, golden- to orange-yellow,
burnt-orange, red, red-brown or deep purple-red, and has a bitter
taste. Within is a 1/4 to 3/8 in (6-10 mm) layer of cream-colored, firm
flesh enclosing the yellow, jelly-like central pulp. The cut-open fruit
has a faint, tomato-like aroma. The flesh has a mild flavor faintly
suggestive of tomato, while the pulp has a pleasant, lime-like acidity.
Abundant throughout the central pulp are the thin, flat, oval,
cream-colored seeds, 3/32 to 3/16 in (2-4 mm) in length and
unnoticeable in eating.
Origin and
Distribution
The
spineless cocona is apparently unknown in the wild, having been
observed by botanists only in cultivation from Peru and Colombia to
Venezuela and bordering regions of Brazil. In 1760, a Spanish surveyor,
Apolinar Diez de la Fuente, found the cocona with maize and beans in an
Indian garden between Guaharibos Falls and the juncture of the
Casiquiare and Orinoco rivers. In 1800, Humboldt and Bonpland,
traveling up the Orinoco, observed that the cocona was one of the
common plants in the region between the Javita and Pimichin rivers, and
they collected specimens on which the first technical description was
based. In the mid-1940's, seeds from the upper Amazon were planted at
the Experiment Station in Tingo Maria, Peru, and, later on, the plant
was grown at the Instituto Interamericano de Agricultura at Turrialba,
Costa Rica. Seeds sent from Natal, South Africa, were planted at the
University of Florida's Agricultural Research and Education Center,
Homestead, Florida, in 1948. By 1950, all the resulting plants had
succumbed to nematode damage. The seeds sent to Medellin, Colombia, in
1948 could have been from these plants. Dr. J.J. Ochse grew specimens
in a plot outside the then Botany Building at the University of Miami,
Coral Gables, Florida, in 1953.
Dr. Niilo Virkki of Cupey,
Puerto Rico, bought one fruit from a street vendor in Manaus, Brazil,
in June 1964 and planted the seeds when he returned home. The seedlings
grew vigorously and began fruiting in March 1965. Plant breeders
studied the plant and fruits in view of its possible potential for
hybridizing with the naranjilla. They determined the chromosome number
of the cocona to be 2n = 24.
The fruits are much eaten by the
Indians and commonly marketed throughout the producing areas of Latin
America. In Colombia and Brazil, the cocona is a domestic product, in
Peru it is the basis of an industry. Cultivation is being encouraged by
Gerber's Baby Foods and farmers are guaranteed a good price. Canned
juice is being exported to Europe.
Varieties
The wild variety, S. topiro var. georgicum
Heiser, of the lowlands of eastern Ecuador and Colombia, is a smaller
plant with smaller fruits and with spines on the stem, branches and
leaves. It spontaneously hybridizes with the typical var. topiro, and Dr. Charles Heiser of Indiana University views it as the ancestor of the cultivated cocona.
In
Peru, 4 types are distinguished: a) small, purple-red; b) medium,
yellow; c) round, resembling an apple, yellow; d) pear-shaped. The
medium-sized cocona is in greatest demand in Peru and especially for
juice.
The Divisão de Ciencias Agronomicas of INPA in Amazonia,
made a collection of 35 strains of cocona from Belem do Pará, Brazil,
and Iquitos, Peru, and established an experimental block of 149 plants
in pure sand for evaluation. The range of variation indicated that
seedling coconas represent a great reservoir of characters to be
utilized in improvement of the crop, to enhance nematode resistance,
reduce seed count, and increase sweetness.
Climate
In Florida and
Trinidad, the cocona is grown at near sea-level. In Colombia, it is
grown from sea-level to an elevation of 2,000 ft (610 m), while
elsewhere in South America it thrives at altitudes up to 3,000 or 4,000
ft (910-1,200 m). Unlike the naranjilla, the plant needs full sun.
Soil
The cocona grows in
soil of medium fertility on Peruvian mountain slopes; in Amazonian
Brazil, on latisols or pure sand. In Puerto Rico, it has done well on
clay; in southern Florida on scarified limestone. Good drainage is
essential.
Pollination
The cocona
is self-fertile. Bees are always visiting the flowers and carrying
pollen, and natural crosses are common. Fruits mature about 8 weeks
after pollination.
Propagation
There are from
800 to 2,000 seeds in each fruit. New plants spring up voluntarily from
seeds clinging to discarded rinds in full sun on disturbed ground in
northern South America. For planting, seeds extracted from the ripe
fruits are placed in the shade for 2 days to ferment a little and break
down the mucilage. Then they are washed and dried briefly out of the
direct sun, and finally dusted with fungicide –2 1/4 g per lb (5 g per
kg) of seeds. The seeds are planted 3/8 in (1 cm) deep in nursery beds
in rows 8 in (20 cm) apart; or in polyethylene bags containing a 50-50
mixture of potting soil and sand. In each bag, or each hole, one puts 4
to 5 seeds expecting the emergence of 1 or 2 sturdy seedlings.
Germination time varies from 15 to 40 days.
Vegetative
propagation is possible, in order to perpetuate a particular cultivar.
Air-layers and cuttings of mature wood have been rooted successfully.
Culture
Seedlings are
transplanted to the field when 8 to 12 in (20-30 cm) high and they are
spaced 5 to 7 ft (1.5-2.5 m) apart each way, depending on the fertility
of the soil. Flowering commences 2 to 3 months after transplanting. The
plants usually begin fruiting in 6 to 7 months from seed and will
continue fruiting for several months.
A fertilizer formula of
10-8-10 NPK is applied 6 times during the year at the rate of 1.8 to
2.5 oz (50-70 g) per plant. If the soil is low in phosphorus, the
formula should be 10-20-10. Productivity has been greatly enhanced in
field trials at Manaus on pure sand, by applying organic fertilizer–104
tons per acre (250 tons/ha), with the addition of appropriate amounts
of triple super-phosphate, urea and chlorate of potassium.
Yield
Average annual yield
in Colombia is 22 to 44 lbs (10-20 kg) per plant. In Costa Rica, cocona
plants have yielded 40 to 60 lbs (18-27 kg) of fruit. In variety trials
at Manaus, productivity per plant varied from 5 1/2 to 30 lbs (2.5-14
kg). An unfertilized plantation may provide 20 to 30 fruits per
plant–12 tons per acre (29 tons/ha). With a high-yielding selection and
a well-fertilized field, one can realize up to 136 fruits per plant–61
tons per acre (146 tons/ha). The fresh fruit keeps well for 5 to 10
days at normal temperature.
Processing studies have shown that
22 lbs (10 kg) of fruit will yield about 6 1/2 pints (3 liters) of
preserved flesh and 3 1/4 lbs (1 1/2 liters) of jelly, or 2 gallons (7
1/2 liters) of juice. A plantation providing 30 tons fruit per acre (70
tons/ha) will yield 5,548 gallons preserved flesh and 2,774 gallons of
jelly, or 13,738 gallons (52,000 liters) of juice.
Pests and
Diseases
The cocona is prone to attack by rootknot nematodes (Meloidogyne
sp.). In 1973, it was decided, after test plantings at the Universidad
Central de Venezuela, that it was impossible to cultivate the cocona
commercially in that country because of its susceptibility to
nematodes, but the experimenters at Manaus believe that they have
demonstrated that selection for nematode-resistance and soil-enrichment
can give the farmer good returns.
In Puerto Rico, a mealybug, Pseudococcus sp., infests the new growth but causes little harm. However, Psara periosalis
has been very damaging in the fall. Cutworms and leaf-eating insects
require control. In Brazil, a hemipterous bug of the family Tingidae
colonizes the underside of the leaves, causing them to discolor and
fall. A fungal disease (Sclerotium sp.) has been identified with wilting.
Food Uses
The ripe fruit is
peeled and eaten out-of-hand by South American Indians. More
sophisticated people use the fruit in salads, cook it with fish and
also in meat stews. Sweetened, it is used to make sauce and
pie-filling. It is prized for making jam, marmalade, paste, and jelly,
and is sometimes pickled or candied. It is often processed as a nectar
or juice which, sweetened with sugar, is a popular cold beverage. Dr.
Victor Patiño of Cali, Colombia, states that a 50-50 cocona-naranjilla
juice mixture is superior to naranjilla alone.
In Brazil, the leaves are cooked and eaten as well.
| Food
Value Per
100 g of Edible Portion* |
| Protein |
0.6 g |
| Fiber |
0.4 g |
| Carbohydrates |
5.7 g |
| Calcium |
12 mg |
| Phosphorus |
14 mg |
| Iron |
0.06 mg |
| Carotene |
140 mcg |
| Thiamine |
25 mcg |
| Riboflavin |
57
mg |
| Niacin | |
| *Analyses made in Brazil |
|
Toxicity
The cocona is utilized by Indians of eastern Peru to rid the head of lice.
|
|