2018 ASHS Annual Conference

The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a fruit bearing tree native to North America. Its rising popularity has led to small-scale commercial production in the U.S. and worldwide. There is growing interest from processors, retailers, and restaurants. A large number of wild and seedling pawpaws grown by homeowners and small farmers produce fruit of poor taste, quality, or size. Two new advanced selections, Hi7-1 and Hi4-1, being studied at Kentucky State University (KSU) have shown more favorable reviews about flavor, texture, and appearance than many commercially available varieties. KSU-Atwood is a trademarked cultivar developed at Kentucky State University that was released in 2011 and is available in the nursery trade. Whip and tongue grafting and chip budding are common ways to grow desired pawpaw varieties on healthy rootstocks. Grafting can also be done using tools like a Topgrafter or a grafting tool. A previous study found that Hi7-1 and KSU-Atwood™ have a 33% higher rate of grafting success than Hi4-1 using all four methods. In the same study, pawpaw grafted via whip and tongue grafts had a 12-18% higher success rate than those that were chip budded or grafted using the Topgrafter or grafting tool. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal method for grafting the pawpaw cultivar KSU-Atwood™ and advanced selections Hi7-1 and Hi4-1. Four potted two-year-old trees of each cultivar were grafted using each grafting method or tool at the Kentucky State University H.R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm greenhouses. Although whip and tongue grafting had a high success rate, results will be discussed at the meeting.