A new generation of pear varieties was on display for Australian growers last week at a taste test in Tatura, Victoria run by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
Growers were introduced to more than 20 new varieties developed under the Australian National Pear Breeding Programme, which has explored hundreds of new varietal crosses since the early 1990s.
The new varieties on display have been developed with consumer appeal in mind, according to DPI senior horticultural research scientist Susanna Turpin.
“The new pear varieties have been designed to have a wider consumer appeal and make pears a fruit of choice for consumers in the future,” Mrs Turpin told the Country News.
The pears are the result of cross-pollination between Guyot, Corella and Rogue Red varieties, and have a red blush on a yellow-green background, reported the Weekly Times.
“The varieties developed from Guyot and Corella pears are similar in appearance to Corella, with a crisp, juicy texture and a unique musk flavour, while selections from Guyot and Rogue Red pears have fine buttery textures and aromatic pear flavours,” she explained.
It will be at least five years before any of the new pears can make it to market, however, and up to ten years before the pear trees reach peak production.
Australian retailers require large pears, the most common varieties on the market being Packham’s Triumph and Williams (also known as Bartlett and Duchess), with smaller volumes of Buerré Bosc, Josephine, Corella and Nijisseiki.
