The Domestication of Fruit and Nut Tree Species in Vanuatu, Oceania - Indigenous Fruit Trees in the Tropics: Domestication, Utilization and Commercialization - page 128

At present, only the Polynesian triploids have some export potential for the
ethnic markets of the US West Coast, New Zealand, Australia and New
Caledonia. More research is needed to produce artificial triploids. This could be
achieved either through doubling artificially existing diploids to obtain fertile
tetraploids, which could be crossed again with diploids to generate triploids, or
by developing techniques to induce unreduced gametes. Also, additional
research on pollination biology, the development of breadfruit food products
with a long shelf life and the collection of cultivars from underrepresented
areas, such as Vanuatu, for deposit in ex situ collections will all contribute to the
future use and conservation of breadfruit (Zerega et al ., 2006).
7.3.2 Barringtonia species
The English common name for Barringtonia species is cut nut, including B.
edulis , B. novae-hiberniae and B. procera . Some species are toxic. For
example, B. asiatica is used as a fish poison. B. edulis is found cultivated in
villages, gardens and along tracks and roads up to 600 m.a.s.l. The tree
germinates in the wild from fruits dropped on the ground or spread by bats.
Humans transplant young saplings close to dwellings, where they are carefully
protected. In Vanuatu, each community possesses its own germplasm collection
of cut nut trees and each morphotype has a distinct name in the vernacular
language. When exceptional genotypes are found, farmers sometimes obtain
planting material by marcotting. Although most varieties have dark green
foliage, it is possible to find some with red foliage and red inflorescences with
red fruits. Flowering occurs several times a year, even continuously, with some
variation according to the island and individual trees. Production varies greatly
from tree to tree and fruits reach maturity 2 months after flowering. Flowers
are, however, fragile, and heavy rains can cause great losses before fruit set.
The kernels have a very fine, distinct, taste and are eaten raw, grilled or boiled.
Sometimes they may be powdered over a laplap . The shelf life of these kernels
varies from 1 to 2 weeks. The wood is of poor quality and is not used for
manufacturing purposes.
The morphological variability of B. novae-hiberniae is less than that of B.
edulis but several types may be easily distinguished. There are trees with red
foliage, although the foliage of this species is usually glossy green. Some trees
have green or red fruits; others have very small fruits (approximately 4 cm in
diameter). The tree is tolerant of shade, and flowering tends to be continuous;
fruiting occurs 2 months after flowering. The tree is usually very productive. B.
procera is almost always cultivated and does not tolerate shade. It requires much
care and is rarely found in the wild. Flowering and fruiting occur once a year,
usually during the warm and wet season (December to April). Being slender, frail
and bearing few infructescences, the trees are not very productive. Nevertheless,
their fruits and kernels are larger than those of other Barringtonia species. The
fruits vary in size, shape and colour. Some dwarf types are found with a height
which does not exceed 2 m. These are quite rare but are present in most islands.
Unfortunately, they bear very poorly, although an improvement in their