Growers across Australia have begun the first plantings of QTee® pear trees, a new aromatic red pear.

Horticulture Brand Management Australia Pty Ltd (HBMA) has the Australian licence for the fruit which consumers should be tasting in the coming years.

The QTee® originates from Norway, it is a medium-sized fruit with an intense red blush and green background, has a sweet, aromatic flavour and can be eaten either hard and crunchy or juicy and soft. QTee® is characterised by its delicate, juicy flesh which it inherited from its parents Williams and Broket July.

HBMA General Manager Elisa King said the pear would be planted in ideal growing regions of Goulburn Valley (VIC), Adelaide Hills (SA) and Manjimup (WA).

“We are supporting growers with international co-ordination and taking valuable learnings garnered from Europe to apply to Australian conditions,” Elisa said.

“Consumers biggest barrier to purchase is not knowing how to ripen a pear, so the fact QTee® can be eaten crunchy or soft is brilliant.”

The pear is similar in appearance to the Red Sienna Pride pear that recently hit the market.

There is also much hype around a new apple variety purported to be climate change resistant, currently being grown in New Zealand.