Does anyone know a farmer growing peach palm (crescimento do fazendeiro pejibaye)?

Question

Does anyone know a farmer growing peach palm (crescimento do fazendeiro pejibaye)?

Answer 1

Here is what I could find:

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Bactris gasipaes (Peach palm, Pejebaye)

The Peach palm has attracted much attention in the last decade because of the texture and composition of the fruit mesocarp which is usually similar to that of a starchy cereal or root crop. It is consequently an important backyard tree in much of tropical Latin America and is used as a dietary staple by some Amerindian tribes (FAO 1986, Clement and Arkcoll 1989). The small crown and very high yield of some trees have suggested that it could be a useful plantation crop capable of producing large amounts of basic food in the wet tropics. We have been studying this potential as an important part of attempts to create ecologically attractive "food forests" to produce food from a permanent perennial system (Arkcoll 1978, 1979, 1984). Some introductions are very rich in oil (62% of mesocarp dry matter) suggesting that selecting for this character would be an interesting alternative because of the local and world markets for oil and protein rich meals (Arkcoll and Aguiar 1984). Most fruit have a bland taste that is not exotic enough to export, however some with a sweetish flavor may have more potential as a table fruit and at least expand local markets. The crop has only been grown on a large commercial scale for palmhearts in Costa Rica where over 2000 ha have been planted. The viability of this venture has been dependent on Government subsidy as it is difficult for plantations to compete with raw material coming from wild Euterpe edulis in Brazil. It is especially interesting as a source of palmhearts because it tillers and grows extremely fast (Gomes and Arkcoll 1987). Unfortunately, this vegetative vigor is proving to be a problem in fruit production as the fruit are produced too high above the ground to harvest after a few years. Precocity has been observed and there are signs of different growth rates suggesting that researchers might locate dwarf phenotypes. Managing tillers as in banana plantations, is also being considered. While individual stem yields of over 80 kg/yr. have been recorded, plantation yields have been frustrated by uneven bearing and tremendous fruit drop caused by poor pollination, drought, nutrient deficiencies, and principally pests and diseases. It is hoped that these problems can be controlled the crop is better understood. The successful selection and combination of desired characteristics could make this crop as important as the coconut in the wet tropics."