ABSTRACT

Syzygium malaccense L. (Myrtaceae) is a fruit bearing tree, locally known as “Jambe” (Kannada) and commonly known as Malay apple. In India, the tree is distributed in southern parts reported from Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu states. These trees are grown along the boundaries of horticulture crop plantations or home garden as a fruit species all along the tropical sites of Western Ghats. The present study was aimed to understand the variation in morphological traits of S. malaccense growth, fruit and seed parameters and to record the ethnobotanical uses from 25 sites in Uttara Kannada district. The study also aimed to standardize the squash from the fruits. The result revealed that significant morphological variations in tree heights and girth, and also in fruit and seed parameters across 25 sites. Ethnobotanical documentation from 100 key informants revealed the use of fruits for edible, culinary, medicinal, veterinary and other socio-environmental purposes. Apart from the fruits, wood, leaf and seeds use were also recorded. Despite the perishable nature of the fruits, the high pulp content (75.10%) and favourable pulp-to-seed ratio (4.31) make them suitable for production of various value-added products. Among the nine treatments of squash from S. malaccense fruits, treatment with 35 per cent pulp and 45 per cent sugar, was liked moderately (7.6) during the sensory evaluation and all the treatment were accepted as squash. The physicochemical properties (titratable acidity, pH and total soluble solids) were within the standard rang. The present findings of the research form a basis for future studies on influence of genetic variation and development of different value-added products from the fruits of S. malaccense.