From strawberries that taste like pineapple
to cotton candy grapes, here are the most incredible fruit hybrids in the world that
you should definitely try!! 11. Rangpur The Rangpur is a fruit hybrid made naturally
by crossbreeding a lemon and a Mandarin orange. It’s grown in Asia, South America, and North
America. But, it goes by different names depending
on the region. In South China, it’s called the Canton Lemon. The Japanese call it the Hime. In Brazil, it goes by several names including
limão-cravo and limão-rosa. In the US, it’s known as the mandarin-lime
(I know, original right) and was introduced by the Reasoner Brothers of Oneco, in the
19th century. The two brothers, Pliny and Egbert Reasoner
are considered Florida’s plant pioneers. They had obtained the seeds from India, where
it gets the name of Rangpur, Sylhet lime or nimboo. Most people in the west use it as a potted
plant and ornament. But, this awesome fruit is highly acidic and
can substitute commercial limes. Have you ever tried one? Let us know in the comments! However, there are very few similarities between
the fruit and actual limes. So, the name mandarin-lime is somewhat misleading. 10: Plumcot Can you guess what it is?? The Plumcot is a hybrid of a plum and an apricot! It was made by Luther Burbank, who was a fruit
cultivator, at the turn of the 20th century. He undertook some of the earliest experiments
in plant breeding. His Plumcot was 50% plum and 50% apricot. He also experimented with hundreds of other
vegetables and fruits on his farm in the City of Sebastopol, California. While the Plumcot was an incredible hybrid,
it was difficult to grow, harvest and transport because it was too delicate so unfortunately
they never enjoyed commercial success. I bet they were delicious! Plumcots have been grown for many years on
a small scale, but if you want to try one never fear! Advances in plant genetics have led to the
creation of Pluots, which are second generation hybrids, which in this case is probably close
enough! Number 9: Tangelos Also called the honeybell, it’s a citrus
hybrid of the pomelo and Thompson tangerine. The fruits are the size of a human fist and
taste like tangerines. The skin is easier to peel than that of oranges. But, you can easily distinguish them since
they have a characteristic knob at the top. On the inside, they have few seeds complementing
their juiciness. Minneola tangelos, close cousins of the honeybells,
are popular in Florida. They were made by cross-breeding the Dancy
tangerine and the Duncan grapefruit. They were released in 1931 by the USDA Horticultural
Research Station in Orlando. 8: Pluots Although speaking of pluots, Floyd Zaiger
built on the breakthroughs of Luther Burbank to make the Pluot. He holds more than 500 patents and many consider
him the master of interspecific fruit breeding! How’s that for something to be known for! Pretty cool right? Before we proceed, let’s clear something
up. Fruit hybrids and GMOs are very different. First, genetic engineering is a modern invention
of the late 20th century. Hybridization is a natural phenomenon that
has occurred in nature for hundreds of years. While GMOs are made in the lab by injecting
the genes of one species into a different species, fruit hybrids are derived through
artificial selection. During the process, fruit breeders like Mr.
Zaiger, collect pollen from flowers of one plant variety and apply it to the flowers
of a different plant species. Plant breeding between members of the same
species is called intraspecific breeding. When it involves closely related plant species,
it’s known as interspecific breeding. Classical breeding techniques have taken many
years to perfect. But, the success of the hybrid depends on
nature itself. So, humans didn’t invent hybridization clearly. We only speed things up by acting as a matchmaker. The Pluot made by Zaiger in the late 1980s
is 25% apricot, and 75% plum. It has a smooth exterior that closely resembles
the plum. He stumbled upon the Pluot after crossing
several plum-apricot hybrids such as the Aprium. This took him many years, because even a successful
cross may not yield the desired fruit. Zaiger Genetics Inc., a renowned company based
in Modesto, California, plants about 50,000 to 60,000 crosses every year. Out of the thousands, only six hybrid varieties
have characteristics that the fruit industry will find appealing. So, next time you encounter a fruit hybrid
with a fancy name like Flavor King Pluots, remember that it’s a product of extensive
labor and passion. It’s what makes fruit hybrids pretty incredible
and appreciated. And now for number 7 but first remember to
subscribe and click the notification bell so you don't miss out on the latest videos. 7: Peacotum Can you figure out the fruits that made this
hybrid? I’ll give you a moment to leave your guesses
in the comments below!!This one is kind of tricky!! Peacotums look like Pluots and Plumcots. So, they must have plum and apricot genes. Surprisingly, Peacotums also contain peach
genes and were developed by Zaiger's Genetics Inc. The company touted the Peacotum as the first
three-fruits-in-one hybrid. See, tricky!! Some Peacotum varieties have been released
so far, under the brand names, 'Bella Royale, Bella Cerise and Bella Gold.’ Are you wondering how this delicious fruit
tastes? When it’s fully ripe, it melts in your mouth
and has the proper balance of acidity needed for a delightful flavor. Growers and customers have described the skin
as fuzzy and likened its appearance to that of its parents, the peach, and the apricot. It tastes like plums with hints of apricot
but lacks a peach flavor. Therefore, the only peachy thing about the
Peacotum is its cover. 6: Pineberries Pineberries are strawberries with a slight
pineapple flavor, which is the reason why they are called pineberries! While typical strawberries have a red flesh
and white seeds, pineberries have white flesh and red seeds. They are native to Chile and resulted due
to a cross between the common strawberry and the beach berry or coastal berry. This strawberry is native to Hawaii and the
Pacific coast of South and North America. A different strawberry variety cultivated
in northern Europe closely resembles the pineberry in appearance. However, it’s an Alpine strawberry variety,
and its seeds are either light green or white. It’s also much smaller than pineberries. I would love to try one of these, I’ve never
seen this anywhere have you?? Anyone from Chile who has tried one? Number 5: Limequat The Limequat is a cross of the Key Lime also
known as the Mexican Lime, and the Kumquat fruit that’s native to China. Did you know that Kumquat is the only citrus
fruit that can be eaten whole? Moreover, the peel is the sweetest part of
the fruit, and its insides are sour. Yeah! It’s a strange fruit. The Limequat inherited the soft, sweet and
edible skin of the Kumquat. But, many find its insides too sour to eat. So, it’s mostly used in marmalades, jellies,
and jams. The Limequat is a suitable replacement for
recipes that require lemons or Key limes. Like my favorite, key lime pie!! It has more desirable traits like an ability
to produce many fruits from an early age. Currently, it’s grown in Israel, Spain,
Malaysia, Japan, Florida, Texas, and California. If you happen to have a bunch of Limequats
lying around, you can use a clever technique to eat them. Squeeze the juice out, and then pop the rest
of the fruit in your mouth. Number 4: Tayberry This is an exciting cross between a raspberry
and blackberry. It acquired its size from the raspberry and
the juiciness and sweetness from the blackberry. It was patented in 1979 after farmers discovered
a way to cross its parents successfully. The name came from River Tay in Scotland. Tayberries have a favorable yield of 27 tons
per hectare. However, they become very soft when fully
ripe and can get really mushy. This makes harvesting the berries using machines
or by hand difficult. For this reason, tayberries have never been
fully incorporated in large-scale commercial farming. Backyard growers and artisans don’t have
a problem growing them. As a domestic plant, the Tayberry has received
the Award of Garden Merit, from the Royal Horticultural Society. If you have never had a chance to eat one
of these fruits, they have a sweet-tart flavor. You can eat the fruit raw or cooked. Also, you can use them to make jams, wines
or pies due to their high pectin content. 3: Blood Limes Also called the Australian Blood Lime, it’s
an incredible hybrid developed during the CSIRO project that sought to find salt-resistant
crops. It’s a cross of the red finger lime and
the Ellendale mandarin hybrid. Despite being unsuitable to grow in high-salt
concentrations, it has enjoyed commercial success. It made a debut in Australia’s markets in
July 2004 and was later exported. The blood lime has several desirable traits. The skin can also be eaten together with its
insides! It stores juice in small vesicles within its
red flesh. You can cut the fruit in half, and squeeze
the juice out of the vesicles. Alternatively, you may chew the vesicles,
and they will pop releasing a refreshing burst of lime juice in your mouth. Blood limes are also sweeter than normal limes,
which are too tart for most people to eat just by themselves, unless they are inside
a cocktail! Number 2: Jostaberry The Jostaberry (pronounced as yust-a-berry)
is a complex hybrid made by crossing the blackcurrant, with the European gooseberry, and the North
American coastal black gooseberry. Despite the extensive cultivation of gooseberries
and blackcurrants in Europe, they have never taken hold in the United States. Many gardeners choose not to grow the gooseberry
partly because of its thorns and tart taste. Who wants that??!! Blackcurrants are prone to diseases such as
blister rust and mildew. They were banned in the US in the 1900s since
they served as a vector for a tree disease called the white pine blister dust. It had threatened to annihilate all pine trees
in the US so the USDA had no option but to ban its cultivation. The hybrid has captured the best traits from
both species, without the disadvantages. The Jostaberry gets its looks from the gooseberry,
but without the thorns!! It’s also resistant to diseases that plagued
the black currants so it has the best of both worlds!! The first breed of the Jostaberry was introduced
by Germany in 1977. Further varieties have been produced recently,
by the USDA in Oregon. Number 1: Cotton Candy Grapes Cotton Candy grapes are not flossy or fluffy,
nor do they smell like cotton candy. They resemble ordinary green grapes in all
aspects. However, when they pop in your mouth, the
first thing you’ll think about is the cotton candy flavor. They were created at the International Fruit
Genetics facility in California by David Cain, a leading horticulturist, and his team. They conducted about 100,000 trials before
stumbling on the cotton-candy grape. It’s a cross of two grape species and has
12 percent more sugar than store-bought grapes. The hybrid has been sold in supermarkets since
2011. But of course, it’s more expensive than
ordinary grapes or seedless grapes. Nevertheless, this has not deterred customers
from making them a favorite snack. The IFG creates new varieties of grapes and
cherries, and showcases them during a Global Summit of table grape growers held in Bakersfield,
California. It has created grape varieties that taste
like pineapples, mangos, and strawberries. They are testing them to see if they are economically
viable. Who doesn’t want grapes like that!! Thanks for watching!! Remember to subscribe and see you soon!!
