Central Otago orchards are trialling new fruit varieties this season as part of two breeding programmes to develop apricots that are higher value, premium quality, more attractive to the Asian palate, later cropping and better storing.
Summerfruit New Zealand (SNZ) director Earnscy Weaver, of Alexandra, said SNZ, in partnership with Plant and Food Research and John McLaren's private Nevis Fruit Company programme, based in Bannockburn, had produced several new varieties, which were being evaluated for commercial use.
Mr McLaren's varieties fruited later in the season.
Mr Weaver was optimistic the later apricots would provide good returns, as there was less fruit in overseas markets at that time.
''They also had an improved eating quality and brix levels.''
He said three apricot selections had been identified - Mac 12/45; StB 14/22 and StB 14/15 - and were being trialled. Two new plums, Malone and Humdinger, were also being assessed, as was the Mellow Yellow peach.
He said the first plantings were going in the ground now and the first commercial-sized crops would appear in three to five years.
There were more crosses to be evaluated at the Plant and Food Research facility at Clyde, which he said had ''huge potential''.
He said the Asian market wanted sweeter, crunchier, less acidic fruit.