When pomegranate enthusiast Helen Hibbing witnessed a fascinating presentation on her favorite fruit by a third-generation pomegranate specialist from the Chater family of pomegranate fame, she felt compelled to tell Fruit Gardener readers what she had seen and heard.So John continues building on the legacy of his grandfather. He is now a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), continuing the family's work of developing pomegranates.In John's update on his recent efforts he said, "I just got back from the USDA national collection and have been taking data on 10 pomegranate cultivars, many of which are my grandfather's. I am measuring their diameter, length, calyx size and length, calyx strength, fruit mass, total aril mass,fruit color, total phenolic content, acidity, sugar content, juice color and antioxidant activity. I am wrapping up my first season of a pomegranate cultivar trial at UCR and Ventura County, which consists of 10 edible varieties (Parfianka, Desertnyi, Wonderful, Ambrosia, Eversweet, Haku Botan, Green Globe, Golden Globe, Phoenicia and Lof-fani) and two ornamentals (Ki Zakuro and Nochi Shibori). The trees are doing well, with some five to six feet in the first year of growth. I have also been ...continues
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