Kenya has a diverse climate and fertile landscapes, making it a haven for cultivating a wide variety of crops. Passion fruits are one of the most grown crops in Kenya; they’re loved because of their aromatic flavour and nutritional value. Different types of passion fruit can be grown in Kenya, but each has unique soil and climate requirements.
Passion fruit farming in Kenya has emerged as a lucrative agricultural venture. It's because they are in high demand (both locally and internationally), and Kenya provides an ideal habitat, i.e. fertile soils and a perfect climate for them to flourish.
This perennial crop produces fruits within a year and is mainly grown in Kakamega, Kisii, Nyamira, Thika, Nyeri, and Meru.
How many types of passion fruits are there?
There are several types of passion fruits, but these are Kenya's most commonly cultivated passion fruits. They are all propagated from passion fruit seeds.
1. Banana passion (Passiflora mollissima)
The banana passion fruit is a South American species. The fruit was named for its similarity in shape and colour to a small banana. The banana passion fruit has an oval to oblong shape; its skin is smooth, leathery and ripens from green to pale yellow. This fruit is sweet, quite acidic and has a tropical taste.
2. Badea or giant granadilla passion (Passiflora quadrangularis)
The giant granadilla passion fruit is the largest variety of passion fruit. It is a neo-tropical species commonly planted for its edible and scented fruit (specifically for juices) and medicinal roots. The giant passion fruit tree is large and grows faster to a height of between 10 and 15 feet.
3. Sweet granadilla or sweet passion (Passiflora ligularis)
The sweet granadilla is a smaller passion fruit variety and is the most delicious of all worlds passion fruits. They are referred to as sugar fruit in most international markets. It is found to be less acidic than the common passion varieties.
4. Yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis var flavicarpa)
The sweet yellow passion fruit is one of Kenya's newly released and most farmed. It has a high demand from juice makers because it yields more juice than purple passion. The yellow passion fruit has a thick yellow skin, egg to round-like shape and often has lime green spots.
5. Purple passion (Passiflora edulis)
The purple passion fruit is a perennial, woody vine that climbs. It is sweet and can be eaten fresh or used in juices and smoothies.
Note that yellow varieties do better in warmer areas than purple types, which do well in high-altitude regions.
What is the most common variety of passion fruit?
The two common varieties are purple and yellow passion fruit. But the purple passion fruit plant (Passiflora edulis) is the most common. It is slightly smaller than a lemon and has several hybrids. People love this variety because it’s sweet.
The yellow passion fruit variety is the second most common in Kenya, and its size is about that of a grapefruit.
Choosing the suitable passion fruit variety
There are many passion fruits, but these are the two most common varieties in Kenya.
Yellow passion fruit (Passiflora flavicarpa) – This passion fruit variety is yellow when ripe, less aromatic and oval in shape. This variety is well adapted to the tropical climate and thus does well in Kenya.
Purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) – This passion fruit variety is purple when ripe, quite acidic, incredibly tasty, and juicy. But its juiciness and tastiness usually vary.
Note that both the yellow and purple varieties are usually green before ripening.
Which type of passion fruit is best?
Which colour passion fruit is best? The best passion fruit is the purple passion, which is preferred for fresh consumption. On the other hand, the yellow passion is more tropical and sometimes bears a larger fruit. It's often used for juice processing and making preservatives.
Ecological requirement for passion fruit
For passion fruits to thrive well – grow healthy and delicious, they need the right ecological conditions. Here are the ideal environmental requirements for passion fruit farming.
Temperature
The Optimum temperature for yellow passion fruit is between 25 to 30 degrees, while for purple passion fruit, it's between 18 to 25 degrees.
Altitude
Passion fruits do well in different altitudes, from 1,200 to 1,800m above sea level east of the Rift Valley and 2,000m above sea level west of the Rift Valley.
Soil
Passion fruits thrive well in a variety of soils. But they should be fertile, reasonably deep and with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Highly acidic soils reduce nutrient uptake and accelerate fusarium wilt disease that causes roots and leaves to rot.
Rainfall
Rainfall must be well distributed, from 900mm to 2,000mm yearly. Excess rain will lead to poor fruit set plus encourages diseases, mainly fruit and leaf rust.
Choose the best passion fruit variety
There are different types of passion fruit, each with unique ecological requirements. The most commonly grown varieties in Kenya are purple and yellow passion fruits. But most people prefer the purple passion fruit because of its incredible flavour/taste.
Tuko.co.ke has shared an article about different types of beans. Beans are a staple in Kenyan diets; thus, they are always in demand.
There are different bean varieties, and almost all of them have relatively short cultivation periods, allowing for a quicker turnover which maximizes profitability. So, if you're searching for a suitable bean variety to farm, you should check out this article; it talks about them in detail.
