Abstract

FISCHER, GERHARD; PARRA-CORONADO, ALFONSO; HERNANDEZ, MARÍA SOLEDAD  and  BALAGUERA-LOPEZ, HELBER ENRIQUE. Effect of preharvest conditions on the quality of important Myrtaceae fruits in Colombia. A review. rev.colomb.cienc.hortic. [online]. 2024, vol.18, n.3, e18019.  Epub Apr 05, 2025. ISSN 2011-2173.  https://doi.org/10.17584/rcch.2024v18i3.18019.

The aim of this review is to provide information on the conditions that facilitate the production of high-quality Myrtaceae fruits that are important in Colombia. Many fruits of the Myrtaceae family possess very important nutritional, functional, and economic characteristics. In Colombia, commercially cultivated fruit trees of the Myrtaceae family include guava (Psidium guajava L.), feijoa (Acca sellowiana [Berg] Burret), arazá (Eugenia stipitata McVaugh), and champa (Campomanesia lineatifolia R. & P.). Each species and its varieties require a suitable climate, soil and altitudinal range, which influence their quality (nutraceutical, organoleptic, and physicochemical). Furthermore, the crop must be managed with the best cultural practices that guarantee the achievement of its genetic potential. These practices include pruning, which guarantees a physiological balance between vegetative and reproductive branches; nutrition, depending on the content of elements assimilable in soil; and tools such as foliar analysis. Regarding water, sites with a bimodal rainfall regime can guarantee two harvests per year, except in the case of champa, for which only one is reported, although irrigation can advance this schedule. Effective pollination is a requirement for fruit formation and quality. Regarding quality, guava and feijoa stand out for their high content of phytochemical substances (phenols, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and antioxidant activity), which support their own defense in stressful conditions and could help human consumers to counteract chronic diseases. Unfortunately, there is a lack of studies on these crops regarding, for example, the cultural practices that can increase these bioactive compounds in the fruit. More research is needed in Colombia to improve the quality of these fruits, especially champa, which is grown only in the department of Boyaca and is the least studied.

Keywords : Psidium guajava; Acca sellowiana; Eugenia stipitata; Campomanesia lineatifolia; fruit quality; tropical fruits; crop management.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )