05/14/07 New Varieties on the Horizon

New Varieties On The Horizon. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. You are about to have a much more difficult time choosing fruit at the grocery store. New varieties of pears and apples are coming to the produce aisle according to Alan Taylor, spokesperson for Brandt's Fruit Tree's. TAYLOR: Well we're looking at what I guess you'd call the next generation of apples and pears that are going to be coming over in the next few years from an organization called Prevar which stands for premium varieties. It's a marketing innovation company in New Zealand. Researchers are always developing new varieties and Taylor says these are especially tasty ones. TAYLOR: We're looking at an apple called "Sweetie." It's a Gala - Braeburn cross that's picked ahead of Gala apples which will hopefully provide a marketing advantage for the growers and then we have two pears, "Maxie" & "Crispie" which are a combination of European and Asian pears which provide a different type of flavor and the Asian crunch. He says there will be other new varieties on the way but it does take time to get new varieties from the orchard to the stores. TAYLOR: We are always looking at the future and when you are in the fruit business, nothing happens overnight. It takes a while. Well there some fruit, especially pear varieties where they say you're planting them for your children or your grandchildren. The new variety fruit trees are being handled through Brandt's Fruit Trees, Inc. near Yakima, Washington. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.