The objective of this research was to evaluate the physical and production characteristics of fruits from twelve acerola genotypes cultivated at the Active Germplasm Bank in Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. The average weight and size of fruits from the Winter/1999, Summer/2000 and Summer/2001 seasons as well as plant yield and average number of fruits/genotype were assessed. Results from the joint analysis of all harvests presented average variation on fruit weight of 3.88 to 7.11g; fruit height of 1.74 to 2.07cm and fruit diameter of 1.94 to 2.46cm. The annual production variation of 12 genotypes during 1999 was of 3.23 to 10.31 Kg of fruit/plant; meanwhile during 2000 this variation was of 6.73 to.44.70 Kg of fruit/plant. In 1999 and 2000, approximately, 50% of the annual production occurred in October, November and December. The genotypes 012-CPA, 013-CPA and 014-CPA are potentially promising because they were considered the most productive and showed the physical characteristics (weight and diameter) demanded by transformation industry.
Malpighia emarginata D.C.; Barbados cherry; fruits quality
