The 2010 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
To discuss new, unusual and promising fruits grown in California and Arizona

In response to the increasing consolidation of retail chains and resulting pressure on wholesale prices, fruit farmers have sought either to become larger and more productive, or to focus on niche crops that command a premium. In California, particularly, competition to find new, lucrative fruits and cultivars is intense, as germplasm explorers, breeders and farmers have sought out novel or unfamiliar fruit types with distinctive appearances and extraordinary flavors. For some, production aims at mainstream markets; other appeal chiefly to the diverse immigrant groups that abound in the state (tejocote). Some are traditional fruits, long neglected here but recently rediscovered (greengage plum); others are truly novel genotypes (peacotum; blood mandarin hybrid) originating from controlled crosses. Some are public, others proprietary. Some are profitably grown now; others are still under evaluation. Some require the warm, dry California climate, but others may be of interest elsewhere. All of the fruit types presented in this workshop are truly innovative and either have been commercialized or show potential for commercialization. Shifts in growing areas, following varietal demand and economic incentives, are also part of the picture (Arizona dates). The session will be followed by a tasting that will include samples of the fruits under discussion and other extraordinarily interesting or delicious cultivars.