to be evaluated were selected from PPF orchards at the University of Maryland Experiment Stations at Wye, MD and Keedysville, MD (Table 1). These “advanced selections” were selected based on superior horticultural traits including fruit size and taste, flesh-to-seed ratio, resistance to pests and diseases, and overall productivity on a year-to-year basis. Seedling trees from local native sources were planted around the perimeter as a buffer against edge effects and to allow comparisons with local germplasm. Identical orchards will be or have been planted at the institutions and locations presented in Table 2.
Orchard performance to be examined at each RVT site will include climatic factors, culture, pests, growth, flowering, yield, and fruit characteristics. Trees will be evaluated for several years for such characteristics as yield, year-to-year consistency, and regional suitability. At the end of several fruiting seasons, regional recommendations will be made. Each site will serve as a regional demonstration for growers and nursery operators, and they will serve public education/extension purposes. Kirk Pomper will serve as the coordinator of all RVT plantings. Once trees begin fruiting, annual RVT cooperator meetings will rotate from site to site for research updates and plot evaluations/tours. Final results of the RVT and regional recommendations will be available on the KYSU web site (http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu). At KYSU, the RVT was planted in late March of 1998. By July, only 6 trees had failed to survive. Approximately 40 trees have initiated flower buds during the summer. These trees will be starting their third growth cycle next spring, and with the presence of flower buds, there is at least the potential that some fruit may be produced next year.
Bailey, L.H. 1960. The standard cyclopedia of horticulture, Vol. I. MacMillan Co., New York.
Darrow, G.M. 1975. Minor temperate fruits. p. 276–277. In: J. Janick and J.N. Moore (eds.), Advances in fruit breeding. Purdue Univ. Press, West Lafayette, IN.
Finneseth, C.L.H., D.R. Layne, and R.L. Geneve. 1998. Morphological development of pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal] during seed germination and seedling emergence. HortScience 33:802–805.
Huang, H., D.R. Layne, and R.N. Peterson. 1997. Using isozyme polymorphisms for identifying and assessing genetic variation in cultivated pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal]. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 122:504–511.
Huang, H., D.R. Layne, and D.E. Riemenschneide. 1998. Genetic diversity and geographic differentiation in pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal] populations from nine states as revealed by alozyme analysis. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 123:635–641.
Jones, S.C. and D.R. Layne. 1997. Cooking with pawpaws. KSU Pawpaw Ext. Bul.-001.
Jones, S.C., R.N. Peterson, T. Turner, K.W. Pomper, and D.R. Layne. 1998. Pawpaw planting guide: cultivars and nursery sources. KSU Pawpaw Ext. Bul.-002.
Kral, R. 1960. A revision of Asimina and Deeringothamnus (Annonaceae). Brittonia 12:233–278.
Layne, D.R. 1996. The pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal]: A new fruit crop for Kentucky and the United States. HortScience 31:777–784.
McLaughlin, J.L. 1997. Anticancer and pesticidal components of pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Annu. Rpt. N. Nut Growers Assoc. 88:97–106.
Peterson, R.N., J.P. Cherry, and J.G. Simmons. 1982. Composition of pawpaw (Asimina triloba) fruit. Annu. Rpt. N. Nut Growers Assoc. 73:97–106.
Rupprecht, J.K., C.-J. Chang, J.M. Cassady, and J.L. McLaughlin. 1986. Asimicin, a new cytotoxic and pesticidal acetogenin from the pawpaw, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Heterocycles 24:1197–1201.
Sargent, C.S. 1890. Silva of North America. Houghton Mifflin Co., New York.
Wilson, M.F. and D.W. Schemske. 1980. Pollinator limitation, fruit production, and floral display in pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Bul. Torrey Bot. Club. 107:401–408.
Zhao, G.X., L.R. Miesbauer, D.L. Smith, and J.L. McLaughlin. 1994. Asimin, asiminacin, and asiminecin: Novel highly cytotoxic asimicin isomers from Asimina triloba. J. Med. Chem. 37:1971–1976.