A new red-blushed pear variety is currently undergoing tests appraising its return on investment.
Marketed as Deliza© by Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL), the ANP-0131 pear was bred as part of the Australian National Pear Breeding Program (ANPBP).
Following a drop in demand for traditional varieties of Australian pears, production has decreased by 30 per cent over the past 10 to 15 years.
In response, the ANPBP aims to recapture the market by developing and commercialising new varieties of pear.
APAL said that is was assessing the costs, benefits, and risks of growing the new blushed pears on a representative block in a Goulburn Valley orchard, using discounted cash flow analysis.
While the majority of Australian pears take 10 years to reach maximum production, the Profitable Pears project aims to develop orchard management systems that reduce this time to three to four years while also increasing yield without compromising quality.
Ebony Graveur 