Also known as PremP109cv, the Papple brand pear is a hybrid of Chinese and Japanese pear types, and has a Nashi appearance. It had its first significant commercial harvest this year for marketing throughout Australia. It is available in 14 different countries with the Australian Nurserymen's Fruit Improvement Company (ANFIC) holding the management rights in Australia.
"The variety is the pear has a mild sweet, low acid flavour, with a crisp and juicy Asian-like texture," ANFIC CEO Dr Gavin Porter said. "So it's crisp and juicy with a great flavour, not just a sweet taste like in Nashi fruit. So essentially it’s a pear hybrid with blush skin colour, beautiful lemon yellow background colour, crisp, juicy with great flavour."
All current commercial plantings are in the Goulburn Valley, in Victoria, with two major growers producing the crop. These are the largest plantings in the world currently, so volumes are increasing each year. Dr Porter says everyone who tries this pear variety, keeps coming back for more.
"While it can be eaten straight off the tree with high sugar levels and great flavour, it continues to maintain the same crisp, juicy flavours out of storage," he said. "Taste testing done in our various markets, for example South-east Asia, USA, Europe, NZ, South Korea, Australia, Chile and Argentina all produce the same excellent feedback from consumers who enjoy the wonderful flavour with a crisp and juicy texture. A major flavour improvement over all Nashi types with a red blush skin as well. A refreshing new eating experience."
The trees are very productive, producing large spherical fruit that are typically harvested late February or early March in Australia and New Zealand. It has excellent storage performance being at least three months and much longer if harvested and stored correctly.
The PremP109cv/Papple brand pear is managed globally through the Associated International Group of Nurseries (AIGN) Inc.
"AIGN has members working in the following territories who are beginning to commercialise PremP109cv/Papple brand pear: New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Spain, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, China and South Korea," Dr Porter said. "Initial production will be grown and marketed in these territories but once production levels increase, it is expected fruit will be exported to all major global fruit markets. Previous exports from NZ have gone into the UK market, the Middle East and south-east Asia."
The Australian fruit has been sent in trial shipments into south-east Asia with good response, so as production increases, additional export markets will be explored.
For more informationDr Gavin Porter
Australian Nurserymen's Fruit Improvement Company
Phone: +61 7 3491 9905
info@anfic.com.au
www.anfic.com.au