The North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal) is a native tree fruit that is in the early stages of commercial production. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, there are over 90 commercial pawpaw growers in Kentucky. Pawpaw fruit has fresh market appeal for farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture, and organic markets, as well as processing potential for frozen pulp production. There are approximately 50 pawpaw cultivars commercially available. Kentucky State University has already released three pawpaw cultivars: KSU-Atwood™ in 2009, KSU-Benson™ in 2016, and KSU-Chappell™ in 2018. However, additional high-quality cultivars are needed. Pawpaw varieties with fruit weights over 120 g per fruit are considered to have a large enough fruit size for commercial sale and processing. New high-yielding cultivars with excellent fruit quality would further assist in the development of the pawpaw industry. Kentucky State University serves as the National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Pawpaw. Two goals of the Repository’s research efforts are germplasm acquisition and evaluation. The selection Hawk238 was identified by a private grower as having a unique fruit type and promising characteristics as a potential new cultivar. In 2024, the fruit size and quality of the pawpaw cultivars Susquehanna and Shenandoah were compared to Hawk238. Fruit size was similar among ‘Susquehanna,’ ‘Shenandoah,’ and Hawk238, averaging 190 g, 155 g, and 154 g, respectively. The Brix of ripe fruit pulp was significantly lower in ‘Shenandoah’ (17.7 Brix) compared to ‘Susquehanna’ (25.4 Brix) and Hawk238 (24.3 Brix). The selection Hawk238 has a pleasing orange flesh with a mild banana-mango flavor and a large fruit size that would be excellent for processing. This selection, Hawk238, will be included in additional trials.
