New Pear Variety Resembles An Apple

Papple

Advertisement

A unique-looking fruit, being marketed under the trademark “Papple™”, took a journey from New Zealand orchards to thousands of miles away in England earlier this year. The variety is now being evaluated in test blocks near Yakima, WA.

The pear which resembles an apple is a hybrid of Chinese and Japanese pears. The varietal name is PremP109. This year marks the second season when the fruit was exported from New Zealand to England where it received considerable attention. It was also sent to Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, and the U.S with great results.

The Associated International Group of Nurseries (AIGN) is the exclusive global licensor of the Papple Brand. The pear is known for its highly attractive features including a bright red/orange blush covering a lemon background. It has a mild sweet, low acid flavor, with a crisp and juicy texture.
According to Lynnell Brandt, president of AIGN,  Papple is being evaluated in Washington state on five-year-old trees in a test block owned and operated by Brandt’s Fruit Trees. Samples from those trees are being distributed to a select group of potential growers throughout Washington, Oregon, California, Missouri, and Canada by Kevin Brandt, vice president of Proprietary Variety Management (PVM) located in Yakima.

PVM, created in 2012, is assisting in the commercialization process of bringing new products like Papple to fruition. It does so through collaboration with some of the most prominent breeding programs and largest marketing companies in the world.

Top Articles
New Climate Indicators Tool To Help Farmers Stay Weather Aware

Initial reports say growers are already finding Papple trees to be very productive, with yields of large spherical fruit. It is also leaf scab resistant. It has excellent storage performance for at least three to four months and much longer if harvested and stored correctly.

Brandt announced this spring that AIGN has signed an agreement on the use of the Papple trademark with Worldwide Fruit, an international fruit marketing and distribution company specializing chiefly in the supply of apples and pears to major UK retailers.

Worldwide Fruit said it will have planted 15,000 Papple trees in the UK by the end of the winter of 2015.

For more information, contact Alan Taylor at [email protected] or 509-961-9186.

0