Project Pawpaw Orchard Network:
New Jersey
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In April 2024, Project Pawpaw established its first Research & Breeding Orchard in Chesterfield, New Jersey. This 800-tree planting represents a major milestone in advancing pawpaw research and breeding. The orchard features woven ground cover for weed suppression, buried drip irrigation, and paperboard tree protectors as an eco-friendly solution for first-year establishment. These select seedling trees will be grafted in 2-3 years with a combination of known varieties and experimental material, allowing us to evaluate all available pawpaw varieties in a replicated experiment and develop new tools for more efficient breeding of the next generation of cultivars.
Plantings like this are essential for advancing research in under-supported specialty crops like pawpaws. These orchards are expensive and time-consuming to establish and maintain, which is why we thank this community for their continuing support of this crowdfunded effort.
The orchard was planted in collaboration with Dr. David Hlubik of Hlubik Farms. David completed his PhD at Rutgers University where he studied hazelnut breeding and genetics. He's joined the team as a Farmer Collaborator and brings his experience in farm management, woody plant care, and plant breeding to the project.
Planting Details
The site of this orchard was selected for its relatively flat topography and homogenous, sandy soils. This will allow us to minimize environmental variation across the field. Southern New Jersey is an ideal location for this orchard due to its isolation from wild stands of pawpaws, which will help to keep the orchard free from pests or disease. A source of healthy, disease free plant material is an essential first step toward further developing the pawpaw industry.
The site of the orchard has been in conventional vegetable production for 75 years. Field preparation included termination of the rye cover crop and laying woven ground cover onto raised beds using a plastic mulch layer, with drip tape beneath the fabric. A low mow vineyard mix was established in the alleys and was selected for reduced mowing requirements and lower potential for fostering mouse and vole populations. Each tree was planted in a paperboard tree protector for the first growing season, as earlier trials performed at this farm showed the highest rates of survival in spring planted seedlings with tree shelters. A census performed three months after planting showed a ~90% survival rate in the in the orchard.
The orchard is approximately 1 acre and planted into rows on 12 foot centers with 5 foot in-row spacing, which is a higher density than would be recommended for commercial production. This decision was made to provide the population size required to develop tools for pawpaw breeding and give the best chance of finding superior seedlings. As the planting matures, a portion of these trees will be used for scionwood production and thus kept smaller so as to not interfere with fruit production.
The seedlings planted are open pollinated progeny from an isolated stand of full-sibling trees with origins in the Cornell orchards. Three years after establishment, the seeedlings will be topworked with named cultivars and scion of seedlings from controlled crosses in a partially replicated (p-rep) experimental design. As the trees begin to fruit, data will be collected on flowering, fruit quality and composition, and key agronomic traits. Beyond simply evaluating seedlings for potential cultivar release, the planting is being designed to be used for Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and as a training population for Genomic Selection (GS), both of which will enable faster and more efficient pawpaw breeding in the future.
Funding for this orchard was raised entirely through the sale of pawpaw seedlings, shirts, grafting knives, and other merchandise at festivals and farmer’s markets and through the Project Pawpaw online store. The second research orchard is planned to be planted in Wisconsin in Spring of 2025, with future locations and collaborators in the lower midwest, southeast, and mid-atlantic regions being sought.
With Special Thanks To...
Chris D'Angelo
Audrey D'Angelo
Ian Gray
Bill Hlubik
David Hlubik
Donna Hlubik
Jerry Hlubik
Mary Hlubik
Ray Hlubik
Sue Hlubik
Ella Jordahl
