Durian

Overview

Durian is originally from South-East Asia. In South Tenasserim, Lower Burma and around villages in peninsular Malaya, it is found wild or semi-wild. In Borneo and Sumatra, wild durian trees are still present. The center of diversity for the Durio species is Borneo. In Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Phillipines, Durian is commonly cultivated along roads or in commercial orchards.

Vernacular Names

Thurian (Thailand), Thourièn (Laos), Du-yin (Burmese), Dulian (Philippines), Durianbaum (German), durie (Italian), doerianboom (Dutch).

Agroecology

With average annual temperatures of 24-30 °C, relative humidity of 75-90 percent and annual precipitation of 1,600-4,000 mm, Durian thrives in a hot, humid and wet climate. In the lowlands, it thrives best, does not grow well and fruits above 800 m altitude.

Morphology

• Roots - tap, produces secondary roots follow by tertiary roots.
• Barks - dark red brown, peeling off irregularly.
• Leaves - alternate, petiolate (1.5–3 cm long), leaf blades 10-15(-17) cm × 3-4.5(-12.5) cm, elliptic to lanceolate, upper surface glabrous, glossy, densely reticulate; lower surface densely covered with silvery or golden coloured scales with a layer of stellate hairs underneath.
• Flowers - borne in corymbose fascicles of 5–30 flowers on branches.
• Fruits - 15-25 cm in diameter, green to yellowish brown, with spines that are variable in length and shape.
• Seeds - chestnutbrown, completely enclosed in a thick, white or yellow, soft, sweet, fragrant aril.

Cultivation

• Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in containers at a temperature of 22 °C. The seed can also be sown directly into its permanent position.
• The vegetative propagation using shoot or bud grafting.

Chemical Constituents

Isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, histidine, cystine, phenylalanine, tyrosine , threonine, valine, essential amino acids.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Polysaccharide gel (PG) from durian fruit hulls may be a possible therapeutic supplement to hinder the increase in plasma lipids, lowering the effect of cholesterol.
• In vitro inhibitory activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were seen in the PG extracted from durian fruit-hulls.
• For cosmetic formulations, the PG from the durian fruit hulls can be used.
• Durian-added diets greatly enhanced antioxidant function, protein and metabolic status.
• It decreases the risk of cancer, avoids heart disease, battles infections.
• Lowers sugar in the blood.
• It has been assumed that the durian leaf and root decoctions show antipyretic effect and decoctions are used as a febrifuge and anti-malarial agent.
• After childbirth, the ash is taken from the charred rind.
• It is commonly thought that the flesh functions as an aphrodisiac.