Asimina triloba - Kentucky pawpaw

Description and Uses

Asimina triloba (Kentucky pawpaw) is a temperate tree from Eastern North America . It is mainly grown for its fruit crops , which have a short shelf life. The crop is harvested by hand picking. It starts flowering after 7 - 9 years. The yield will be 10 kg/tree, but in its top season there will be a yield of 30 kg/tree. Other crop types include; fruit, repellent pesticide, ornamental, . The fruit is used as delicacy . The bark is used as " plant part " with Asimicin (12.94 - 14.55 ppm) as its significant phytochemical. There is pawpaw leaf oil extracted by steam distillation from the tree's fresh leaf yielding 0.01% - 0.05% oil. The tree's wood is called pawpaw wood and has a density of 400 - 560 kg/m³. Regarding firewood production the tree's growing speed is medium, it's energetic value is 4200 ckal/kg and the wood's drying speed is slow. After 25 years the tree can be totally removed as it reached its commercial and ecological goal. Asimina triloba has a lifespan of 45 years.

Environmental limitations

The tree is 9 meters tall with a crown of 5 meters wide. The tree prefers a planting distance of 200 cm and a row distance of 550 cm. It is fast growing and shade tolerant. Asimina triloba has a deep root-system and it has symbiotic associations with the Glomus intraradices fungi (endo-mycorrhiza). It is not able to fix nitrogen with "any bacteria. The name(s) or string of bacteria include(s) "not applicable ". The tree's flower-morphology is polygamomonoecious and is pollinated by insects. Asimina triloba is deciduous in winter and not allelopathic and has no thorns.

Asimina triloba thrives in an altitude of 0 to 1200 meters above sea-level (temperate). The minimum temperature is -20°C; optimally between 8 - 20°C. The optimal rainfall is 1550 mm/year. Without irrigation the annual rainfall should be between 700 - 1700mm (L/m²). The optimal soil-pH is between 6.0 - 7.0 in a soil texture of sand. To salt it is intolerant to wind intolerant and to fire intolerant.

Pests and Diseases

Asimina triloba is susceptible to the following pests: Eurytides marcellus , Omphalocera munroei , Parasa indetermina . And it's susceptible to the following diseases: Leaf spot , , .

Seed Propagation

Seeds are stratificant and can be stored for 4 months. There are approximative 1500 seeds/kg. The seeds can be propagated as followed:

• (1) Keep seeds in water between 20-27 C
• (2) Soak the seeds overnight in warm water before sowing.
• (3) press the seeds twice its size in the soil soil.