The cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) is a shrub found native in the Andes that bears tomato-like
fruit, which are sold commercially and exported from Colombia. We describe the BBCH-based phenological
scale for this crop that was developed by observing three cape gooseberry ecotype accessions during a
two-year study. The proposed BBCH phenological scale uses seven principal growth stages out ofthe nine
principal stages identified for solanaceous fruits. The principal growth stages are (0) germination, (1) leaf
development, (2) formation of side shoots, (5) inflorescence emergence, (6) flowering, (7) development
of fruit and (8) ripening of fruit and seed. Early growth stages (0–1) in cape gooseberry are similar to
the developmental stages of other solanaceous plants. The first bifurcation (stage 2) marks the beginning
of floral development (stage 5). Thereafter, simultaneous developmental stages occur throughout the
plant’s phenology. It is common to observe early flowers, fully open flowers, immature and mature fruits
on the same plant. The BBCH phenological scale developed for cape gooseberry is a useful tool for management
and research practices and for subsequent investigations on any of the developmental stages
the plant passes through.
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