Hybrid pear and kiwi?
Friend saw a man selling what she thought were "baby" kiwis at a local farmers
market. He said they were a cross between a kiwi and a pear. She said it tasted fine and had qualities of both fruits, but is this really possible? |
Hybrid pear and kiwi?
Malcom "Mal" Reynolds wrote:
Friend saw a man selling what she thought were "baby" kiwis at a local farmers market. He said they were a cross between a kiwi and a pear. She said it tasted fine and had qualities of both fruits, but is this really possible? I don't know for sure but here are some ideas. The genus of the kiwi is not close to that of the pear and this would make natural hybridisation through cross pollination very difficult, although GE techniques can overcome some of those boundaries and there have been crosses between quite different plants before so it isn't altogether impossible. Kiwifruit have been given common names involving "pear" in the past. So this might be some kiwi cultivar. There has apparently been quite some effort put into finding other species of the kiwifruit genus (actinidia) and crossing them to make new commercial crops. I am guessing this is the most likely explanation. One that has already hit the market is the golden kiwi that has a non furry skin, milder taste and yellow flesh. None of these involve your actual pear (pyrus). David |
Quote:
Kiwifruit is not the only edible member of the Actinidia family. Two in particular are hardier than the standard kiwifruit, Actinidia deliciosa and produce good fruit. I suspect it might be one of those. (A. deliciosa includes the yellow kiwifruit the NZers have tried to trademark as Zespri.) The hardy ones are (1) Actinidia arguta, which and produces grape-sized berries sometimes called baby kiwis. They aren't hairy, but inside they look just like a kiwi, but paler green than the normal one. (2) Actinidia kolomikta is also grown in Britain, mainly as an ornamental, as it has a striking green/pink/white variegation to its leaves. It's even smaller fruits are sometimes called kiwi berries. For all of these you need m and f plants to get fruit. |
Hybrid pear and kiwi?
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote: Malcom "Mal" Reynolds wrote: Friend saw a man selling what she thought were "baby" kiwis at a local farmers market. He said they were a cross between a kiwi and a pear. She said it tasted fine and had qualities of both fruits, but is this really possible? I don't know for sure but here are some ideas. The genus of the kiwi is not close to that of the pear and this would make natural hybridisation through cross pollination very difficult, although GE techniques can overcome some of those boundaries and there have been crosses between quite different plants before so it isn't altogether impossible. Kiwifruit have been given common names involving "pear" in the past. So this might be some kiwi cultivar. There has apparently been quite some effort put into finding other species of the kiwifruit genus (actinidia) and crossing them to make new commercial crops. I am guessing this is the most likely explanation. One that has already hit the market is the golden kiwi that has a non furry skin, milder taste and yellow flesh. None of these involve your actual pear (pyrus). David thanks |
Kiwifruit is a very rich source of soluble dietary fiber (3.8 g per 100 g of fruit OR 10% of RDA), which makes it a good bulk laxative.
Hybrid offer more fruit, nutrients and grow to an anormours size. It is proved that hybrids are sweeter than its natural form. |
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