![]() ![]() In 2016, KSU-Benson™ joined Kentucky State’s 2010 release, KSU-Atwood™, from their pawpaw breeding program. They are breeding for the following desirable traits: yellow to orange flesh fruit size 10 ounces or larger seeds small and few fruit of uniform shape and free of external blemishes and mild, sweet flesh with no unpleasant aftertaste. ![]() These universities have established identical plots of pawpaws, which they hope will identify the best cultivars and best management techniques. In addition, the pawpaw has genetic variability that can be used to improve the plant.Ī major research effort centered at Kentucky State University and involving a few other universities (including Cornell, Clemson, Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa State, and Oregon State) should contribute significantly to the commercial development of this crop (Pomper et al., 1999). It is hardy and relatively pest-free, and its tolerance to shade makes it suitable for intercropping with certain other trees. The pawpaw grows best in areas with hot summers and cold winters (USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5 to 8). Though the pawpaw’s only near relatives are tropical, and pawpaws look like mangos and taste like bananas, they are not tropical but are native to most of the eastern United States and even parts of Canada. These include recent improvements in available cultivars (with even better flavor and fewer seeds), production research at Kentucky State University, breeding programs both private and public, international interest, a renewed interest in America’s food system and diet, and a nascent effort by growers and aficionados to publicize the virtues of the pawpaw. ![]() However, several factors seem to be coming together to bring the pawpaw to the attention of the American public-at least, to the “foodie” segment of the public. It has always been a delicious and nutritious native American fruit, but history, cultural prejudices, and difficulty in storing and shipping have relegated it to the obscure backwoods of American cuisine. Genus name comes from the Latinized version of the French form of the Indian name for this North American genus.The pawpaw ( Asimina triloba) has great potential for commercial development. ![]() Early Americans made a yellow dye from the pulp of the ripened fruit. Wildlife (e.g., raccoons, squirrels and opossums) eagerly seek out the fruits and often beat humans to the harvest. Fruits are frequently eaten raw or used in ice creams or pies, although they can produce nausea in some people. Flavor and fleshy consistency of the sweet-flavored fruits resembles bananas. Cup-shaped, purple flowers (3 green sepals and 6 purple petals in two tiers) appear in spring, and give way to edible, oblong, yellowish green fruits which mature in early autumn to a dark brown. Large, slightly drooping, elliptical, medium green leaves (6-12" long) retain green color well into fall before turning to a bright (but sometimes undistinguished) yellow. Often spreads by root suckers to form colonies or thickets. Asimina triloba, commonly called pawpaw, is a Missouri native small understory tree or large shrub which typically grows 15-20' tall (sometimes to 30') and occurs in low bottom woods, wooded slopes, ravines and along streams. ![]()
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