Arina Antonova
especially for EcoTourism Expert 
Every spring, the Sochi microdistrict (neighbourhood) of Fabricius is filled with the aroma of ‘expensive’ strawberry-scented ‘perfume’. And every autumn, the harvest of feijoa berries is reaped in this area. There is a feijoa garden in Sochi. Until recently, few people tasted small green-color oval berries. Today, feijoa berries can be seen more often on the store shelves. These berries are considered to be native to South America, but they are supplied to our country from Abkhazia and Azerbaijan. The only place where exotic feijoa berries are grown in Russia is the seaside city of Sochi, and they are not only grown, but also studied there. The correspondent of EcoTourism EXPERT visited the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Subtropical Scientific Centre in Sochi studying the floriculture and subtropical crops and found out how feijoa berries were brought to Russia, whether Sochi can provide the country with these exotic berries and what the Russian scientists are working on.
The plantation of the Subtropical Scientific Centre in Sochi occupies about two hectares. There are over 200 feijoa trees growing there. The feijoa garden was laid out back in 1987, although the exotic plant was brought to our country more than a hundred years ago.
“The first seedlings were brought to the USSR - to Batumi in Georgia - from California, and later on, they were planted in the Crimea and Sochi. Feijoa trees are rather demanding and ‘capricious’, they do not tolerate temperatures below minus 12 degrees Celsius, therefore, feijoa trees grow today in Russia in the seaside city of Sochi only, no further than the resort village of Dagomys. In 1963, the lowest temperature was recorded in our city, minus 13.1 degrees Celsius, all feijoa trees died that year. As an experiment, I planted several feijoa trees on the experimental land plot of our Subtropical Scientific Centre in Gelendzhik. In winter, the temperature can be as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius there. In order to preserve the trees, they have to be covered for the winter,” says Magomed Omarov, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Chief Researcher of the Subtropical Scientific Centre, the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).
Feijoa is not only a ‘capricious’ crop, but also a poorly studied one. In Russia, there are thousands of scientific dissertations devoted to, for example, apples or pears. For 130 years of growing feijoa trees in our country, there have been four dissertations only. At the same time, green-color feijoa berries are very rich in vitamins, they are an excellent source of vitamins C and B9, as well as minerals like calcium and magnesium. When winter comes, they are a good support for immunity. Feijoa berries contain potassium and help in reducing the risk of a stroke because 200 grams of feijoa berries contain about 350 milligrams of potassium, so, feijoa berries help in reducing blood pressure, too. Green-color feijoa berries contain phenolic compounds, their quantity exceeds that in many other products. Feijoa berries exhibit antioxidant effects, as well as antibacterial and even anti-cancer activities. What about an iodine content? There is an opinion that feijoa berries are rich in iodine. In fact, this is a myth arose in the 1930s thanks to a graduate student Sergeyev from the Nikitsky Botanical Garden.
“A little later it was found out that the high amount of iodine in feijoa berries was explained by their proximity to the sea at the place with a huge content of algae. Feijoa berries grown in Sochi have only traces of iodine. We have conducted our own research showing that the iodine content in persimmon is twice as high as in feijoa,” noted Magomed Omarov.
This year, the feijoa harvest was bountiful, up to 35 kilograms of berries from a tree per season. By the way, feijoa berries are picked up from the ground and not from the branches. When feijoa berries fell, it means they are ripe. Since early morning, work is in full swing at the plantation of the Subtropical Scientific Centre, RAS, in Sochi. It takes just a few hours to fill a couple of dozen of 10-kilogram boxes. At the same time, the main task set before this garden is a research work rather than a bumper harvest.
“The main problem that scientists around the world are solving now is the reproduction of feijoa trees. It mainly occurs by seeds. However, this option does not guarantee the preservation of the feijoa berries’ quality. It happens sometimes that the parent tree produces large feijoa berries, and the bush grown from the feijoa seeds may produce small feijoa berries. At the same time, vegetative propagation, using cuttings, shows a 40-percent survival rate only. Rooting is hindered by tannins in the sap of the plants. For example, another subtropical fruit, persimmon, also contains tannins, but if cuttings are taken at a time when there is no sap flow, the rooting rate is 100 percent; no one in the world could achieve such results with feijoa trees,” shares Magomed Omarov, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Chief Researcher at the Subtropical Scientific Centre, RAS.
Nevertheless, national science has something to be proud of, namely, our Russian feijoa varieties. Today, there are over 3,000 persimmon varieties in the world, and only 30 varieties of feijoa. And four of them appeared thanks to the work of Sochi’s scientists. The Dagomys feijoa variety has very large berries that can be the size of a chicken egg and weigh 160 grams. The Dachny feijoa variety shows a good harvest and has a very thin skin. The Sentyabrsky (September) feijoa variety got its name due to the time when these feijoa berries are ripe, they are harvested in early autumn. But Yubileyny feijoa variety, on the contrary, allows extending the harvest period until the beginning of winter.
“It takes 10 to 15 years to create a feijoa variety. Firstly, we observe a tree so that it consistently has the same indicators for several years, for example, large berries. Then a cutting is taken from the feijoa tree. It should take root, and after three years, the feijoa tree begins to bear berries. If we understand that all the characteristics of the berries have been preserved, a new cutting is taken. This is repeated several times. New feijoa varieties are needed and created to increase the yield of berry crops and extend the harvest period,” says Magomed Omarov.
It is possible to harvest more green-color berries thanks to an unusual pruning method developed by Sochi scientists. In the wild, a feijoa tree is a bush with several trunks at its base. So, it turns out that feijoa berries fall between them and it is impossible to pick them up.
“To increase the yield of feijoa berry crops, we have developed a special pruning method. Feijoa bushes grow like hazelnuts, with several trunks going from a root. Feijoa berries fall between the trunks and it’s impossible to pick them up. We cut off young shoots and form the crown of a feijoa tree. This makes it easier to harvest the feijoa berries. Pruning also helps in rejuvenating feijoa trees. There are 130-years-old feijoa trees that still bear berries In the Friendship Tree Garden in Sochi,” shares Magomed Omarov, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Chief Researcher of the Subtropical Scientific Centre, RAS.
As for the yield of feijoa berry crops and the plantations’ area, feijoa trees today rank second in Sochi after persimmon trees, they grow on an area of 40 hectares. In the Soviet times, the feijoa plantations’ area was twice bigger. A huge part of the harvest comes from private summer cottages. Considering that the feijoa tree produces at least 10 to 15 kilograms per season, the annual harvest is about 600 tons of feijoa berries. But it is impossible to say that Sochi can provide feijoa for all of Russia. The most important thing for a good harvest of these berries is irrigation. Unfortunately, it is not profitable to grow feijoa trees in mountainous areas as supplying water up to the hills is very expensive and economically unviable. Therefore, feijoa berries from Azerbaijan or Abkhazia can most often be seen on the store shelves. So, those who want to taste domestic green-color feijoa berries should come to Sochi in the fall. And come sooner than later, because harvesting the feijoa berries lasts until December, and feijoa berries can be stored just for 10 to 12 days.
