Yield Characteristics of the New North American Pawpaw Cultivar Release ‘KSU-Atwood' Compared to Two Common Commercially Available Cultivars

The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a tree fruit native to most of the eastern United States. Pawpaw is in the early stages of commercial production, and development of cultivars with large fruit, high yields, and good fruit quality is of utmost importance to the further development of a commercial pawpaw industry. KSU-Atwood^TM (‘KSU8-2’ cultivar) is the first cultivar release from Kentucky State University’s pawpaw research program. ‘KSU-Atwood’ produces high yields of large, high quality fruit with a mild mango flavor. The objective of this study was to compare yield characteristics of ‘KSU-Atwood’ to two high-yielding, widely available commercial pawpaw cultivars, ‘PA-Golden’ and ‘Mitchell’.  Three mature replicate trees of each cultivar were selected in the orchards of the KSU Research and Demonstration Farm. Trunk diameters were measured in March, and fruit counts were performed in July. Fruit were harvested three times per week in August-September, 2010, and all fruit were weighed to determine average fruit weights. Statistical analyses were performed using CoStat statistical software. Average fruit weight was larger for ‘KSU-Atwood’ (138 g) than for ‘PA-Golden’ (107 g) or ‘Mitchell’ (73 g). Total yield was 15.1 kg/tree for ‘KSU-Atwood’, compared to 11.8 kg/tree for ‘PA-Golden’ and 9.6 kg/tree for ‘Mitchell’. Yield efficiency was significantly higher for ‘KSU-Atwood’ (0.20) than for ‘PA Golden’ (0.15) and ‘Mitchell’ (0.11). Sixty-six percent of ‘KSU-Atwood’ fruit were over 100 g, compared to 47% of ‘PA-Golden’ and 22% of ‘Mitchell’ fruit. ‘KSU-Atwood’, KSU’s first pawpaw cultivar release, compares favorably with ‘PA-Golden’ and ‘Mitchell’ in terms of yield characteristics, making it a good choice for farmers interested in establishing or expanding a pawpaw planting.