‘Valencia’: A New Pepino (Solanum muricatum) Cultivar with Improved Fruit Quality

Pepino (Solanum muricatum Aiton), also known as melon-pear, is a vegetatively propagated vegetable crop grown for its juicy and aromatic fruit. Great variation in fruit weight, shape, and color can be found among cultivars of pepino (Anderson et al., 1996; Heiser, 1985). Despite being an important crop in Pre-Columbian times in the Andean region, it has not achieved the same relevance as other New World cultivated Solanaceae such as tomato, pepper or potato (Prohens et al., 1996). However, during the last two decades, its cultivation has spread to many countries as a crop for diversifying greenhouse horticultural production. Two types of pepino cultivars can be distinguished: sweet fruit with at least 8% soluble solids concentration (SSC) and a fruity intense aroma appropiate for use as a dessert fruit for which fruit sweetness is a key factor (El-Zeftawi et al., 1988); cultivars producing less sweet but more fi rm-fl eshed fruit with a grassy (green) aroma suitable for use in salads in the same way as cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). In several areas of the Mediterranean region, pepino (in particular sweet cultivars) is being introduced as a new crop (Prohens et al., 2000). The main limitation to pepino production is the availability of sweet pepino cultivars with combined high yield and good fruit quality. Clones producing fruit with high SSC (8% to 10%) suited for use as a dessert fruit, usually have a low yield (< 20 t·ha); in contrast, high yielding clones (>40 t·ha) have an unacceptably SSC (<7%) (Rodríguez-Burruezo et al., 2002). A research group of the Centro de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV) of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia has conducted a pepino breeding program since the early 1990s. The clonal hybrid cultivar Valencia is a result of this program. ‘Valencia’ has a higher fruit yield and better fruit quality than other current sweet pepino cultivars, and is adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. either parental clone (Table 1) and, occasionally, close to the high yielding ‘Puzol’. Fruit of ‘Valencia’ ripen earlier than other pepino cultivars. The time elapsed between transplanting and fi rst harvest ranges between 23 and 25 weeks in the autumn-winter growing season. ‘Valencia’ fruit weigh between 125 and 250 g (Table 1), adequate for dessert fruit. Fruit shape is elongated (Fig. 2), with a length/width ratio of 2.0 to 2.2 (1.3 for Sm-26 and 3.0 for ‘Sweet Long’). Both attributes (medium size and elongated shape) favor fruit packing and optimize box space. Fruit are attractive, with a golden color and narrow purple stripes covering less than 10% of fruit surface. The fl esh also exhibits an intense yellow color (Fig. 2). The fl avor of ‘Valencia’ is appropriate for a dessert fruit. SSC levels of ‘Valencia’ fruit range from 8.6 to 10.0%, values that are higher and statistically signifi cant in most cases than those of Sm-26 and ‘Sweet Long’. Furthermore, ascorbic acid concentration (AAC) levels are high, (between 400 and 600 mg·kg) (Table 1). Titratable acidity (TA, mmol·kg citric acid) values are comparable to the usual values for this species and always signifi cantly lower than Sm-26 (Nuez and Ruiz, 1996). Most trials were conducted under autumnwinter growing season conditions (Prohens et al., 2000), since this is the best growing season for good fruit quality and yield (RodríguezOrigin