Fruit Feature: Canistel

In this account of agventures (adVENTURES in AGgriculture), I can provide no justifiable explanation why this my first encounter with this fruit. I have never seen it sold in local farmers' market. Sadly, this is not a familiar fixture of home gardens. Maybe, others are in the same predicament as I: clueless about canistel.

Almost ripe canistel

A fruit is often imagined to be dripping of nature's nectar. But the canistel, like this source describes, is a "powdery" fruit. The green fruit ripens to yellow skin and yellow insides. Inside the flesh of the fruit are large, shiny brown seeds enclosed in what I can only describe as a fruity "plastic" casing. The texture of the fruit  pulp which is described as similar to a hard boiled egg has gained it the name Egg Fruit. This name may also be attributed to the colour of the insides and shape of the fruit itself. 

The delicious insides

Green canistel

First impresssions of Canistel

• Sweet! Very sweet. It tastes like apricot with a subtle undertone of sugar apple. No sooner had I completed the staging of the open canistel, when an ant came to the picnic by way of agreement.
• The texture of the fruit is like cooked sweet potatoes (another reference to the sweet taste). It's like a slice of cake...It's like desert and food in one!
• The scent, a heady pungence that I liken to that of apricot also. Before the fruit even forms, the scent of the flowers attract bees to the tree.

Although I have been told that the fruit is made into delicious drinks, a Google search will produce recipe results  such as ice-creams and pies. Nutritional value of canistel includes dietary fibre, carbohydrates, niacin, carotene, ascorbic acid, calcium and phosphorus.

Canistel flowers

Are you convinced yet that you should have this fruit tree in your yard? Propagated canistel plants can be sourced at the Barthe Propagation Station at Myers Bridge, Soufriere.

Additional sources:

Canistel Facts and Recipes

Gender Matters in the Aim for a Green Economy

A two-day National Round Table on Rural Women Agricultural Producers and the Green Economy was convened at Auberge Seraphine Hotel. The session was a combined effort of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre and the National Fair Trade Organisation (St. Lucia) Inc. as part of the project, Enabling Caribbean Women Farmers' Participation in the Green Economy. Women represented farmers's groups such as Belle Vue Farmers' Cooperative, Black Bay Farmers' Cooperative, the Saint Lucia Floral Cooperative, and Babonneau Cluster of St. Lucia Network of Rural Women Producers. We were also joined by male representatives from their respective organisations/institutions.

The objectives of the Round Table were to:

1. Exchange information regarding the Green Economy in St. Lucia
2. Discuss the findings of the research on the participation of rural women agricultural producers in the green economy process
3. Identify the elements of a gender sensitive green economy policy framework for the region
4. Generate information to inform the drafting of a Women Farmers Manifesto for the Green Economy

What is the Green Economy?

The Green Economy Initiative was borne out of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012. The working definition of the Green Economy by the United Nations Environment Programme is an economy that results in improved human well being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risk and ecological scarcities; this economy aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. Thus, the critical areas identified for development are:

• Economy
• Environment
• Society

Additionally, the initiative promotes alternative livelihood activities which reduce pressure on the environment. These activities will reduce our ecological footprint ie. the extent to which human activity places pressure on productive land used for forests, crop land, grazing land, fishing grounds and built-up land.

As such, agriculture has been identified as a sector to be developed for a greener economy. The other nine sectors are fisheries, buildings, forestry, transportation, water, waste, manufacturing and industry, energy supply and tourism. Agricultural production places pressure on resources of fisheries, forestry and water. This underscores the fact that farmers-both male and female-play a key role in the management of the ecosystem.

Why does Gender Matter in the Green Economy?

To effect this paradigm shift to the Green Economy all members of society should be engaged. Women have been identified as a vulnerable group, uniquely affected by these proposed changes. In light of women's contribution to agricultural production and their gender roles in the society which are of economical and social significance it was important for dialogue among women on their unique experiences in the sector. As producers, women farmers contribute to the family's income and country's GDP; their agricultural practices impact on the environment; their farming activities also have effects on the culture in their communities.  This session was designed to explore gender-sensitive issues and implications to the Green Economy Initiative. Topics discussed included subsistence farming practices, organic farming, marketing activities, record keeping, security of land tenure, women's decision-making roles as mothers and providers in the household and how these affect the ecological footprint.

Today's  introduction to the Green economy concept was an interesting exchange which provided me with new perspectives on gender-based issues in the local and global agricultural sector.

Additional resources:

UNEP-Green Economy
Caribbean Policy Development Centre

TRAINING WORKSHOP on COMPOST

Today's agventures (adventures in agriculture) takes me to Terre Blanc Estate at Soufriere Saint Lucia. I have visited before, albeit briefly. Today, it is the venue for field training for farmers in composting. This training is part of a project to promote sustainable crop production through the application of organic agricultural methods for sustainable community development. We go right on to the banana plantation where the scent of the near by Sulphur Springs pervades.

The method demonstrated was Piling Compost.

Lucky for us, we are on a banana plantation where stems are readily available

Materials

• Source of carbon. Banana stems were used for this demonstration.
• Source of Nitrogen. Examples include green material such as grass or leaves. Grass was used in this training
• Source of Micro Nutrients. Examples include Blood Meal, Bone Meal, Fish Meal, Feathers, Manure. In this training horse manure and chicken feathers were used.
• Source of Micro Organisms such as mites, snails, ants, earthworms and woodlice. Examples include Soil, Compost. In this training soil was used.
• Water

Spreading the manure

Tools:

• Garden fork
• Cutlass
• Thermometer
• Wheel barrow
• Bags

It was interesting to learn that local soils are lacking in phosphorus primarily because they do not occur naturally in the soil. Bone meal, feathers and fish meal are all excellent sources of phosphorus. Fresh blood is another source of this micro-nutrient. It is best used as fresh as possible. If not possible to be used the same day then it should be frozen. The application method is 1/2 part water to 1/2 part blood. Moreover, fresh blood acts as an activator, accelerating the composting process.

Steps:

1. Procure the materials.
2. Clear the area for the compost pile.
3. Lay the stems in a rectangular shape.
4. Chop a layer of banana stems and lay them at the base of the heap.
5. Layer on the grass along the full length and breadth of the banana stems. 
6. Layer on the chicken feathers along the centre of the pile.
7. Layer the animal manure.
8. Layer on 3 bags of dirt.
9. Add another layer of chopped banana stems.
10. Add another layer of grass.
11. Add another layer of animal manure.
12. Add on 5 bags of dirt.

The Final Product!

The compost pile was not drenched with water as it was a day of intermittent showers. Although the Rainy Season officially began on June 1, no significant rainfall has been recorded. It still feels like Kawenm (french creole for Dry Season).

Management of Compost:

• The pile should be watered daily
• The temperature should be checked daily or at least three times per week
• The pile should be turned

Since this pile was made with less hardy material (with banana stems instead of woody tree stems) the composting should be complete in three months. Bulkier, hardier material takes six months to a year to compost.

Pepper Production

What is the beauty of bell peppers: The flavour? The scent? The culinary works of art that can be fashioned out of them? Maybe is is the bold colours that make our creations come alive.
Consumer preference for this large pepper also called sweet pepper, creates a demand and economic opportunities for the farmer. By farmer's account, the pepper of preference is for the Taiwanese varieties available locally: Blue Star; Bright Star and Yellow Star. These varieties have a greater yield compared to the variety, King Arthur.

Pepper Problems

The main disease challenges observed so far in my adventures in agriculture are fusarium wilt and bacterial wilt. These are both soilborne diseases.

Fusarium Wilt

This wilt is caused by a fungus. The plants, wilted in appearance begin to rot from the base of the stems upwards. On uprooting the dying/dead plants, white fungus is observed growing at the roots. Dieback is on one side of the stem accompanied by yellowing of leaves.

Chemical applications available at local input stores:

• Banrot
• Rizolex
• Bio Life 20
• Phyton 27
• Capton

Bacterial Wilt

As this name suggests, this wilt is caused by a bacterium .In this case, the wilted leaves maintain their green colour.  The foliage will appear wilted during the day with seeming recovery during the cooler parts of the day. The lower stem will also exhibit brown discoloration.

Chemical applications available on the local input stores:

• Phyton 27
• Biolife 20 

With such close symptoms, simple science experiments allows us the capacity to diagnose this disease.

You can test for bacterial wilt by placing a cutting of the affected stem in a clear glass container filled with clean water and observing for the appearance of a white milky stream which indicates the presence of bacteria. 

Plant diseases take a toll on important resources of time and money. The farm can suffer from major economic losses as  these diseases can affect the plant at any stage of the life cycle. The disappointment of crop loss during the crucial stage of flowering and fruiting is a farmer's nightmare. But do not be discouraged. The adage, "Prevention is better than cure" holds true in this situation. Prevention begins before planting. Perform a hot water treatment on seeds; Practice crop rotation; Plant resistant varieties. Follow up with cultural practices of weed management, efficient fertiliser application and irrigation. 

Interesting Fact

Apart from the mainstream bell pepper colours of red, yellow and orange, purple and brown are also available. I was able to witness this on exhibit at the Ethiopian boooth at the Fruit Logistica 2014. How receptive would the local market be to those colours?

Purple Bell Peppers

Brown Bell Peppers

Recommended sources:

Fusarium and Verticillium Wilts of Tomato, Potato, Pepper, and Eggplant Fact Sheet

Bacterial Wilt General Information

Hot Water Treatment for Seeds

Your Cup of Tea- Gwo ponpon

Commonly called Gwo ponpon, this herb of cheer-leader like pom-poms along the length of the stalk is probably how the plant derived its name. From these prickly balls, grow of striking orange flowers. Interesting to note is that the plant, which is a native to Africa is called lion's ear after these flowers. Naturally, the bright flowers are an attraction for butterflies, bees and birds.

Tubular flowers growing out of spiny round clusters

The leaves are used together with other medicinal plants in teas as a remedy for fevers, colds and hoarseness. In addition it is used for women after childbirth.

Leaf of gwo ponpon

This wild growing herb has continued to thrive despite concerns of the contribution of weedicides and herbicides to the declining population of local plant species.

Biodiversity in Agriculture: Hedge of gwo ponpon borders farm plot

Dried, these long stems make beautiful ornamental arrangements of dried flower bouquets. Therefore it has potential for use of local elements in the floral industry

Additional  Sources:
Gwo ponpon on www.floridata.com

Plants of Saint Lucia

In A Nutmeg

Deconstructed Nutmeg

You may be familiar with those nutmegs shaking loosely in their tough outer casing. Or maybe you are further convenienced in having packaged powdered nutmeg. Nutmeg has both culinary and medicinal purposes. However there is more over the surface of the nutmeg story.

I encountered a colleague at an agricultural conference and one of his first comments was that he had assumed that I was a national of Grenada from my then Twitter cover photo of nutmeg. Contrary to those who would be so inclined, nutmeg is also grown in Saint Lucia and other Caribbean islands. Interestingly, according to this FAO source, nutmeg was first planted in the West Indies in Saint Vincent in 1802.

Most intriguing to me, is that there are female and male nutmeg trees. Further, it is only the female plant that is capable of producing fruit. This blog effectively captures my sentiments on this subject:

"Just imagine the shock of a nutmeg farmer when he realises that the plant that he has been watering, pampering is a useless male plant!"

This begs the question: How does one identify a female plant before it gets to the flowering stage??? Complicated and costly DNA analysis is out of reach to the small-scale farmer and definitely out of my reach too! 

I recently purchased a propagated plant which I was promised has a 75% chance of flowering. It has planted it out and I patiently await the approximated 5 years to maturity. However to increase these odds, I will plant a few more to add keep my lone plant company. This source suggests that for the home garden the plants be spaced 10m apart. Wish me luck!

Nutmeg tree photo being photobombed by coconut palms

Nutmeg fruits on tree branches

Did you know that the nutmeg on the tree is encased in fleshy rounded fruit? When ripe, this bursts into halves to reveal the oval shaped nutmeg outer casing. On this casing is a red,lace-like membrane called mace or aril. Mace also has spice properties. They can be used in the same recipes that you would the nutmeg itself to add another dimension of flavour. The shell is then cracked to obtain the nutmeg seed.

Close up of nutmeg fruit

Nutmeg aflame-I am hot about nutmeg and it is hot about me too

While the nutmeg seed is a commercial product, I have yet to see mace on local supermarket shelves. An older generation birdie told me that the best fruit jams are made with mace for spice and I make it my duty to source them directly from the farmer. As with all things, there can be no substitute for freshness!

A Lesson in Grafting

Generally, flowering trees reproduce by seed. However, when flowers are cross-pollinated, the seed that develops in the fruit after fertilization contains genetic properties from two different plants. Therefore, the tree that develops when the new tree develops will not exhibit the same traits as the parent plant. Grafting provides a solution to the dilemma of how to get the exact tastiness, texture, firmness and other preferred traits replicated for future enjoyment. As you can imagine, grafted plants are the choice of the farmers.

Today I am fortunate to witness, refresh and broaden my knowledge on the process of grafting fruit trees. The subjects today are cocoa trees. 

1. The scion selections are prepared: The top is wrapped with a strip of plastic; The end to be fitted into the stock is trimmed into a wedge shape. It is important that the scion must be about the same size of the stock: not too big and not smaller.

Skilled hands

 2. Stocks are neatly cut off.

 3. A cleft is made down the middle of the stock.

4. The scions are inserted into the stock

5. The graft union is securely wrapped with another strip of plastic. This is meant to prevent water entry and prevent the growth of fungus. The new growth of the graft will gradually stretch and break through the plastic strips.

The finished product!

It is an optional step to spray around the completed graft union with the fungicide, Kocide for added measure. Growth progress is checked in fifteen (15) days.

Other tree crops which are propagated by the grafting method are mangoes and citrus.

Additional Source: 

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/fruit/grafting-and-budding-fruit-trees/