North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

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From: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Reply-To: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 10:25:07 -0400
To: ARS News subscriber <lonrom@hevanet.com>
Subject: Prized Pomegranates

STORY LEAD:
Prized Pomegranates Undergo Scrutiny of Nursery Staff, Growers
___________________________________________

ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Marcia Wood, (301) 504-1662, MarciaWood@ars.usda.gov
July 22, 2004
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Imagine sweet, juicy pomegranates that are pink or yellow on the outside
instead of the familiar red. These fruits are so unusual that you probably
haven't seen them in the local supermarket's produce section.
 
But that could change, depending on what orchardists, treefruit breeders and
plant nursery staffers learn from growing samples of unique pomegranates
that they've obtained from America's official pomegranate collection.
Headquartered at Davis, Calif., this treasure trove of the delicious,
fun-to-eat fruit is part of the National Clonal Germplasm Repository for
Fruit and Nut Crops. The repository and other collections make up a
nationwide network that's managed by the Agricultural Research Service--the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
 
Specialists working with cuttings from pomegranate trees in the collection
will share what they've learned about the best strategies for helping these
distinctive trees thrive at fruit farms in the United States. Pomegranate
cuttings, if they adapt well, will take root and form sturdy, shrublike
trees that will bear flavorful fruit in about three years. That's according
to research geneticist and interim curator Mallikarjuna K. Aradhya.
  
The ARS pomegranate collection, with more than 150 different kinds of
pomegranates from around the globe, is likely the most diverse, publicly
owned assortment of pomegranates in the United States. This ARS repository
safeguards samples of the world's pomegranates to ensure that the genetic
richness or diversity of this fruit won't be lost, even if groves of wild
pomegranates on other continents are inadvertently destroyed, or if new
commercial varieties displace older heirloom ones.
 
In the repository's sunny orchards, pomegranates range from light pink to
deep orange, burgundy red or golden yellow on the outside. Pomegranates are
low in calories and sodium; provide vitamin C, potassium, and fiber; and are
rich an antioxidants.
___________________________________________

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