The 45th TARF Public Lecture on cultivation of new passion fruit cultivar “Sunny Shine” was held on September 14, 2018 at Ishigaki City, Okinawa Pref. The public lecture has been organized since 2007 and aims to introduce some of the research activities of TARF to the public in an easy-to-understand manner, and at the same time, in order to get feedback from the local residents that would be useful in daily life.

In this public lecture, basic knowledge for fruit tree improvement and information on passion fruit including the characteristics of a new passion fruit variety “Sunny Shine” and the prospects for papaya varieties such as “Ishigaki Sango” and “Ishigaki Wonderous” developed by TARF and grown by farmers in Okinawa were introduced. In addition, there was an explanation on the new variety “Sunny Shine” which was being evaluated in detail for wide-area adaptability and characteristics through trial cultivation by farmers. In Japan, passion fruit ranks third in production among tropical fruits after pineapple and mango. It is produced mainly in the southern areas and consumed as fresh fruits, juice, and for processing. Some of the problems with fresh fruit consumption are immature fruit drop during periods of high temperature (above 30^oC) and high acidity after harvest. The new passion fruit cultivar ‘Sunny Shine,’ which produces fruits that have lower acidity and good appearance, is expected to address these problems.

TARF: Tropical Agriculture Research Front, JIRCAS