The feijoa and tamarillo are subtropical fruits originally from South America. Both are considered to be exotic fruits, and are minor crops in New Zealand, but they have good potential to be developed further.

The main growing regions for both these fruits are the Bay of Plenty, Northland and Auckland. Smaller areas are grown in a wide range of districts throughout New Zealand, including Nelson and Taranaki. Feijoas are very tolerant of frost and grow on a variety of soil types. Tamarillos are sensitive to frost, water-logging and drought conditions, and require excellent shel

This article is based on the work of Kevin Patterson, Grant Thorp, Roy Hart and Greg Pringle, and summarizes information for growers on feijoa and tamarillo selections which have been released to date.

Feijoas
Twelve thousand trays of feijoas were exported in 1993, earning $138,000 f.o.b. Ninety percent of these were sent to U.S. markets, which are showing steady growth. Good returns for large, early season fruit can also be obtained on the local market. Approximately 800 tonnes of fruit were sold on the local market last year.

Twenty to 25 tonnes of feijoas have been processed annually, on a commercial basis, in recent years. Most of this has gone into wines and juices but significant amounts have also been processed into icecreams, chutneys, jams, nectar etc. Progress in the development of processed products has been encouraging and the quantity of feijoas processed is expected to more than quadruple in the next two years.

In the late 1970s a programme was developed by HortResearch (then DSIR) to produce cultivars with fruit attributes suitable for export markets. Programme leader Kevin Patterson invited growers and home gardeners with promising feijoas to contact him. Kevin was particularly looking for early maturing, large fruited cultivars with good flavour and storage qualities. From this evaluation, two cultivars, "Gemini" and "Apollo", were released by HortResearch in 1983. These were named after the American space missions and because feijoa fruit are shaped like small rockets. Evaluation of several other promising clones continued, and in 1990 the late maturing cultivar "Opal Star" was released. "Opal" denotes the smooth opalescent green look of the fruit and "Star" the design which appears when the fruit is cut open.

At Riwaka, in Nelson, Roy Hart also gathered a cultivar and "people's choice" collection over several years in the early 1980s. These were assessed, and a formal breeding programme started in 1985 to develop fruit with an attractive appearance; a mild, sweet flavour; with early and late maturity seasons; a longer storage life and more robust for handling. Two cultivars, "Kakapo" and "Pounamu", have been released from this breeding programme. "Kakapo" is named after the native green parrot, because of the fruit's pale green colour and blocky shape. "Pounamu" is named for its very dark green skin.

Opal Star  Released in 1990.
Parentage:	Unknown, an open pollinated seedling.
Maturity:	Late (late April to late May in Auckland), approx 1 week earlier
		than "Triumph" and 4 weeks later than "Unique". The "touch-pick"
		method is recommended for optimum quality at harvest.
Fruit:		Medium size (larger than "Triumph" but smaller than "Apollo").
		Ovoid shape.  Attractive, smooth, dark green skin.  
		Smooth texture with minimum grittiness.
		Strong aromatic flavour with good sugar-acid balance.
Habit:		Medium vigour, moderately upright with high branching of current
		season's growth.  Moderately compact, easier to manage than
		more vigorous cultivars like "Apollo".  Tree height and spread lower
		than "Apollo", less detailed pruning required to achieve high yields.
Flowering:	Heavy, self infertile (i.e. requires a pollenizer).
		Pollination compatible cultivars include "Apollo", "Triumph", or "Gemini".
		Cropping:High fruit set.  Thin to no more than 2 fruit per
		inflorescence to maximise fruit size.  Yields of marketable fruit are
		very dependent on fruit load and fruitlet thinning is essential.
		Commences cropping in the third year with yields of 30kg per tree
		typical in year five.  Generally yields approx 10% more fruit of
		marketable size (>65g) than "Triumph".
Storage/
Shelf-life: 	Four weeks at 3oC with 5 days shelf life.  
		Careful handling by fruit merchants important as internal quality
		deteriorates after this time.  Ready to eat 3 days after harvest.
		Fruit have a shelf life of 10 days at 20oC if not
		coolstored.

Hamish Selby
FIPIA New Zealand Ltd
PO Box 1101
Hastings
Telephone: 06 878 6385
Facsimile: 06 878 6387

Pounamu  Released in 1992.
Parentage:	"Gemini" x "Triumph"
Maturity:	Early, approx. same time as "Gemini", and just after "Unique".
		In Nelson, the bulk of the crop is harvested in April.  This should be
		earlier in northern districts of the North Island.  The "touch-pick"
		method is recommended for optimum quality at harvest.
Fruit:		Medium size with a good percentage in the 80 to 120g range.
		Larger fruit may reach 150 to 160g.  Oval shape with prominent
		open calyx.  Smooth with slight undulation.  Very dark green skin.
		Texture is smooth with minimum grittiness.  Flavour is rich and
		aromatic with a good sugar:acid balance.
Habit:		Moderate vigour with upright spreading habit.  Tendency to
		spread excessively unless pruned hard from time to time.
Flowering:	"Pounamu" is compatible with all standard cultivars and needs at
		least one or two different in an orchard to ensure good pollination
		occurs.
Cropping:	Thinning to 2 fruit per inflorescence is recommended to help fruit size.
		Heavy early pruning and tree training are also recommended.
		Irrigation throughout the season in Nelson has a marked effect on
		yield, especially over the fruit sizing period of late February, March
		and April.  Starts cropping in the third year.
Storage/
Shelf life:	"Pounamu" is a robust fruit relative to other feijoas and handles as
		well as "Triumph".  Eating quality is best 3 to 7 days after harvest.

Kakapo  Released in 1992.
Parentage:	Unknown, an open pollinated seedling .
Maturity:	Mid-season.
Fruit:		Medium size, with the main crop being 80 to 120 g.
		Blocky to oval shape.
		Light green skin which turns slightly paler at harvest time.
		Mild, sweet, refreshing flavour.
Habit:		Medium vigour, upright but open tree habit.  An easy tree to manage.
Flowering:	Flower production is moderate and reasonably condensed.  Self infertile.
		Good cross-pollination is essential for optimum fruit development.
		Compatible with all other cultivars currently grown in New Zealand.
Cropping:	Fruit set is moderate and little fruit thinning is necessary. 
Storage/
Shelf life:	Fruit are fairly delicate, so care is needed with handling.
		Can be eaten soon after harvest and should be eaten within 7 days.

"Pounamu" and "Kakapo" are currently being propagated at Tharfields Nursery Ltd, Te Puna, Tauranga and Waimea Nurseries in Richmond, Nelson, and will be available in the near future.

"Apollo" and "Gemini" are available from Tharfields Nursery, Waimea Nurseries, and Johnsons Plants Ltd in Kaikohe.

Tamarillos
There are approximately 200 ha of tamarillos planted in New Zealand, producing approximately 2,000 t per year. In 1993, 33,500 trays of tamarillos were exported, with 87% going to the U.S. These exports earned $709,000 f.o.b. Eighty one percent of exports were red tamarillos and 19% golden (yellow) tamarillos. The proportion of golden tamarillos is expected to increase in the future.

In the early 1980s Kevin Patterson undertook a survey to find high performing tamarillo selections which produced fruit of a large size, had high fruit set and gave a high percentage of export grade fruit with an even shape, good flavour and good skin finish (low russet). Twenty three selections were evaluated by Kevin and Greg Pringle. "Red Beau" was identified as being the best all round performer in terms of export yield, fruit shape, flavour and overall appearance when packed in export trays. It has been extensively planted by tamarillo growers and is now regarded as the standard cultivar in the industry.

A golden tamarillo "Kaitaia Yellow", was also released by HortResearch in the early 1980s, in response to the then demand for cultivars suitable for processing, especially canning. Presently, however, the majority of golden tamarillos are produced for the fresh fruit market. Golden tamarillos are generally less acidic when mature and are therefore more appealing to many consumers.

Tamarillo mosaic virus is a major factor limiting tree health and the production of export grade fruit. Presence of the virus gives leaves and fruit a blotchy appearance. Development of virus resistant cultivars, producing "blotch-free" fruit and significant improvements in tree health, could mean a potential 10-fold increase in exports by the turn of the century. HortResearch has a research programme to develop resistance to tamarillo mosaic virus in "Red Beau" using biotechnology. Each virus particle is surrounded by a protein coat. By splicing the gene for the coat protein of the virus into the tamarillo plant, the plant is given resistance to the virus. This procedure has so far been shown to work in a model plant system, and is being extended to the tamarillo.

Red Beau  Released in 1991
Parentage:	Unknown, an open pollinated seedling.
Vigour:		Moderate.
Yield:		High proportion of export grade fruit.
Fruit:		Large size (75g average).  
		Oval shape, slightly pointed.
		Well developed red skin and flesh colour.
		Good flavour that is not too acidic or bitter.

Maintenance of seed trees by HortResearch and the Tamarillo Growers Association ensures that seed is true to type and will therefore result in a uniform line of fruit.

Further Information
For further information on these crops please refer to the following publications:

Patterson, K.J. 1990. Effects of pollination on fruit set, size, and quality in feijoa. NZ Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science. 18: 127-131.

Thorp, T.G. and Klein. J.D. 1987. Export Feijoas: postharvest handling and storage techniques to maintain optimum fruit quality. The Orchardist of NZ. 60(5): 164-166.

Fletcher, W.A. 1979. Growing Tamarillos. Bulletin #307, NZ Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Sale, P.R. 1985. Tamarillos: Orchard Management: planting, training, pruning, nutrition, harvesting. AgLink HPP 297 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Source:
The Orchardist, August 1994, Vol: 67, Number: (7):47