Carambola 263
chiton (Green) (Homoptera: Coccidae), a minor pest of carambola in Malaysia. The
larvae of Diacrotuchia fascicola and nymphs of Schistocera gregaria damage tender
leaves of carambola (Anon., 1985). De et al. (2000) have reported the incidence of
Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera:
Tephritidae) in star fruit in eight localities of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil and an
infestation rate of 31.7 puparia per star fruit.
Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides may be a problem in Florida,
and leaf spot may arise from attack by Phomopsis sp., Phyllosticta sp. or Cercospora
averrhoae. Cercospora leaf spot is reported also from Malaya, Ceylon, China and
may occur in the Philippines as well. A substance resembling sooty mold makes
many fruits unmarketable in summer. Black rot of fruit is caused by Trichotheceum
roseum. Brown spot disease affecting the fruit is due to Alternaria tenuri, while
Cladosporium herbarum causes black circular lesions. All the above diseases can be
successfully controlled by fungicidal sprays (Anon., 1985). Fruit rotting caused by
Botrydeploidea theobromae and Phomepais are serious problems during moist weather
conditions.
Effects on fruit ripeness by infestation of carambolas by laboratory-reared Caribbean
fruit flies (Howard and Kenney, 1987) have been studied and quarantine treatments
like Methyl bromide fumigation (Hallman and King, 1231), hot water immersion
Hallman and Sharp (1471) and vapor-heat treatment (Hallman, 1990) have been
suggested for carambolas infested with Caribbean fruit fly. Hallman (1991) has further
evaluated the quality of carambolas subjected to post-harvest hot water immersion
and vapor heat treatments.
14.10 Harvesting and yield......................................................................
Carambola trees flower several times a year, with a heavy crop during summer. Fruits
change color slightly when they are ready for picking, but the best check for ripeness
is to eat one and see how sweet the fruit is. Trees that receive adequate care and
attention have yielded up to 45–135 kg of fruit.
In Malaya, they are produced all the year. In Florida, scattered fruits are found
throughout the year but the main crop usually matures from late summer to early
winter. Some trees have fruited heavily in November and December, and again in
March and April. There may even be three crops. Weather conditions account for
much of the seasonal variability. In India, carambolas are available in September and
October and again in December and January.
The fruits naturally fall to the ground when fully ripe. Green or ripe fruits are
easily damaged and must be handled with great care. Often the taste suffers if fruits
are picked too green. Fruit are best when ripened on the tree, but will ripen if stored
under refrigeration and will keep for 1–3 weeks if picked before fully ripe. Ripe
carambolas are eaten out-of-hand, sliced and served in salads or used as a garnish.
They are also cooked in puddings, tarts, stews and curries.
14.11 Keeping quality..............................................................................
For marketing and shipping they should be hand-picked while pale-green with just a
touch of yellow. Fruit is very fragile and needs to be packed carefully. Carambolas