Delaware State University Testing Adaptability of Paw-Paw Accessions to Delaware Conditions

Lekha Paudel, DSU Farm Management Specialist, lnpaudel@desu.edu and John Clendaniel, DSU Farm Management Specialist and ANR Program Leader, jclendaniel@desu.edu

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), the American fruit tree, is a small deciduous tree native to the eastern United States. It produces a large yellowish-green fruit that has potential for fresh fruit use and for processing to ice creams and other drinks and confectionaries. In collaboration with fruit breeders at Kentucky State University, Delaware State University is participating in a multi-location varietal trial of 5 accessions (KSU-Atwood, KSU-Chappel, Shenandoah, Sunflower, and a seedling rootstock) to test the adaptability of these accessions to Delaware’s agro-ecology under different management practices.