| General Information | Click image to view
|
| Scientific Name | Saccharum edule |
| Common Names | Long pitpit, Duruka, |
| Species | Poaceae |
| Genus | |
| Synonyms | |
| Genus | |
| Description | A plant in the sugarcane family grown for the edible unopened flower.
Plants grow 2-3 m tall and have thinner canes than sugarcane. It
produces suckers near the base so that normally a clump of stalks is
produced. At one season of the year it produces a seed head or flower
which remains inside the top of the plant and is the part that is
eaten. Several cultivars occur which differ in colour, height and
season of flowering. |
| Notes | |
| Related | Edible Saccharums
Saccharum barberi Jeswiet Indian cane
Saccharum edule Hasskarl Long pitpit
Saccharum officinarum L. Sugarcane, Noble canes
Saccharum robustum Jeswict.
Saccharum sinense Roxb.
Saccharum spontaneum L. Wild pitpit |
| Growth, Production and Use |
|
| Related | Flower, |
| Cultivation | It is grown from cuttings of the stalks. In fertile soil, cut plants
will re-shoot from the base. The cuttings need adequate moisture at
planting. Cuttings about 30 cm long are used. To avoid cuttings
drying out they need to be planted soon after cutting.
Coastal pitpit stalks can be planted at any time of the year. It
takes 6-9 months from planting till a crop is ready to harvest. But
the time of flowering is coastal pitpit is controlled by the sun.
Early in the year about February to March most plants develop a
thickened clump of leaves at the top. When these are broken off and
opened by removing the outside leaves the very fine yellow unopened
flower is seen. It is this flower which is eaten. |
| Growing | |
| Production | It takes 6-9 months to maturity. In most cultivars, flowering is
seasonal. |
| Use | The unopened flower is eaten raw or cooked. Often it is cooked in
coconut milk. |
| Distribution | It is common in coastal areas and will grow up to about 1800 m
altitude in the tropics. It is commonly grown in old gardens before
they return to forest.
It is common in coastal areas in Asian and Pacific countries including
the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji and also in Indonesia. |
| Pests and Diseases |
| Insects | Acauloplacella immunis Tettigonidae (ORTH.)
Agromyza papuensis Agromyzidae (DIPT.)
Anomala anoguttata Burm. Rutelidae (COL.)
Ataenius spinator Harold Scarabaeidae (COL.)
Aulacaspis tegalensis (Zhnt.) Diaspididae (HEM) Sugarcane scale
Bothrogonia sp Cicadellidae (HEM.)
Cannococcus ikshu William
Euconocephalus sp Tettigoniidae (ORTH.)
Parastasia guttulata Fairmaire Scarabaeidae (COL.)
Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) Pink sugarcane mealybug.
Spodoptera exempta (Walker) Noctuidae (LEP) African armyworm
and probably other sugarcane insects |
| Pests | |
| Diseases | Leaf spot Fungus Beniowskia spaeroides
Leaf spot Fungus Cercospora longipes
Leaf blight Fungus Colletotrichum falcatum
Leaf spot Fungus Cytoplea sp.
Leaf spot Fungus Diplodia sp.
Veneer blotch Fungus Deightoniella papuana D.Shaw
Leaf spot Fungus Drechslera sacchari
Pokkah boeng Fungus Gibberella fujikuroi
Red rot Fungus Glomerella tucumanensis (Speg)Ark & Mull.
Yellow spot Fungus Mycovellosiella koepkei
Tar spot Fungus Phyllachora sacchari P.Henn
Downy mildew Fungus Peronosclerospora sp.
Rust Fungus Puccinia kuehnii (Kruger)Butler
Fiji disease Virus
Mosaic Virus |
| Plant References |
| Authority | |
| Location | |
