Based in Israel, Ben-Dor Fruits and Nurseries has developed a new apple variety and a new pear variety. Both will be licensed to growers in and outside of Israel.
“The main advantages of the Odem apple are the low chilling hours required and how early we can harvest,” said Ronit Ganigar, agronomist at Ben-Dor. “It develops a deep red colour, even at low altitude.” The adaptability to a wide range of climactic conditions, from low chill to very high chill, makes the Odem one of Ben-Dor's more promising apple varieties. Ganigar described the apple's flavour as sweet and sour, the texture is crunchy and very juicy.
Also from Ben-Dor is a red flesh nectarine they developed based on gains made with red flesh plums. “After learning about the health benefits of our red flesh Plums (being researched in a well-known laboratory in our country) we decided to develop and cultivate a wide range red flesh fruit families. As we are looking for widest range of red flesh products for the taste and health reason, we were looking for a long time for this line of products.”
“The red flesh nectarines have an excellent balance of sweet and sour, and they're very juicy” said Ganigar. The markets who are very keen to buy these nectarines are UK, EU and Israel.