Fruits

Fruit a structure formed from a mature or ripe ovary of any plant species after fertilization has occurred. The term 'fruit' is more conveniently used to refer to the part of the seed suitable for human consumption, eaten fresh, either ripe or young. From the nomadic age to present-day civilized life fruits have been used as food. The earliest cultivated fruit appears to be the date palm. Other fruits like pomegranates, Egypt figs and olives had been popular fruits since 3500 BC. Fruits have pericarps developed from ovary walls and seeds developed from fertilized ovules.

Generally the ovary alone grows into a fruit. But in some cases calyx and thalamus are involved to form false fruits like Dillenia, cashew nut and apple. Simple fruits developed from single ovary, is the character of fruits. Aggregate fruits are developed from numerous ovaries as in jackfruit and pineapple.

                                                Some common fruits

Bangladesh abounds with a large variety of tropical and sub-tropical fruits. The most widely cultivated fruits are mango, jackfruit, black berry, pineapple, banana, litchi, lemon, guava, custard apple, wood apple, elephant apple, golden apple, Indian berry, papaya, tamarind, melon, watermelon, cashew nut, pomegranate, palmyra, plum, rose apple, Indian olive, and Indian jujube. There are many minor edible fruits that are locally available in the wild and are also cultivated, such as latkan, monkey jack, uriam, rattan, river ebony, garcinia, water coconut, wild date palm, etc.

May, June and July are specially treated as fruit festival months in Bangladesh when almost all the major and minor fruits are matured and available. A few fruits are available throughout the year. These are the papaya, sapodilla, coconut and banana. The common imported fruits are orange, apple, pomegranate, grape, date, and mandarin.

In Bangladesh the cultivation of temperate fruits has been unsuccessful, except for grapes in some places. Oranges are cultivated only in a very limited areas in Sylhet and in remote areas of Rangamati (Sajeek) and Bandarban (Ruma) districts.

Fruit tree Trees that produce edible fruits for human consumption. Human civilization is irrevocably linked with the culture of food plants and fruit trees. The earliest selection and culture of fruit trees seems to be the date palm. The mango has been in cultivation for 6,000 years; it is one of the oldest tropical fruits indigenous to India. The commercial production of fruit trees started at the beginning of the 18th century. Traditionally the fruit trees were cultivated as a backyard crop or as boarder tree to fulfil the requirements of the family. In the beginning of the 19th century, the Christian missionaries and European settlers pioneered the organised culture of fruit orchards in the subcontinent. Since the beginning of the 20th century, a wide variety of major and minor fruit trees are being grown in Bangladesh on a commercial basis. Most of the major fruit trees are evergreen in nature of which mango, jackfruit and coconut occupy almost 90% of the fruit tree culture in Bangladesh. Mango, the most popular fruit tree in the country, has about 3000 varieties both in cultivation and in the wild. The most popular varieties grow in the northern districts of Bangladesh; fruit weight varies from 100-1000g; June-August is the time to harvest. Jackfruit, which originated in the Western Ghats of India and now grows all over the country, is another popular fruit. The large bushy evergreen tree produces composite fruits, perhaps one of the largest fruits (up to 50 kg) in the plant kingdom. June-September is the time to harvest.

Litchi was introduced in India from China in the beginning of the 19th century. A much branched evergreen tree grow well in almost all parts of Bangladesh. But the good quality fruits are grown in Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Jessore and Khulna regions. June and July are the months to harvest. Coconut grows abundantly in the southern and central parts; the average fruit number per plant is 70-80; can be harvested throughout the year. Green coconut is a favourite drink in summer; the endosperm of ripe fruit is mostly used in preparation of sweets. Guava, a semi-deciduous exotic plant from tropical America introduced in the middle of the 18th century, is grown in almost all village groves. About 50 varieties are found all over the country, most of which grow in Chittagong, Comilla, Sylhet and Barisal regions. Fruit weight varies from 20-700g; can be harvested during July-September. Indian Jujube (boroi, kul) is a small fruit-bearing medium-sized deciduous tree; fruits are available in off-seasons; the fruit weight is 10-70 g; can be harvested during February-March.   end of part 1